There is no denying that green is one of the most vibrant and beautiful colors in nature. It is a sign of life and vitality, bringing to mind spring and summer, leaf-covered trees and mountains. People use it in numerous dyes or fill their homes with houseplants to bring a little of the shade indoors. It is hard not to love green.

When dealing with photography, you have a unique opportunity to capture this color in all its glory from the environment all around you. It photographs beautifully and can easily be enhanced to further provide contrast against other colors or backgrounds.

These Flickr groups manage to bring the best together, showing off the ways that members have been able to capture the bright, full color for all to see.

This moderated group has been around for several years, taking submissions of nature photos that have a dominant blue or green color, preferably both in the same shot. The rules are simple: only naturally occurring subjects, the photo much be almost completely green or blue, and no photomanipulations allowed. Three photos can be submitted per day. So far, there are more than 7,000 shots in the pool. This one is also great for spring calendar design inspiration!

Rust is an annoyance in real life, but beautiful in photography. It adds color and texture with a lovely old look and all completely naturally. So it is no surprise that many choose to use it as the focus of their photographs. This group features shots that have rust against something green, such as on an object or in the background. You can post three items into the pool each day, and there are more than 2,000 shots already there.

There are only two very simple rules here: green clothing and no nudity. So anyone who is wearing clothing that is mostly or all green is the welcome subject of your photos. There are some really great shots here, including retro-looking photos that were made to look older, including the fashion. You can post as many as 25 things a day, and there are more than 8,000 shots in the pool.

This group doesn’t allow nudes, but it welcomes model shots. The group also wants you to invite your friends, because the more the merrier. The pictures all have to have a good amount of green, but it doesn’t have to make up the majority of the photo. Just be involved in the subject of the shot or have enough to generate focus on its own. You can post as many as eight things into the pool a day, and there are more than 8,000 shots currently submitted.

The group doesn’t want either mosaics, framed pictures, or anything that has been heavily edited. Light Photoshop is fine for the sake of enhancement, but too much and it will reject the photo. The group also doesn’t allow portraits of children or pets. But otherwise, anything goes on this green group. You can post as many as 3 things a day, and there are just more than 1,600 photos in the pool.

Leaves are usually the first thing that come to mind when we think of the color green. This group is entirely about those leaves, but only green ones. If they are predominantly another color, the photo won’t be accepted. There are no limitations on how many times you can post per day, and there are more than 8,700 photos in the pool.

The subject of your photo here is unimportant, as long as the main color is green. This includes black and whites, as long as the subject itself has green as the primary color against the rest of the black-and-white photo. Otherwise, there are no real rules. You can post as you see fit, and the group already has more than 6,400 of some of the most impressive green photos on Flickr.

This is a really interesting idea. In support of World Community Arts Day, this group is dedicated to photos or artistic crafts that have been inspired by the green circle logo of the event. It led to some gorgeous abstract works, including photography, that you will be sure to enjoy. There is no limit on submissions, and the group has more than 1,400 photos – impressive, given how specific the niche is.

Widely considered one of the best on Flickr, this group has truly stunning photographs that you just have to see. Everything has to be done mostly in green, but the subject is open to the tastes of the photographer. You won’t find pictures this amazing anywhere else – especially since it is the largest green group on Flickr, with more than 500,000 photos in the pool. You can submit 50 images per month.

The name of the group is somewhat misleading. This is not a consistent list of the top 30 green photos on Flickr. Instead, it regularly switches the shots out, allowing 30 at a time to be in the pool. This is a great way of operating and one that people tend to appreciate. The people who remain in the top votes end up top 30 winners, who are in a separate list for viewing.

What are some green Flickr groups that inspire you? Let us know in the comments.

Jennifer Moline writes about freelancing, small business and design for the PsPrint Blog. PsPrint is an online printing solutions company, which you can follow on Twitter.

Image credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10