As I sit here writing this monthly message for March, looking out the window of my home onto about a foot of freshly fallen snow, I wonder if spring will ever arrive. The first day of spring still seems like a long way off and I’m thinking maybe I should have spent more time in the 90-degree heat of Ghana this February. Let’s hope that March is easy on us and “comes in like a lion but goes out like a lamb”.
For the nature photographer, there are definitely a few things to watch for this month. Bird migrations for waterfowl such as snow geese from the south to north can happen in early March. Several hot spots are Blackwater NWR on the Eastern shore and Bombay Hook NWR on Delaware Bay.
The first spring flowers to arrive in March are crocus, daffodils, Lenten rose and cherry blossoms; shortly followed by iris, tulips, hyacinths and redbuds. Get out the macro lens for some nice close-ups. If we are lucky we might even get a dusting of snow on the new colorful flowers. The huge diplay of cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin in DC can peak in late March so be sure to watch the news and check the highly publicized blossom forecast (one example: http://havecamerawilltravel.com/cherry-blossoms/cherry-blossom-peak-bloom-forecasts-2014/). IMO, the best shots here happen before sunrise when the monuments are still illuminated with artificial lights. Use your flash or flashlight to light the cherry blossoms and use your tripod to capture sharp pre-dawn long-exposures.
The very rare and beautiful “Himalayan blue poppy” can be seen in bloom at Longwood Gardens (Kennett Square, PA) in March (http://longwoodgardens.org/gardens/about-our-plants/production/signature-plants). These almost don’t look real and many people come to Longwood to see this unusual flower.
The Highland County Maple Festival (http://www.highlandcounty.org) kicks off in and around Monterey, VA on March 8-9 and 15-16. This is down-home event that has been going on for 56 years. It offers Arts & Crafts, entertainment, tours to several maple syrup farms and of course there will be lots of opportunities to sample and buy authentic Virginia harvested and processed maple syrup. (Watch out Vermont!) NVPS had a field trip here in 2012. Driving around the Virginia highlands in mid-March will be very scenic as the new tree growth starts to emerge.
Here are a few unrelated and possibly but not-necessarily photographic things that will happen this March: Mardi-Gras/Fat-Tuesday in New Orleans (March 4 this year); Beginning of daylight savings (March 9); Full Moon (March 16); St. Patrick’s Day (March 17); Official start of spring (March 20); March madness (basketball), and the beginning of the pro baseball season. March is also time to fertilize the lawn, start the spring garden projects and to begin a fresh new cycle-of-life for the year.
If you would like to capture the full-moon rising over the DC monuments, Sunday evening, at 7:30 PM on March 16 might be just the day to do it. The moon will rise about 15 minutes after sunset so the sky color should be just right. That is, assuming we have a clear night. Also, a great app for your computer (free or donation), tablet ($) or mobile device ($) is called “The Photographer’s Ephemeris” (http://photoephemeris.com/). This useful app not only gives you sun and moon rise/set times for any given day and location, it also shows on Google maps, the direction from where these events will occur. It is quite useful to know where the sun or moon will rise in advance so you can get to your ideal spot before it happens.
On March 25, I will be very pleased to present my digital photo slideshow on Iceland. It will cover a 2200-mile adventure around the “ring road”, Iceland’s main highway through its extremely diverse and beautiful landscapes. I would love to share this exciting experience with you.
Final thoughts
After the coldest and snowiest winter in northern Virginia in at least four years, most of us are ready for some kinder, gentler and warmer spring weather. Plan to get out this month and take some photos; try some green beer and corned-beef and cabbage on March 17 and remember that everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day!
Mike Whalen
