Tag Archives: Flowers

The First Flowers of Spring

The calendar says it spring but there have not been that many spring like days so far this year. An occasional warm and sunny day but those have been followed by many cold and windy days bringing freezing temperatures and coatings of snow making it feel like spring has not begun. One early sign is pussywillows beginning to bud out. While out looking for sings of life to show spring was indeed on the way, the only thing I came across was a few bushes of willow beginning to show swelling buds. I’ve tried to photograph these before without much success but that doesn’t stop me from trying. This day was no different with dark, overcast skies keeping birds roosted and other plants still dormant. The only real spring opportunity seemed to be this pussywillow.

Pussywillow shrub beginning to bloom

I do enjoy seeing these and often remind me of Spring Break trips with the family as they would often begin blooming just as we were preparing for a vacation together and would be well along in the blooming process once we returned. One of subjects I’ve wanted to photograph during those years was the actual flowers of these willow shrubs but really didn’t have an opportunity to do so. This seemed like a good time to attempt such pictures. Cutting a branch from one of these bushes, I took it home and set it up in a vase. Within a day they were beginning to open further and show all of their tiny flowers. Having this branch out of the wind made it possible to really get close up and see more of the details of these blooms.

Closeup of a pussywillow bud

We’re so use to these being just little balls of white fuzz but there’s a lot more going on as they continue to develop and you can examine them closer. Their little yellow anthers begin to emerge and are quite interesting. There’s not a lot of time as they continue to develop quickly and in a short time begin to release all of their pollen, drying up just a short time later. With fresh blooms you can have a chance to see this process but it will all be over in a short time so don’t forget to keep an eye on them. They are beautiful with more than just fuzzy little white balls. It was nice to finally have a chance to photograph these early spring flowers and capture more of their beauty.

Anthers of a pussywillow

A Little Summer Flower Abstract Photography

From time to time I enjoy photographing things at a magnified rate showing details that can often show a different view. The photo above is from a tropical hibiscus flower. I really like how colorful the photo is even though much of it is out of focus. That limited focus was intentional to show all of the hairs on each stigma which bring out interesting textures. The blurry background compliments these stigma providing some great contrasting colors brought out by the right lighting to highlight those colors. It can be a fun challenge to get a shot set up at this magnification determining what to focus on, how to compose the shot, and how to use existing lighting or add lighting in certain places. Once these are put together you can produce some interesting pictures.

A spider seeking shelter in a colorful agave

While out enjoying a public garden I noticed this agave plant and was intrigued by the colorful margins outlining each leaf along with the sharp tip which produced a nice color gradient. Crouching down to find an interesting view to highlight these features I noticed something quickly scurry out of view. With a little patience, a spider slowly revealed itself among these sharp leaves. Clearly well protected. Once the spider was in sight I began snapping away, capturing the contrasting red leaf margins and the brown with green fuzzy spider among the nice green leaves of the agave. Sometimes there’s a nice bonus to add another element to a composition. In this case it changed what my focal subject was, making the agave secondary instead of the main subject. Being able to adapt to opportunities like this can be a positive thing and sometimes a distracting thing if you only have few moments to capture your subject with the perfect light.

A red flower among a field of gold flowers

Taking a stroll through some gardens revealed a mix of two colors of celosia. I liked the contrast of this red bloom surrounded by gold flowers and spent some time annoying others  as I blocked a nice portion of the path so I could find a composition to bring out these contrasting colors.

The photo below is of a kale leaf. I liked the texture of the ruffled edges along with the color of the leaf against the background. The background is actually a hibiscus flower which provided some great contrasting colors. The shadows created from having light coming from the side also create some interest for me. All of the characteristics cause me to want to explore the photo more. Paths created from all of the curves that are both in focus and out of focus in this leaf just ask to be visually followed up and down and to the right and left. There is no visible pattern to be found in the direction each turn takes.

These are considered abstract pictures for a reason. They can be interesting to one person while others find them distracting or lack enough to spend any time looking at. I enjoy looking at plants and other subjects from this perspective because I see things and learn about them in ways I would not have expected. Additionally, we don’t often seek out this level of detail which can be fascinating. Hopefully they are interesting and enjoyable to others as well.

