Category Archives: Flowers

Flowers, Photos, Troy's Blog

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

Adventure, Flowers, Photos, Troy's Blog

Pollinators Flying Around as Fall Approaches

On a beautiful summer afternoon the last weekend in August, I took some time to go out wandering at a nearby park. We had just returned home after moving our youngest daughter into her college apartment. Staying home seemed like a challenge so I grabbed the camera and off I went. Unsure of what I would see, being prepared is something I’ve learned time and time again otherwise you could miss a great photo op. This day definitely provided some great subjects, especially pollinators out searching for as much nectar as possible. Capturing a few late summer wildflowers or maybe a mushroom or two was my expectation but thankfully there was more.

Fall colors beginning to enter the landscape

Meandering on a familiar trail, which was a little less familiar as I haven’t been out nearly as frequently as other years, I came across some wildflowers and snapped a few pics. Continuing on I came to some tall yellow daisies in bloom with a Monarch butterfly flitting from flower to flower. Thankfully it would spend some time at each one allowing me to capture some great photos like the one above.

Unfortunately I was confronted with a few brilliantly colored leaves along the trail confirming what time of year it was and seasons would soon be changing. This was a fact I had been trying to ignore as I wanted more summer to enjoy. If time would only slow down. Since there were some nice red leaves I decided to take the opportunity to start practicing for the possible explosion of color to come with the a simple turn of a page on the calendar. After a brief time with these leaves, it was back to those late season flowers still blooming with all of their energy.

Goldenrod covered in little beetles taking in its nectar

A lot of Goldenrod was in full bloom with the occasional bee or butterfly visiting their flowers. There were a few that were loaded with tiny beetles. A quick search indicates these are called Shining Flower Beetles which eat the pollen. While it seems that Goldenrod should be a great pollinator plant with as prolific they can be, I don’t often see a mass of insects around them like I do other plants such as late season hydrangeas. They must not release a lot of nectar for them to feed on. Continuing on my journey I came across more large yellow daisies with a bee here and there dancing around these beautiful flowers occasionally landing on one.  A couple of pictures and I moved on.

Bumble Bee examining each flower

Another opportunity during my journey was an Ichneumon Wasp. I’ve been trying to capture some nice shots of these for several years and here finally was my chance. I snapped a few poor photos and it was gone. Deciding to sit down for awhile, I was rewarded with another chance as the wasp returned to a leaf fairly close to me allowing for some nice shots. These wasps don’t sting as their long tails are used to deposit eggs when the time arrives. If there was nothing else to photograph, I was happy with these alone but thankfully there were others. After a few more shots it was time to head home and take care of some things before the day was over. I really enjoyed this time watching and photographing these pollinators before August transitioned to September.

Ichneumon Wasp

Flowers, Photos, Troy's Blog

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

Flowers, Troy's Blog

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

Flowers, Orchids, Photos, Troy's Blog

Winter Flowers

As winter continues….drags on really, one of my favorite tropical orchids came into flower. It’s a Phragmidedium called Stairway to Heaven. Why is it one of my favorites? The petals surrounding the pouch of this ladyslipper droop dramatically compared to the overall plant. I don’t know why that’s something that’s intriguing to me but it really captures my attention. The unfortunate part is that they only bloom for about a month and then they’re done until the next shoot matures so there’s a relatively short window to capture these blooms.

Winter continues

With winter continuing and the ground in a deep sleep under a blanket of snow, a craving begins to grow to see the greenery of plants growing. For this orchid to produce it’s beautiful flowers at this time of year couldn’t be more perfect. It’s always a challenge to capture the long petals as they hang lower than the height of the orchid plant itself. I decided to work with illuminating the inside of these ladyslippers again much like almost a year ago and see what features these little LED’s could highlight.

Stairway to Heaven in bloom

Using these little lights brings an interesting look to the orchids but also presents a challenge trying to add them so they don’t distract from the flowers or alter their position on the plant. Additionally, trying not to damage the flowers or plant while adding the lights is a concern causing me to work more deliberately and slowly. Wrecking a flower would be very disappointing as I wait for a long time and spend a fair amount of energy growing these to get them to bloom and waiting until the plant is ready to flower again seems to take forever.

