Spring Blooms

Oak Ridge, Tennessee.  A small mountain town about twenty-five miles northwest of Knoxville, Tennessee.  It was founded in 1940 as a base for the U.S. Government's Manhattan Project--the project whose end goal was to develop an atomic weapon.  Oak Ridge's history is centered around scientific research, which continues to be the town's focal point today.

I travel to Oak Ridge several times each year for work, and I usually spend about a week there each time.  I've had the opportunity to experience all four seasons in Oak Ridge, but I find spring the most beautiful.

In April, the tree-covered hillsides are a bright spring green, with puffs of lavender blossoms covering some of the trees.  A thick mist lingers above the slow-moving river each morning, lurking until the sun shows enough of itself to draw the flowers awake and dry the mist.   In May, the spring green and lavender hillsides transition to a deeper, more summery green, but dainty wildflowers pop up everywhere.  Since the summer has not yet fully set in, days are temperate and not as humid as in July and August.

April and May are the best months to visit Oak Ridge, the nearby Smoky Mountains, and the southeastern United States in general.  During these months, you will experience the region's best weather and most invigorating foliage.

On my second visit to Oak Ridge, I snapped these photos of the wildflowers.  The highlight of the photo shoot, however, was capturing an orange butterfly pausing on grasses and clovers.  He was tough to photograph--patience is a virtue with such unpredictable insects!