Pastel yellow goldfinch
Terri Webster Schrandt

Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge: Can You Find #Pastels in the Great Outdoors?

For this month’s color challenge, we’re exploring various pastel colors found in nature. Some common pastel colors include pink, light blue, mint green, pale yellow, peach, periwinkle, and lavender, as suggested in this image.

pastel colors
Photo by Tirachard Kumtanom on Pexels.com

Pastel colors are a combination of primary or secondary colors with a certain amount of white.

“A pastel can be defined as any color with just enough white to make it soft and pale looking while maintaining the original integrity of the base color.” Source

Last week, I introduced the theme “June is Great Outdoors Month.” We’ll continue this subtheme all month. I suggested the following list of easy ways to enjoy the outdoors. We checked off the first two last week.

  • ✔️ Plant Veggies or Flowers, or simply taste or smell them!
  • ✔️ Enjoy Backyard (or Local) Birding
  • Explore a trail
  • Visit a local park, state park, or national park
  • Paddle in a local waterway

Here is a link to this article about the significance of Great Outdoors Month.

In this post, I’ll share some examples of what you might see on a trail and in your local, state, or national park. Nature and the Great Outdoors love being adorned in pastel colors.

Night Sky Pastels

Lest we forget about last month’s amazing Northern Lights show…

northern light in corona shape
Pastel corona angel

…Look up one night, and you might be surrounded by the pastel colors of the northern lights in the shape of this corona. One can only see this in the Great Outdoors!

Aurora corona in pastels
Corona in pastel
Aurora purple glow
Stars and faint aurora the next night

While experiencing the aurora above our heads, I connected with a new neighbor who came outside to see the display. I showed her how to see the northern lights with her phone camera, and we had a great time.

“Light in Nature creates the movement of colors.” ~ Robert Delaunay

Easy to Find Pastel Flowers

Flowers of all colors can easily be found on a walking trail or in your local park. These pastel purple beauties of carpet phlox and grass widows grow wild along the trails in spring.

Purple Wild Iris Olsynium
Grass Widow or Purple Olsynium (Wild Iris)
Pale purple Carpet Phlox
Carpet Flox
Pale pastel tulips reach to the sky

We discovered these pastel beauties in April on our visit to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm south of Portland, Oregon.

Who doesn’t love azaleas and hydrangeas?

Shades of Pink Azaleas
Azaleas in pastels
Pinks and purples of hydrangea
Hydrangea Closeup

“Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Rocks Cry Out in Pastels

I’ve had the pleasure of visiting and hiking in countless state parks and national parks in the US. In a thwarted attempt to visit the Southwest (Arizona, Utah) in 2019 due to snow and freezing temperatures, we managed to discover The Valley of Fire State Park near Las Vegas, Nevada. The light pink and white colors of the rocks were inviting.

Walking into the Slot Canyon in Valley of Fire
Hiking trail through a slot canyon in Valley of Fire State Park

“The best way out is always through.” – Robert Frost

The following year, on our return trip, we walked with my brother and his partner, connecting among the amazing rock formations in this park.

3 men
Family fun among the pastel rocks of Valley of Fire, Nevada

Limestone rock comes in a variety of colors, from peach and pink pastels to fiery reds and oranges. We found this to be true in April 2023 when we visited Bryce Canyon National Park. The snow helped with the pastel looks of many of the rock formations.

Bryce Canyon Hoodoos
Bryce Canyon Hoodoos

Birds Adorned in Pastels

I must include more bird images of the amazing birds found on our property and surrounding fields and forests. Last week, the Say’s Phoebe’s fledged out of the nest. They picked a lousy, rainy day to do so and stayed huddled together most of the day while crying for food.

four light brown Phoebe fledglings
Fledgling Phoebes sitting on our deck chair

In between Monday’s rain showers, they all suddenly disappeared! I was a little sad, but I knew this was nature’s way. I continued to hear their signature calls and surmised they made their home in an area next to our property line in a burm covered with pines and brush.

