Photo Challenge: Spring’s Surprise
“It’s all about creation and surprise. It just needs to be appreciated and watered like flowers. You have to water flowers. These peaks will come again.” Sonny Rollins
Spring’s Surprise – buds and flowers from the yard
Poor, dear, silly Spring, preparing her annual surprise! Wallace Stevens
Mystery is at the heart of creativity. That, and surprise. Julia Cameron
Everything that is new or uncommon raises a pleasure in the imagination, because it fills the soul with an agreeable surprise, gratifies its curiosity, and gives it an idea of which it was not before possessed. Joseph Addison
This morning it rained… I’d been planning to walk the yard and check on the new plant life forming around me. I was concerned because the erratic winter had deceived the daffodils and crocuses into believing that our periods of intermittent warm days were a sign of the impending spring. They weren’t. Instead, the bright and sunny days were quickly followed by some nasty snowstorms that put the plants to sleep again. We had extremely cold days and snowfall that stayed around long after we had packed up the snow-melt and our boots. But, spring is full of surprises and she always delivers her wares no matter what. The photos I’ve shared in this post are a combination of the flowers slowly poking their heads or buds in my yard. Come back later for shots of flowers I took at my local Farmer’s Market. It is indeed a season of surprises with flora and fauna flourishing and giving us joy.
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“The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us.” Ashley Montagu
Spring’s Surprise – buds and flowers from the yard
Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us. Boris Pasternak
Each day holds a surprise. But only if we expect it can we see, hear, or feel it when it comes to us. Let’s not be afraid to receive each day’s surprise, whether it comes to us as sorrow or as joy It will open a new place in our hearts, a place where we can welcome new friends and celebrate more fully our shared humanity. Henri Nouwen
Despite the brutal winter, Spring held unto her bag of floral surprises and peeked through with bursts of color to help lift the gloom of grey days and cold nights. The daffodils bloomed and the other plants and buds are slowly finding their way by peeking through the earth in search of warmth and some sunshine. The surprises of spring are a welcome sight after the dullness of winter. Enjoy it!
This post was inspired by a prompt from WP Daily Post: Spring’s Surprise – This week, share a surprise with us, as you see it through your lens. We’re excited to see what you share with us.
Positive Motivation Tip: Search for signs of spring life around you and share the colors and joy!
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Photos from my personal collection
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
Even though I live in an area where snow is very rare, spring is still a favorite time for me. It is a time of renewal and new growth. A time of beginnings and hope. I always love springtime.
A time of beginnings and hope… so true!
It is time to take my camera out and take pictures of pretty flowers again. I just can’t get enough of the bursts of color around me! Spring is my favorite season because of the flowers, the sense of rebirth, and the new hope brought by the rays of sunshine.
It is amazing how Mother Nature tends to keep everything in check. I was concerned that our magnolias would not make it and the blooms would die out, but, to my surprise, we still had plenty of beautiful blooms this spring.
Spring is one of my favorite seasons (the other is Fall)! I love the magic of so much new life, the way the whole world is refreshed and ready to start again. This Spring has definitely been one of the crazier ones though, weather-wise. Lucky for us Spring-lovers, the world is a strong and resilient place. In my area, it has been a pleasure to see the tulips blooming.
It’s mine too… One day I’ll share my tulips story… 🙂
Very beautiful photography. The thoughts are very encouraging also. An inspiration.
Thank you. I love spring time.
I really do think of flowers when I think of Spring’s Surprise. I love that sometimes there can be a completely different earth and landscape when spring comes. For example, last year where I live was in a drought, but now it’s not so it’s so green and lush. Absolutely gorgeous.
Thank you! Flowers come to mind too
Beautiful colors and beautiful flowers. Yellow the most vibrant color. I love it.
Bring on spring! I am so happy that the weather has finally warmed up enough for the flowers to bloom.
Spring is the season of color. I don’t want to miss any color and want to capture all of it.
I was just thinking about how important it is to water our own lives/bodies just like flowers. If we want things to grow and develop the way we want them to, we must take care of them!
Beautiful <3
I love flowers and these are really beautiful photos! What camera did you use?
I love flowers! I wish I could grow them, but I have a black thumb. My mom grows them though, so I admire her yard.
Those flowers are beautiful! I am horrible at keeping flowers alive!
Those daffodils are beautiful! I don’t’ know very much about flowers, but this time of year I see so many bloom and wish I had planted some! Also, I like the concept of the positive motivation tip. 🙂
There is something so hopeful about spring. See the plants sprout after such a long winter makes me feel rejuvenated and excited. It gives me new inspiration to keep striving for more.