A group of orchids giving some nice winter color

Blooming at the same time as this ladyslipper were a couple of Phalaenopsis. One is a taller plant while the other is a dwarf adding more color to the winter windowsill. Fortunately these last longer than the ladyslipper so I concentrated my attention of capturing the many details of Stairway to Heaven which make it one of my favorite orchids.

The long petals draping down from a single flower

Besides the long petals what makes this one of my favorites? The pouch of ladyslippers is always a part of orchids that are fun for me with all of their different spots and patterns. Another part that’s enjoyable is the petals are fuzzy and very soft to touch bringing a relaxing sensation while rubbing a finger across them. They are so soft! Not a lot of orchids seem to have this feature. Now that this Phragmipedium is flowering, I’ve moved it into an area I see on a daily basis so I can enjoy it as much as possible. A nice distraction from the cold on the other side of the window.

Adding light to the pouch of this bloom

Flowers, Photos, Troy's Blog

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

Flowers, Troy's Blog

Native Orchids of 2019

Last year was an amazing year as far as finding native orchids to Minnesota. When people think of orchids, Minnesota is not a place they believe can grow orchids but there are over 40 different orchids that grow in this harsh environment. I was fortunate to find 6 of those, mostly by accident. One of my ‘someday’ goals has been to find as many of those orchids living in Minnesota as possible. This must be a good time to start that adventure which I hope to continue further in this next year. I have one expedition in the process of being planned currently and may put together another one or two as time permits. Some of these orchids are quite different than I imagine them as I’m searching for them. In fact I miss them at first and if it weren’t for help, I wouldn’t know they’re there right in front of me which makes finding one that much more of an accomplishment and enjoyable.

Early Coral-root orchid

This first one, pictured right above, is an early coral root orchid. On my June adventure to Northern Minnesota I re-visited Sax-Zim Bog primarily in search of interesting wildlife since it was such a treasure trove of winter migrating birds. It must be amazing in the summer also. In addition to birding, Sax-Zim boasts some great wildflower habitats. Being a horticulturalist,  that captured my attention even further. Having just one day there I made sure to stop at the Welcome Center after spending the morning in search of birds. There one of the volunteers, Clinton directed me to a trail near the welcome center to look for an orchid in bloom right next to the trail. If I didn’t spot this one he promised to highlight it for me. Venturing out on the trail I began to re-think the decision to not use bug spray. The mosquitoes were unrelenting in their pursuit of my blood but I continued on determined to find this orchid. Eventually I was walking along the trail and noticed a small flowering plant near the ground. It happened to be the Early Coral-Root orchid. Once you know what you’re looking for it becomes easier to spot. I realized how many of them were around me. Success! I took a few photos but the mosquitoes eventually chased me from the trail and back into the building to share the success with Clinton.

Small yellow Lady's Slipper orchid

After enjoying a successful hunt with Clinton he pointed me to a couple of other directions to look for more orchids. One such candidate was the Yellow Lady’s Slipper orchid recently spotted on a piece of property recently added to the bog. Driving back and forth looking for this location I finally decided a grass covered driveway looking thing must be what he was referring to. I walked along this old roadway for a distance and there it was. A native Lady’s Slipper in bloom! I’m a little more familiar with this species so I knew what I was looking for and the approximate size of this plant. It’s one of the larger orchids to Minnesota thus easier to spot. Clinton pointed out a few other locations where this orchid was spotted in the past but I had no luck in finding any on this expedition. Still a fun time exploring.

Pink Lady's Slipper orchid

After driving around the bog on the first day just taking in the different views seen earlier in the year covered in snow, I stopped at the Welcome Center to see if there were reports on orchid locations. It happened to be closed but Sparky was there grabbing some materials to continue working on their bog boardwalk and took a few minutes to talk with me giving some direction on where to find Pink Lady’s Slippers. I immediately headed to the Bog Walk to find these hardy orchids. Walking on the boardwalk so as to protect the bog I kept me eyes scanning the plant life with no luck. There was another couple walking towards the exit of the boardwalk. We stopped and conversed for a few minutes. I asked what birds they spotted and heard and then mentioned I was searching for the Pink Lady’s slipper which was supposed to be here. One of them looked at me a little surprised with a slight smirk on his face. “They’re all over here” he said. Puzzled I returned with a surprised expression of my own. Armed with this new information I looked back over the bog flora and soon spotted one. Excited that I successfully found what I had come here to see I saw another one. And another and another. Now that I knew what I was looking for I saw them in numerous locations along the boardwalk. It makes me laugh now every time I think about my search for this beautiful native orchid. I had the opportunity to enjoy these orchids for a second time on Isle Royale National Park a few weeks later.