I was about to let our dog outside early Tuesday morning, but hubby cautioned me to stop. Here is why…

The whole family (all six of them) came back, intermittently being fed by mom and pop! These two cuties balanced on the solar light right next to our deck.

Fledged Phoebes Return!
Fledged Phoebes Return!

I closely cropped the image and replaced the background in this image (no AI) with pastels. All this week, the fledglings visited various areas of our property while continuing to learn how to feed themselves. I can barely distinguish the babies from their parents now.

“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.” – Aristotle

We also are hosting nesting violet-green swallows.

Swallow in the Birdhouse

They love my pastel blue birdhouse. Every morning, these swallows flit about all over the yard and beyond.

Swallow on a break
Pastel colors of violet-green swallow

I have never felt more connected to nature than I have been in my backyard this year!

Of course, the Western Bluebirds and Goldfinches love the bird baths and feeders. We never get tired of watching the show!

Pastel yellow goldfinch
Goldfinch
Western Bluebird
Western Bluebird
two bluebirds in birdbath
Bluebird bath time

Like the birds, we were also adorned in pastels at a wedding we attended a few years ago, being the lovebirds we are!

Couple wearing pastel colors
Wearing pastels for a wedding

AI or Your Own Eye?

Woman walking among lupine

Last week, many of us went down the AI rabbit hole for the Lens-Artists weekly photo challenge.

Using WordPress’ AI generation, I played with the ideas for my site’s title, “Second Wind Leisure Perspectives.” From behind, she looks something like me walking through pastel lupines.

pink flower border

Sharing for Hammad’s Weekend Sky, Johnbo’s Cellpic Sunday, and Lens-Artists: Connections.

Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Reminders

  • Remember to title your blog post a little differently than mine.
  • Entries for this theme can be posted all week.
  • Please create a new post for the theme or link a recent one.
  • Tag your post “Sunday Stills.”
  • Don’t forget to create a pingback to this post so that other participants can read your post.
  • I also recommend adding your post’s URL to the comments.

Celebrate with me the entire month of June as we explore the great outdoors. Upcoming Sunday Stills themes will focus on the outdoors with the subthemes as listed here:

  • This week: June 9 Monthly Color Challenge: Pastels Found in the Great Outdoors
  • June 16 Sunrises and Sunsets
  • June 23 Plant Life in the Great Outdoors
  • June 30 Landscapes
Roses quote

I can’t wait to see how you interpret the various shades of pastels this week! Creativity is encouraged, so please share your photographs, poems, original short stories, and music inspired by the theme. Join me next week as we explore sunrises and sunsets to bring in the summer solstice (or winter solstice).

signature purple floral

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116 comments

  2. What an amazing selection of pastels, Terri. I love the four fledgling Phoebes, I bet they wished they’d stayed in the nest 😄 Fabulous skies and gorgeous flowers.

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  3. Your image of the Valley of Fire reminded me that we haven’t yet visited there. We are visiting family in the state later this month, but I suspect it will be too hot to visit the valley. >frown<

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  10. Fantastic! I love the that you showcased some of the southwest in your post for pastels. And no one connects with the outdoors more than you. I love how you introduced the pastels, and included the northern lights. I think my favorite photo is of the four Phoebes. lol. So much personality in that shot. And that AI does look like you! That was an interesting challenge to learn from. Favorite quote…the Robert Frost. Yes always take the through route. Very nice. Terri.

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    • Many thanks, Donna! I blame my parents for making us go camping in the Sierras for my entire childhood 🤣
      Those fledged Phoebes are so cute in that pic. They didn’t know yet what life was about at that point. Having the nest under our patio really made us feel a big connection to the Phoebe family, who are still hanging out on our property. I’m glad I had another excuse to share the northern lights again 😁 Great challenge, Donna.

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      • Thanks Terri. Great response. Nice that the Phoebes have stayed and not afraid. Yes. There is always more room for those northern lights. It was a great experience for people to see it closer to home.

