Trout Lilies + Organizing Photos

Microseason No. 5, February 24-28

Trout Lilies reaching for the morning light after last night’s rain.

I take photos with the camera on my phone to savor the microseasons. It’s a convenient way to snap quick images of anything that seems especially intriguing or seasonal— whatever catches my eye and imagination. These Trout Lilies are a perfect example. Thousands of the yellow beauties are now covering the creek banks and forest floor where I hike. I’m excited to spend some time studying their subtle colors and the interesting green-brown, speckled leaves which give them their name.

When I get home, I’ll make a photo album on my phone and label it with the dates of this microseason: 2.24.28 A simple numbering system works well for me. I can quickly file today’s photos in this album.

It’s easy to add other photos from past years to the album, too.

I simply enter February 24 in the Search box of my photo library. Now I’m shown every photo that I’ve ever taken during any year on February 24th. I can select the ones I want to send to my new 2.24.28 album. I repeat the search for February 25… and so on. In just a few minutes, I have created a digital photo album for microseason #5, February 24th-28th. Now I have a perpetual nature album that I can quickly add new photos to each year. If you’re super nerdy like me, you might want to make an album for each microseason.

The mysterious clockwork that moves the seasons has always fascinated me!

What makes all the Trout Lilies decide to emerge together— and why right now?

Looking back at photos from previous years, I can see how their arrival is early this year. I can also check my albums to see what other forest creatures might appear along the trails in the next few days. It’s fun to look for clues as the microseasons progress.

Why not spend a few minutes organizing your nature photos into an easy system that can be useful for years to come?