Western Spotted Coral-Root orchid

Another one of my treasures on Isle Royale was the Western Spotted Coral-Root orchid. Hiking along the trail towards Feldtmann Lake enjoying the beautiful plant life I first came across the Pink Lady’s Slipper. Soon after, the Early Coral-Root caught my attention. Continuing on the trail further there was another Coral-Root orchid. Studying this more extensively I was able to identify it as the Western Spotted. A happy, unexpected surprise of backpacking on this large island located in the Monstrous Lake Superior. These really added to the Isle Royale experience. It was a beautiful, small orchid only rising about 6 inches above the ground with small, intricate flowers pointing in all directions around the stem. I would have liked to be able to get closer images of the flowers but my macro lenses were safely stored on the mainland as I didn’t want to carry the additional weight. A fun find non the less!

Ladies Tresses orchid

This next orchid, a Lady’s Tresses orchid, was one I was intentionally seeking out. I had heard someone at work talking about listening to a radio program where these orchids had been spotted at a refuge not very far away from where I work. I decided to take a day and explore this refuge in hopes of spotting another hardy orchid. I got there before sunrise and began to drive around trying to figure out where a good place to start hiking would be. Eventually, with not much of a clue, I got parked and started walking a trail. Walking for awhile I was just enjoying the nice fall day stopping once in awhile to take in a butterfly or a mushroom. On one of these occasions I stopped to photograph a beautiful dragonfly. After snapping a couple of shots I happened to look down at what I was about to step on and there it was. Right in front of me. The white Lady’s Tresses hidden among the grasses wavy in the mid-day’s breeze. Once the first one was found, others began to appear along the trail and then on other trails. I was in disbelief at successfully finding this orchid after an earlier adventure a few weeks before resulted in not finding the orchid I was looking for.

My final orchid in this post is the Showy Lady’s Slipper below. I knew approximately where it grew and just happened to find it as it was beginning to bloom. It was definitely a beautiful Lady’s Slipper with it’s white flower and pink pouch. It was the first time I’ve been able to catch this orchid in bloom. I had found this plant a few times before but was never successful in catching it while it was blooming so this was a nice treat. Unfortunately I didn’t have a lot of time as there was a meeting requiring my attendance a few moments later. I still enjoyed the opportunity to take in this fascinating flower.

With some luck, and a lot of help, I will continue to find different native orchids to Minnesota in 2020.

Showy Lady's Slipper orchid

Flowers, Photos, Troy's Blog

Beginning to Grow

Walking through a store recently I couldn’t resist all of the seed packets on display so I had to pick a few out. Its been years since I started seeds indoors and I really do love watching them as they grow. They’re amazing in how they can be so hard like a rock and a few days later soften and produce a strong root and little leaves to begin life. Cold, snow, and ice are starting to get dreary so adding some life is much desired as March begins. These are annual Centaurea otherwise known as Bachelor Button. For some reason this is a flower I really enjoy and tends to do well in the cooler spring temperatures. All of these roots quickly growing out of a seed to provide the plant with water and nutrients just amazes me.

In the image below I found this little seedling with the seed covering still attached very interesting. There are so many textures in that seed shell which have expanded with all of the moisture in the soil. It’s a little on the purple side because of the LED lights they are grown under. I start them under a fluorescent lights usually but this time I added a few LED lights as well to see what difference they may make. These are all on a timer giving the a set amount of light each day. I believe they stay on for 10 hours a day which seems to be a good pace of growth without taking an exorbitant amount of electricity. In a few short weeks they will be put outside as temperatures allow. I will begin acclimating them to the higher light intensity of the sun once nighttime temperatures stay at freezing or above as these can tolerate the cooler nights.

Beginning to emerge

Flowers, Troy's Blog

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

Flowers, Photos, Troy's Blog

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