AzarÉl Greetings: 2025 Spring / Summer Top Three

I enjoyed sharing my favorite winter shots with you last week. Today, I’m ready to swap the snow for some sunshine with my top three spring and summer photos from 2025.

Things are looking a bit drab right now on our ridge near Adamstown. The sky is a flat gray and the trees are bare-branched. There is a silver lining: we’re hitting 50 degrees today. For Brian, that’s officially motorcycle weather! Looking out at the bare woods, I’m reminded of Hal Borland’s words: “No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.” I’ve put these together in a 3-2-1 countdown. I hope these images take you somewhere warm and bright today!

#3. Nursery in the Garden

“The old iron pump hadn’t pulled a drop of water in decades. Rust had long ago claimed the handle. A cozy nest perched above the pump head. The old tool stood silent and still, waiting for the first crack of an eggshell to transform the nursery in the garden.”

I’ve always had a soft spot for old pumps. I still remember the ones in parks with long, heavy handles that took a real muscle-ache and a loud squeak to get moving. Sometimes a bit of water was needed to prime them. That first splash of ice-cold spring water was the best reward.

This photo features a smaller indoor kitchen pitcher pump. My mother knew this kind well, growing up on a Lancaster County farm during the Depression. Because it’s a bit smaller, this pitcher pump was much easier to capture than the larger one I’ve worked with before.

The nest you see on the pump head is a “natural treasure” I found during a visit to Mary’s Gift Shop. Mary and her husband, Paul, run the shop on their working Mennonite farm. It’s packed with old antiques, vintage finds, and folk art. Mary told me kids bring her bird nests. This tiny one is even lined with real horsehair, probably from the horses that work the farm!

I love how the rust of the iron sets off the vibrant snapdragons, lobelia, and sunshiny yellow blooms. With the male bluebird swooping in from the corner, it feels like the perfect little nursery in the garden.

I played around with a higher ISO to really emphasize the motion in the wings as he lands. Having him fly in from the upper right corner is a brand-new look for my photos, and I think it brings a whole new energy to the shot.

Click “Nursery in the Garden” to purchase at AzarElGreetings.com

#2. Time Flies

“A riot of fresh colors waited to be planted in the garden. The old clock ticked away the fresh morning moments. Papa Bluebird swept in with his wings outspread. It was the perfect time of day – and the perfect time of year – to begin a new story in the garden.”

I’ve always loved including references to time in my photography. You might recognize this vintage alarm clock from a previous photo called “To Everything a Season”.  That was a quiet winter scene set to 11:55 PM—just moments before the new year. It feels much happier today, surrounded by the glorious colors of spring annuals instead of the cold! I was absolutely delighted to catch Papa Bluebird mid-air; seeing those wings fully outspread was the perfect way to mark the start of a brand-new spring season.

You can find “Time Flies” at AzarElGreetings.com by clicking the title.

#1. A Fairy Story Takes Flight

“A tiny demitasse cup held a splash of tea one fresh spring morning. Every year the garden tells a new tale. Today it was a fairy story. The arched pages of a book lay open and welcoming to a world of flower fairies. Just for a moment, a chickadee perched on the pages, to share a secret known only to the birds and blooms.”

My favorite capture from the spring and summer of 2025 is “A Fairy Story Takes Flight.” To bring this scene to life, I tucked delicious snacks inside the tiny demitasse cup. The cup was so delicate I had to weight it with small stones to keep it from tipping! I expected a bird to perch on the rim and gaze at the pages. I was totally floored when a chickadee tried to perch on the open pages instead! It’s totally amazing what the birds do!

Are you wondering how the pages of the book splay open so perfectly?  There’s is a toothpick tucked at the bottom of each page! (When I figured out how to do this, I felt like a genius! But only for a split second!)  If the camera could capture fragrance, you’d smell the fragrance of the lavender woodland phlox. That’s one of my favorite scents of springtime.

The bleeding hearts, purple periwinkle, and tiny yellow barrenwort blooms all work together to create that magic “fairy tale” appearance. Even the mushrooms have a story—I found them at the Hagerstown Flower and Garden Show, handcrafted by a vendor from dried gourds and upside-down lotus pods.

Shop for “A Fairy Tale Takes Flight” by clicking on the title. There’s so much to see at AzarElGreetings.com!

And that completes our spring countdown! Naqture always has a way of surprising us if we just sit still long enough to watch. I’ve enjoyed sharing these photography tales with you. If you follow on Facebook, please share about the image that touched you the most.