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  14. Wonderful post Terri, and all in pastels. My favorite is the bird house with the bird peeking out, connecting it with what’s happening outside. Your florals are so beautiful And the red rock can’t be beat.

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    • Thank you, Anne! Finding compelling pastel images isn’t all that easy unless one looks just at flowers. I suppose the color challenge challenges me as well as a photographer!
      Isn’t the swallow adorable? They are the cutest things and are everywhere right now!

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  17. Happy Sunday, Terri. I thought that was you, LOL, just a few years ago. Great job on that! Your birds are amazing – so colorful. Vince saw a yellow one in the big tree next door, but the wall was in the way for me to see. Your flowers are certainly inspirational dressed in their best pastels. I love the world that smells like roses, too. Vince cut our first rose of the year and brought it in this week. It has lasted all week and now we have one more. Everything seems to be thriving this year except my tomatoes haven’t set. I have lots of flowers, but no tomatoes. I love pastels, but for some reason, this year, I have mostly primary and secondary colors with no white! Love your post! 🙂 xxx

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    • Thank you, Marsha! The AI did a great job although the ones I deleted made me look 20, not! I wonder if your yellow birds are finches or grosbeaks? I’m still learning the different species of birds found here in Washington. I’m glad, in retrospect, that we didn’t see a huge variety of songbirds in Sacramento, at least where we lived. The cats would have eaten them all! I have a few more pastel-ish shots I’m saving for next week’s sunrise/set theme.

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  20. So many lovely pastels. My favorite has to be the shot of the four fledglings. They’re so cute. It’s not quite as much fun to get out these days as the heat has moved from the pastel to darker red in my weather app! I still go out, but even at 5:15 or so, it’s quite warm.

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    • Thank you, Janet! Those four fledglings are still flying into the yard all week, even a week after they left the nest. Its really cool to see and watch the parents still feed three of them. The bigger of the 4 seems to not need his parents any longer but he also flies into the yard to hang out. Yep, I’m seeing your HOT temps. My brother plans to visit here to get out o the heat in August. Stay cool!

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  21. You did much better than I at showing us pastel outdoors! Seems so many of my outdoor collections are brights and primaries with only a few pastels mingled here and there. I also love that you have so many birds about…maybe this yard will get there for us. Fingers crossed…my post going out soon.

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  23. I like all your pastel images Terri and those Azaleas and Hydrangeas really wow me – they are so beautiful. I especially enjoyed seeing the Phoebes and that was quick that they fledged already, but are still grateful for the shelter and if Mom helps out with food. I’ve never seen Phoebes before your posts about them.

    I did not participate in the Pastels Challenge today as I’ll have a post for Wordless Wednesday, some pretty-in-pink shots taken at the Botanical Gardens in mid-April.

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    • Thank you, Linda! There were several azalea bushes around the lodge we stayed in in Portland. Spring had already sprung there so I snapped away. The Phoebes were new to me too, and they are still hanging around our backyard and three sleep each night under the patio cover. The bigger baby is around but seems to be independent now, while the other three are still being fed by the parents.
      When I read your post I commented that it looked enough like you had a lot of images that qualified as pastel in my eyes. I look forward to Wednesday!

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      • Spring is such a great time for flowering trees, specially the day they all erupt into bloom. I used to say that they reminded me of the prom dresses from years ago with the layers of chiffon and rustling silk. The prom dresses aren’t like that now though.

        You are lucky you can view the babies from inside the house and get good photos of them. I discovered a Robin’s nest on Saturday – one nestling only. The nest is high, so all I’ve gotten so far is Mom feeding it and a yellow beak continuously sticking up in the air. 🙂 Its fully feathered and has the white wispy feathers around the head, so I hope to get a shot of it before it fledges and leaves for good.

        I wish I’d thought of these birds being pale colored. I hope you like my pastels for Wednesday – pretty in pink. Yesterday I got my photos for red/white & blue for July (14th).

