March 2016

The Milky Way rising behind the Divine Infant Mission Chapel in northwest Lower Brule Indian Reservation, SD

Over the years I have always thought that March was one of the toughest months to find beautiful scenes to photograph in South Dakota.  Usually the winter's last battle with spring are cold, wet and messy.  This month proved me wrong.  There was warmer weather than usual which brought our first wildflowers along earlier than usual, then winter counter attacked with a couple snow storms that actually provided some very interesting scenes to photograph.  As usual, click on a photo for a larger file to view and thanks for checking in!

Pre-sunrise color at Ft. Pierre National Grasslands in central South Dakota

Twin one-room schoolhouses in southern Meade County, SD

Mid-March sunset over Immanual Lutheran of Leona, SD

Flurries adding snowflakes to some pasqueflower above ground in Hanson County, SD

Photographed the day before the first day of spring

Snow Trillium in bloom on the first day of spring at Newton Hills State Park, SD

A close-up of Snow Trillium soaking up the early spring sun

Pasqueflower patch in the early evening light

A single pasqueflower in the early evening light.  I love how the spider gossamer trails off the edge and the stem looks like grinch fingers holding the blossom.

A late March, heavy snow fell at the Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus and I was able to find this colorful Cedar Waxwing foraging on last year's berries.