Springtime has definitely arrived in Northern Virginia. All kinds of trees are starting to put out buds and leaves and Washington D.C.’s famous cherry trees are now in full bloom.
On Wednesday I explored a creek in Prince William County, hoping to find some early dragonflies. I was not successful in my quest, but I was quite happy to capture this image of a female Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) with some of the bright spring colors that have recently emerged. The subdued coloration of the female Cardinal does not stand out quite as much as that of her male counterpart, but I find it her more refined colors to be even more beautiful than those of the male.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
The hummers are almost to you as well get your feeders ready 🙂
This is a gorgeous image, Mike. I love the colours of female cardinals and I think they work beautifully in this composition because of the colours of the branches and the red berries.
Such a beauty!
Amen!