Purple Patterns abstract

Lobelia cardinalis Beginning to Flower

One of my favorite late season perennial flowers has begun to bloom. Lobelia cardinalis is such a unique color for this time of year compared to the whites and yellows that are typical. I also enjoy the Great Blue Lobelia along with the annual species but the red version is so vibrant and stands out against the landscape.

Lobelia cardinalis in flower

As a nice bonus, the red Lobelia – also known as the Cardinal flower, is a great pollinator plant attracting hummingbirds to its sweet nectar. This is not a real common plant, at least in the upper Midwest as it needs certain conditions to do well. It likes to have at least partial sunlight but also needs a moist spot to grow without being kept continually soaked.

New flowers getting ready to open

There are those who adapt this plant to aquariums keeping them submerged which shows there adaptability. I don’t know if they can be sustained for long periods of time underwater but they can tolerate it for an amount of time with very specific conditions. Keeping them outside in the landscape in an area that doesn’t get too dry can provide a lot of success with beautiful flowers for Lobelia cardinalis. The only thing I really don’t like about these flowers is that fall is not far behind when they begin to bloom.

Lobelia flower progression

The First Spring Blooms

With snow still melting not far away the Hellebores began to bloom. These were the first flowers of spring which is very unusual. Typically pussywillows and maples start sending out their flowers as winter is receding with other spring ephemerals a couple of weeks behind. This year these beautiful blooms opened up on the first day of spring beating the pussywillows and maples by a week.

More flowers beginning to emerge

The first flowers opened up just underneath their leaf canopy while many other blooms continued to rise up from the leaves laid down last fall. Hellebores have leaves which stay green all winter long giving them a little protection from the cold which could quickly return. And for a night or two it did with little effect on this early blooming plant.

Most of the flowers now blooming

As the flowers continued to rise up from the ground, it became clear this would be one of the best spring blooms I’ve seen in the past 15 years of having these plants growing in the yard. Whatever conditions last summer led to such a beautiful display I’m not sure but it’s so nice to see as spring is eagerly anticipated. I look forward to enjoying many blooms over the next couple of weeks. Hopefully heavy snows steer clear of the back yard which could bring the flowering season to a quick end.

Catching some rays

Experimenting with Composition

Earlier this year, when places all over the world were entering quarantine, I turned to photography as a method of meditation. While looking through the viewfinder, I would begin to focus on what I was photographing and for a brief period find a place of calmness from the pandemic. Unfortunately there wasn’t much available outside in nearby parks as winter had turned to spring but nothing was growing yet. Instead I decided to create a scene. Some of my plants were in flower so I wanted to try using these while capturing their reflection in a small pool of water. Once I had them set up I misted portions of the flowers with water in order to catch the background in these little droplets. I was not getting the shots I was attempting to achieve so I added a new element. Ladybug beetles had started moving again from their winter hibernation so I captured one of these and placed it on a flower. It was a good sport and wandered curiously all over these blooms sprinkled with water providing some entertaining photos. It was a fun couple of hours and helped expand my photography skills.

A ladybug and its reflection

Illuminating Jack in the Pulpit

One late spring night I decided to continue playing with the idea of photographing illuminated flowers. Since doing this with tropical lady slippers, I’ve wanted to try it with other flowers as well. The curiosity of how they might look at night lit from unique angles was in the back of my mind for several weeks while I waited for flowers to open as spring arrived. Once the sun started getting low in the sky I began to get set up with the camera, tripod, and remote shutter. Since the lighting is so low except for the LED light used to illuminate the flower, a slow shutter is necessary to capture what light there is. It has to be dark enough for the light to have an impact otherwise it will be overpowered by natural light. I do like how this turned out but I need to continue working on this type of photography. I always struggle with how to handle the lights. Do I tear a hole in the back of the flower to insert the light so the wires don’t show or are those wires small enough so as to be only a minor distraction? I like to hide them when possible without risking damage to the flower or plant itself. Something fun to work with when photographing flowers.

