Chicagoans like to complain about spring. It goes straight from winter’s cold to summer heat, they say, as if unaware that the couple months of fluctuating temperatures, frequent rain, and gusty winds is, in fact, what spring looks like in the Midwest. It’s as if people expect our dark and raw winters should immediately give way to sunshine and steadily rising temperatures. Unfortunately, our path to midsummer warmth is much more meandering.
Even plants seemingly try to fool us into thinking that summer is closer than it really is. By early May, it certainly looks green outside. But on closer inspection, it’s mostly tufts of grass and new plants coming in, while the trees, though budding and often flowering, are still bereft of leaves. So it was that I may have jumped the gun on visiting a few locales hoping for foliage to frame the shots. Not to say I’m unhappy with what I got, just that perhaps as sprigtime goes, I may need to learn to be more patient.
T A B U L A R A S A photography 