I can’t resist taking pictures of a pretty flower! It is so touching that God has given us so much beauty to appreciate and brighten our day. Spring does provide lots of surprises, all of which I welcome with open arms!
These photos are simply beautiful. I love the springtime because of all the beautiful flowers and birds start chirping.
I loved springtime in Minnesota when all the snow started to melt and the flowers peeked out of their white blankets. It was always a nice respite from the harsh winters.
I’m always amazed at my bulbs making it through the winter. These are gorgeous photos. Thanks for sharing!
I love Spring! Finally after winter we can enjoy nature and her beauty!
I like the thought of “spring surprises.” It is always amazing how one day you’re driving along and everything’s dead, then the next flowers and buds are everywhere.
True… amazing grace.
Spring is my favourite season. Everything is waking up after a long winter- dream and I have got more energy and motivation. Lovely post and pictures:)
I love everything about Spring! Yellow flowers are seriously my favorite.
Beautiful flowers. I love floral photography
You have to nurture for growth in every segment of your life. spring is a wonderful reminder of that because after a long winter and a little warmth and water, surprises pop up all over the place.
You always have a great many wonderful photos in your collages – they’re great! All of the flowers sure put me in the spring time mood.
Those flowers are so pretty. Flowers are my favorite part of spring
My mom said her garden is acting unusual too, bringing out blooms though and she does love that… We’re pretty steady in the temps here, so we miss the seasons. It’s okay w/me though. A decade up north did me in for seasons. 😉
I love Spring and all the beauty it brings with its many colors. Your inspirational quotes are perfect for this post and the vibrant photos.
These flowers are all so beautiful! I am so antsy to have Spring be here when it warms up, in Wisconsin we have a few more weeks before I start seeing the beautiful blooms!
As always, I love the photos. Spring is always a surprise even though we know it’s going to come every year.
It is full of surprises… like life . 😉
Those pictures are really very beautiful and loved reading your post
Lovely photos! I also love taking pictures of flowers, especially the ones that grow in places you won’t even think they could thrive in. Spring represents rebirth, and new hope. I wish you a meaningful Easter.
Absolutely gorgeous photos! I love Spring as well. It always makes me think of hope and new beginnings after harsh winters.
I look forward to seeing flowers especially when Spring comes around. They’re a symbol of new life for me. These are beautiful photos!
It’s currently summer here in the Philippines, and the flowers in our garden are in full bloom, too! Those flowers are just as lovely! 🙂
those lovely flowers relaxes my tired eye I so love viewing wonders of nature
All those flowers are in your backyard? WOW. I wish I had your talent & your gift. These flowers are pretty. They’d totally brighten my day if I’d wake up seeing ’em every day.
This is why I love spring because you never know what you can find. It truly is a beautiful time of year, from the flowers to longer daylight hours x
I love Spring! We didn’t have much of a winter here, but spring is making her presence known. In Alabama, spring also is tornado season, so we have beautiful, and we have bad. I still love it, so it doesn’t matter! 🙂
I love spring season! The colorful flowers are just too gorgeous and I can never stop photographing them!
Beautiful flowers! I love spring too and just this past week we were back in the 40 and 50 degree weather. In Louisiana that is cold and it is winter temps LOL I was just about to put our Winter clothing away and pull out our spring/summer and I was so happy I didn’t get a chance to
Such a beautiful photo and I love spring season my garden looks so colorful.
Very inspirational article! This is my favorite time of the year. Love this warm weather.and beautiful flowers.
Mine too…
Flowers will always be the symbol of Spring for me. These are all captured so beautifully. The weather can be crazy sometimes but when it does get better, it allows us to see the real beauty of nature.
These pictures are so beautiful. I love the way flowers look after fresh rain hits them.
taking pics is such an art. I feel it takes a creative eye and some real imagination. I really like how you caught the rain on the flower pedals.
I just planted Tulip bulbs. I hope they grow, and I will post my flowers. These are lovely by the way.
I love the colors of spring flowers! They’re so pretty. Love this picture collage!
These flowers look beautiful. I spotted the first daffodil of spring a couple days ago here in Toronto. It’s been raining a lot so I hope we get some more beautiful flowers here soon.
I love spring. All our flowers are blooming, and we are getting fruit on the trees. It is such a fun time of the year.
I love Spring. So much planting, seeing all the pretty flowers blossom and bloom. Best time of year.
I absolutely love spring. So many beautiful flowers coming into bloom.
Your post reminded me that there is beauty and life out side my office. I love the color of these flowers!
Very nice thoughts and photography. Specially the spring season, makes it fulfilling.
