We spent two technicolor days earlier this week “out of territory,” visiting the annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. The festival runs the entire month of April, driven, of course, by the blooming time of the tulips. But it couldn’t come at a better time for the winter weary and color-starved visitors who flock to the area by the thousands. The vast fields of tulips are a welcome tonic and the palette of spring colors could jolt the severest winter catatonic back to life.
The Skagit Valley is a ferry ride and easterly drive from the Olympic Peninsula to a broad agricultural valley 60 miles north of Seattle. Vast fields showcase the gorgeous flowers that are sold as both cut flowers and, later on, as bulbs by the valley’s two primary growers.
To call it “eye candy” would be an understatement. Though I trained my camera on a good many other sights, I came home with over 300 shots. Wish me luck as I pare down the selection. . .and come back over the next few days to tiptoe through the tulips with me.
Beautiful postcards !!!!
Wow, I’d love to see these fields
Glad you got over to enjoy the fields – next week the temperatures are supposed to reach 68 for a couple days – and that will speed the flowers along. As soon as they reach a certain stage all the flowers are clipped off by the workers so the plant spends its energy nourishing the bulbs. Some years the flowers are all clipped off even before the festival begins – and sometimes not until long after – depends on the weather. We did come across a few fields of the light pink tulips that had been clipped already.
Great shots – I can never get enough of the color and beauty of the fields. You sound like me, hundreds of photos – and fun to edit down to the very best – which is usually about 275. LOL
I had no idea this kind of thing existed until I started blogging. The beauty of these fields is breath-taking. Must have been a fun trip!
So beautiful. Had I known you were down I woulda come by and said Howdy!!! I just can’t get enough of them. MB
So beautiful! I’ve only seen tulip fields in the Netherlands.
this is absolutely beautiful! and indeed, reminds me of the netherlands… we have such fields too!!
and on saturday at the local market i would buy 30 tot 50 tulips, for just 5 euros. i miss that so very much here…
Beautiful photos and I love the barns!
Winter weary is absolutely correct. Stunning photos, Kay!