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  26. Your stunning photos of the Northern Lights are perfect for the theme, Terri! 😍 The birds as well. I have never seen a violet-green swallow before. And the beautiful rock formations are truly a natural wonder. You and your hubby look lovely in your wedding pastels. 🙂

    Oops! I didn’t realize this is supposed to be outdoor-themed photos only. Oh well, two out of three… https://thedogladysden.com/pastels-sundaystills-on-a-monday-photography/

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  34. Terri,

    I agree with Wind Kisses above–you do outdoors better than anybody. I loved this post and searched hard for a pastel pic in my inventory. The best I could do is a recent shot of the Whetstone Mountains in Arizona taken at twilight. There’s a touch of pastel pink in there. Have a great week!

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  39. From the Northern Lights in the sky above to the delicate flowers below and the majestic rocks in between, you’ve taken us on a delightful path to discover all the pastels around us. Great quotes too! I love the tales and photos of the Phoebes. They’re so darn cute! I’m glad they stuck around so you could see their entry into life, growing and thriving to their taking flight – a fun empty nest story to witness. 🥰 PS – that does look like you walking on that AI path…! 🤔😉

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    • Thanks so much, Shelley! ❤️ Spring seems easy to discover pastels in nature especially flowers. Of course the aurora was an amazing gift. The Phoebes are such a delight. The babies still roost under our patio cover and they seem to call our backyard and surrounding properties their home.
      I’m glad you liked the AI Pic. It’s fun to have that free feature within WordPress to play around with. BTW, another blogger was inspired to buy herself some garden shoes after reading my post. See what you started? Love it! 🤣

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      • You’re welcome! Yes, spring and pastels – it’s so heart-warming to see the bursts of flower buds greeting us! I saw a compilation puzzle-like photo of every county in our state of the aurora captured in May – it was cool-looking.
        The baby birds love your yard!! Yay!!
        I should try the AI pic too to see what it would give me.
        Thank you for letting me know. Aw…that makes me so happy to hear that we’re spreading the gardening shoes love around!!! 💞💕💖🥰

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  40. A beautiful browse through nature’s pastels, Terri. And I just love your bird photos. I can’t photograph birds at all. They fly away! Lol. Yours are exquisite. Thanks for the fun and beautiful post, my friend.

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  44. It’s great to see and read the continuing story of the family of birds, Terri. I wonder how long it will be before they finally say goodbye to Mum and Dad. I expect you’ll be sorry to see them leave, but maybe some of the chicks will return next spring to bring up their new family. Our neighbours have a birdhouse in their garden, and it’s always the same species of bird that uses the house to have their chicks. I can’t tell, but I like to believe it’s the previous years’ chicks returning to bring up a family.

    I do like your AI-generated image. Many of these appear now, but I can always tell when it’s been AI-generated. Yours looks great, which could be a sign that AI is improving. It may seem frightening, but I’m more on the side of working with AI than being afraid of it.

    I’ve gone for something sweet this week. An old Wordless Wednesday post that I hope fits the brief.

    http://hughsviewsandnews.com/2023/04/19/is-this-a-big-scoop-wordlesswednesday-photography/

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    • Thanks, Hugh! I read the Phoebes will nest as much as twice a year in the same nest and come back each year. I’ve been so taken with these cute birds! We still see them every day flitting about feeding on flies. It will be interesting to see how long the parents continue to feed them. Our whole patio cover will be full of bird nests if we’re not careful, LOL!
      Glad you liked my AI pic. It’s fun to generate them in WordPress. I created one today for my WW rodeo post for the featured image (with disclosure) of a barrel rider. I keep reminding myself that AI is a tool and we have a choice with our images. In other areas, we’ll see.

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      • I’ve found AI very helpful, Terri. It’s like having another version of Grammarly. Be careful about the WordPress AI-generated images, though. I did one recently, and the file size was huge, so they’ll take up a lot of space unless we remember to resize them. However, I found the quality is not as good after resizing them.

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      • Yes those images are 1MB. I edit them , but also delete the ones I don’t use because they appear in your media file automatically. Comparing AI to Grammarly is a good assessment, Hugh.

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