Jack in the Pulpit flower illuminated

Early Spring Flowers

After winter’s last blast, hopefully, early spring flowers began to be more numerous. For several years the Hellebore in my yard would not bloom during the spring. The past few autumn seasons would confuse these flowers by producing a cold snap long enough followed by a warm up causing these plants to partially bloom. The next spring there would be no blooms to enjoy as snow melted away under the warming sun. This year produced nearly perfect weather for the Lenten Rose to be true to it’s name and begin flowering during Lent. I decided to take advantage of some nicer afternoons and photograph the first signs of spring.

Being covered in snow

The more I studied these flowers the more fascinating they became. A great subject to practice some macro photography with attempting to capture their interesting structures revealing colors and pieces of the flower that I didn’t notice before. At the same time an early spring bulb produced beautiful purple flowers. Scilla was quickly emerging and beginning to open its beautiful blooms. Another good subject to get close in on with the camera trying to capture its details.

Scilla, one of the first flowers in the yard to bloom

As I spent more time with these blooms, I started seeing bees flying nearby. At first they kept their distance but eventually the call to these flowers became to strong and they would venture onto the flowers while I was close. While waiting for a good opportunity I could smell the wonderful fragrance coming from these clusters. Ahh, spring is truly here and bring the explosion of flowers with it. I seem to be looking forward to the warmer weather and beauty of plants blooming everywhere more than I knew. Typically I enjoy winter enough that I don’t anticipate spring as much as this year. It has only begun and I’m pretty excited for it.

Bee hard at work

And Winter Returns….

With spring just getting under way, winter decided to remind us that the cold is not that far away by leaving the ground covered in it’s ice crystals. Having gone by an area in a nearby woods filled with plants beginning to irrupt in beautiful flowers the day before, I decided to go back and take a look at how they were handling the new snow. It did make for a pretty contrast to see all of this green and purple protruding up through the snow covered ground. With some very cold weather expected over the next couple of days I wondered how they would fair. Would the snow stay long enough to protect these delicate looking flowers until it warms up again or would they freeze and produce few seeds?

Being covered in snow

Initially a carpet of purple flowers caught my attention when I spotted these plants the day before. While exploring the area further, looking for some nice situations to photograph, I came across the first Bloodroot of the season with their pure white blooms ready to open. The only thing was, these blooms did not appear pure white any longer when compared to snow. It’s amazing how colors can look different depending on their surroundings. Or maybe their colors takes on a pink blush as they get colder which fades back to white under the warmth of the sun.

Nearby the first Bloodroot of the season is about to bloom

I spent about an hour photographing the snow falling on these spring ephemerals before returning home to spend the rest of the day with family. It was Easter after all!

Bloodroot flowers about ready to open now covered with snow

Ladyslippers Are Blooming Again

Cold hardy ladyslippers are in full bloom again so I’ve taken a little time to capture a few photos of them before they begin to fade. These are all plants that I have growing in containers in my yard so they can be enjoyed year after year. Well, providing I do a good job growing them and they survive each year.

After a light rain

There are a few different color variations ranging from all white to combinations of white, yellow, and red/brown. Some of these have a great fragrance but you have to get close to the flower to smell it while others really have no scent. A sweet perfume really adds to the enjoyment of any flower in my opinion.

Pink and white lady slipper

The most difficult part of growing ladyslippers is they only bloom for a few weeks and then they’re done for the year and this seems to regularly occur as the heat of summer arrives which reduces their length of blooming. Unlike other flowers, ladyslippers bloom all at once so there is this mass of blooms and then it’s all over with instead of a staggered bloom extending the season. This just means you have to take time to enjoy them when they’re blooming or it will be a while before you get to see them again.

Red and yellow lady slipper

Capturing a Little Bit of Spring

Unfortunately there has been limited time available to go exploring with the camera while spring explodes all around us but I have taken a few opportunities to enjoy the landscape as it returns to life. Above is a purple and white bicolor wild violet. Below are oak tree flowers.

Flowers of an Oak Tree

Crabapple in full bloom

Bringing some very enjoyable sweet fragrances are the blooms of crabapple trees and hyacinths. They don’t last very long but sure do bring a smile to many with their pleasurable smell bringing great springtime moments.

Hyacinth beginning to bloom