I couldn't wait to visit Holland, Michigan knowing that the tulip festival was getting ready to start. The city goes down all the streets in town and plants bulbs so that by the time the festival starts on May 1st, the whole city is in full bloom. Not a street within the downtown area is without tulips, and these lovelies just happen to be my favorite standing flower--lilacs come in a smidgen ahead.

I have made several trips to Holland since the tulips have started to bloom and each day is something different. On cloudy days the colors just pop out at you, as vibrant as can be. On sunny days it is almost as if they are glowing--they are saturated with color. If the wind is blowing, as it was today, the tall tulips bend and sway gracefully--they are so strong and resilient, even in the last frosty mornings of spring.

I tried different vantage points and decided to use these close-ups that were taken from their level, or just underneath. I wanted the sky as a background because it made a good contrast against the beautiful colored petals.

These images were taken with my Nkon Coolpix digital camera and no special effects were added.