Wildflower
Western Salsify
While hiking though the woods in South Dakota we came upon this blooming weed. It is western salsify. It is also known as goat’s beard. It has been described as a dandelion on steroids because it looks similar to a dandelion but the plant can grow to several fee tall and the bloom can span 4-5 inches.
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Wild Bee on Wild Bergamot
The wild bergamot blooms seemed to be a favorite work site of the wild bees. This is another image gathered from our hike through the nature trail along Baird Creek in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
This was a difficult image to capture because the lighting was pretty dim and the bee wouldn’t hold still, but I do like the detail of the translucent wings.
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Sweet Memorable Bouquet
This sweet, petite bouquet of flowers were found blooming on the banks of Baird Creek in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The whole group is not much bigger than the end of my thumb. These are commonly known as Forget-Me-Nots.
I learned that these flowers had an ancient Greek name (μυοσωτίς) that translates as “mouse’s ear” It is the official flower of Alaska. They are some of my favorite wildflowers to find, even though they are difficult to photograph well because of their diminutive size. Of course, I also think they are pleasantly pretty.
If you’d like to see a larger, more detailed version of this image (I recommend it) just click on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Blushing Blue Violet
This is a tiny wild violet. I found this…and many others…along a northeast Wisconsin woodland trail. I enjoy finding small treasures like this and zooming in to better see the intricate details.
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All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Over Purple Clover
Even the very simple and common can be a work of beauty. While walking through the woods in NW Missouri I came upon this solitary stalk of purple clover blooming. It was early spring and about the only thing blooming in the woods.
Purple Clover is also commonly called Red Clover. According to North Carolina State Extension…
The common name for Trifolium pratense, Red Clover, can be confusing as the flowers are more a pink to pink/purplish, not a true red. It is grown as a forage crop for pasturage and hay for livestock. It is a nitrogen-fixing plant and is often grown as a cover crop to improve soil fertility. Its native habitat includes fields, pastures, meadows, waste areas, and along roadsides. It can be found in grassy locations that are not regularly mowed.
It can be easily distinguished from other varieties of clover by the large pink flower heads as well as the chevrons that appear on the leaflets.
Its flowers have a honey-like fragrance. The foliage can produce a pleasant clover-like scent. The flowering heads and foliage are both edible, both raw or cooked. Its young leaves should be harvested before the plant flowers. They can be used in salads or soups or cooked similar to spinach. The flowering heads as well as the seed pods can be dried and used as a flour substitute. The young flower are also eaten raw in salads.
It has also been widely used for athlete’s foot, constipation, ulcers, corms, and menopause. Red clover contains isoflavones. The edible flowers taste sweet or like hay but they are not easily digestible. Do not eat the flowers if pregnant or nursing.
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The Wild Bunch
An abundance of these daisies spring up in our back yard every year. They are a welcome, cheery sight; at least for the short season they bloom.
One of the aspects of this photo that I love are all the perfect imperfections of these wildflowers.
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All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Friendly Faces
You can always count on finding simple beauty as you walk through the countryside when wildflowers are in bloom. These were found along a path as we hiked through a wooded area in our rural, northeast Wisconsin neighborhood.
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All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Columbine Collective
I enjoy finding and photographing wildflowers. These columbines were blooming along a trail in a wooded area not far from our home in northeast Wisconsin.
Columbines are of the Aquilegia genus; a name derived from the Latin word for eagle (aquila), because of the shape of the flower petals, which are said to resemble an eagle’s claw. The common name “columbine” comes from the Latin for “dove”, due to the resemblance of the inverted flower to five doves clustered together. They are perennial plants found in meadows, woodlands, and at higher altitudes throughout the Northern Hemisphere.
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Aster In the Wild
Where our lawn and the adjacent farm field meet, these purple Asters are adding some nice color to the landscape.
This is a small sample of the larger wildflower clump. These yellow and purple blooms attract a steady flow of butterflies and bumble bees this time of year.
Asters fall into the Asteraceae family which encompasses around 180 species. The name Aster comes from an Ancient Greek word meaning “star”, an obvious reference to the shape of the blooms. The aster is the birth flower for September.
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All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Charmed
Every year I find wild geraniums blooming in the woodlands near our home in northeast Wisconsin. I think this is delightful wildflower which, I guess, explains the numerous images I have featuring them.
I titled this one, “Charmed,” because the stem with those hairy buds reminded me of a lady with a charm bracelet dangling from her wrist.
You can view a larger, more detailed, version of this image by clicking on the photo. When you do, a full-screen image will open in another browser tab.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.