Instagram blooms with beautiful photos of spring and autumn

CALL it an insta-war or just a chance to see some amazing photos by ordinary people. We've pitted the top half of the globe against the bottom to work out who is taking the most glorious photos.

#SPRING: Ladybirds in grass. Very clever.

WE LIKE to think life is pretty great Down Under but on the other side of the world, our antipodean counterparts are loving life just as much. Instagram contains all the proof you need.

While we're posting perfectly filtered pics of warm days at the beach and flowers in bloom, #fall is going off with photos of crunchy leaves and toasty soups.

It's enough to make you want to jump on a plane with a suitcase of warm clothes.

So to settle, once and for all, who has it better at this time of year, we've scoured Insta for the best of #fall and #spring.

From pictures of cupcakes to pictures of puppies, all the usual Instagram suspects are here. See if you agree with our judgment.

(PS - we know, we know, it's called autumn down here. But obviously to search for the pics, we used the very American word "fall".)

SUNSETS

#SPRING: A blazing sun sets behind power lines. Classic Instagram.

#FALL: Sure there's a filter, but Mother Nature is doing most of the work here.

WINNER: The yellow sunset is impressive, but #fall is putting on an unbeatably brilliant show of fuchsia here.

TALLY: #fall: 1. #spring: 0.

KIDS

#SPRING: Bloomin' beautiful. Points deducted for the unsubtle BMW brag stage left.

#FALL: Looking forward to his first Halloween, we reckon.

WINNER: No-one was ever going to outdo a cute, chubby baby wearing a pumpkin. Ever.

TALLY: #fall: 2. #spring 0.

CUPCAKES

#SPRING: Ladybirds in grass. Very clever.

#FALL: We agree with the first commenter. Bring me oneeeeeeee.

WINNER: The pumpkin cupcake sounds delicious, but the attention-to-detail on the ladybird can't be ignored. Note - a taste test could change our minds. #justsaying.

TALLY: #fall 2. #spring 1.

DUCK FACE

#SPRING: Floral headband + duckface = terrific bathroom selfie

#FALL: Ten points for a winning pout, but what does this have to do with autumn?

WINNER: The flower-adorned girl in #spring is way more on message than our #fall contender. Consider a crunchy leaf headband next time, #fall.

TALLY: Tied at 2 each.

FLOWERS

#SPRING: There was a lot of competition within the hashtag, but roses reign supreme.

#FALL: While the leaves are withering, the lavender is thriving.

WINNER: Look, autumn was never going to trump spring in a flower competition, was it?

TALLY: #fall: 2. #spring: 3.

FEET/SHOES

#SPRING: Are the floral pants enough to make up for the sad concrete background?

#FALL: Lovely shoes and bonus points for featuring dry leaves on the ground.

WINNER: We're not sure why Instagram is so obsessed with foot shots in the first place, but #fall wins this one for its choice of location. Grass over concrete every time, folks.

TALLY: Three a piece.

DOGS

#SPRING: How could you not want to adopt a dog wearing a daisy chain?

#FALL: Some autumnal introspection.

WINNER: Sorry, we're not the type to discern between cute pups. Everyone's a winner.

TALLY: Four each.

TREES

#SPRING: A site familiar to many Aussies - a jacaranda in full, glorious bloom.

#FALL: Changing into its winter coat.

WINNER: Tough call, but nothing heralds the oncoming of summer quite like a beautiful jacaranda in bloom.

TALLY: #fall: 4. #spring: 5.

Congrats, southern hemisphere! You are indeed the superior shutterbugs (according to this totally biased, completely uncomprehensive survey of Instagram anyway.)

Agree with us or think otherwise? Continue the conversation on Twitter @danielstrudwick | @newscomauHQ

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