Spring is my favorite time of the year. I love all the beautiful colors from your garden. I have so many deer in my yard they get into my flowers all the time. They seem not to like the tulips because they stay away from them.
I am welcoming spring with open arms. I am enjoying the photos of my favorite flowers, too.
As far as I am concerned, spring is the best time of the year, it is so beautiful! I love these flowers, I can almost smell them.
Gorgeous photos. I love flowers. I live in the Pacific Northwest where we pay for our flowers with tons of rain…but boy is it worth when everything is in bloom!
Your photos are wonderful & I’ve been missing my April daffodils here in Arizona, as it’s too hot and I don’t go shopping much. So your flowers are the next best thing to having some live flowers to keep me company.
I’m still waiting for spring to make its full arrival here. Your daffodils are beautiful! My old house had a lot of daffodils (many different varieties) throughout the yard. I hope to plant some at my current home one day.
I love spring because I am born this time. Although, my country only has two seasons: the dry and wet season, I can’t help but admire Spring in other countries.
Back in Mumbai, where I live, spring comes in fleetingly followed by a long and hot summer. It was great to know about the beautiful things people have said about spring. I laughed a lot on Wallace Stevens’ statement 🙂
I love the idea of spring that brings surprises. It always welcome us with beautiful flowers that gives us bright smiles 🙂
I love the photos! We do not have spring or winter here, but I always love to see and read blogs about spring. It excites me to think that it represents hope 🙂
Great Photos. I too go into my small garden every morning and look for new blooms. Seeing them makes me very happy.
I am definitely very happy for the coming of spring. And those flowers you have pictures of here are amazing.
Wow, they look pretty. I have yet to see my flowers bud 🙁
These photos are beautiful and colourfull.With such spring colours, anyone will be inspired and motivated!
I am so excited to see the flowers pop up in my garden. I love how green all the lawns are turning. Spring is my favorite season.
I love Spring! It’s such a pretty season. Love the pictures.
Spring is the most beautiful season in my opinion, and part of it has to do with the gorgeous flowers and blooms coming back to life! Nature is stunning, we should all take more time to enjoy it.
Sabina
Wow, what beautiful pictures you have! I love how bright and vibrant they came out! This time of year always gets me excited because I get to see all the beauty around me.
xo,
Molly
Lovely pictures! Thanks for reminding me that spring will come back one day. ~From someone living in Canada where the snow just melted this week.
I love daffodils, well actually I don’t, my mum does! I love to buy daffodils for my mum, it makes her smile. She loves spring too!
The photo of flowers are awesome. Thank you for capturing the loveliness, color and vibrance of Spring!
I noticed that here about the flowers blooming too soon because of the warm weather snap we had! It lead to a lot of my plants blooming then straightaway getting frost bite!
Surprises is truly something that always push our butt to the end of our chair. I like the positive feedback of this article that it tries to convey. Very timely as I need some motivation. Thank you so much for sharing this.
I love Spring “new beginnings”, but my sinus stay inflammed. I love the flowers and the full surrounding of nature.
Feel better. It is spring allergy season…
That’s one photo challenge I would really enjoy! Spring is such a perfect time also, with all those beautiful flowers!
Spring photos are always delightful.
I wish we were going in to Spring! I love Spring because it always has the perfect temperatures and scenery. I love picnics in the park with the beautiful flowers! Ahh I can’t wait for Sping again!
Where are you on the equator?
You captured the flowers perfectly! How nice to be surrounded by colorful flowers in Spring.
There’s something about spring that brings hope. As the flowers start to bloom, we then look forward to warmer days.
Lovely photos! They definitely put me more into the spring spirit. You have great photography skills.
These flowers are so beautiful! Such pretty colors. All colors that I wear lol
Spring is the symbol is rebirth of nature after the deadly cold of winter. Always so nice to be among the flowers during this pleasant season.
I love spring, it’s definitely my favorite season! I love the beautiful flowers that bloom and the vibrant colors! Just like your photos! So beautiful! I think it’s the fact that everything around me is so beautiful that it makes me want to clean my home to match, I wonder if that’s what causes the spring cleaning fever lol
Spring is such an inspiring time – not just the visual beauty but other sensory elements too!
I love flowers. They are one of my favorite parts of spring. This is a great challenge that I am going to work on this week.
I love spring and everything flowers. Really great photos.
A flower is one of the prettiest subjects for photography. It is one of our favorite pasttime. And in this part of the world, water lilies are among the prettiest ones.
I love going for walks in spring and look at all the pretty flowers 🙂
Creation – a time of new beginning! Greater hope, more faith and wishing for countless miracles and opportunities