Flowers
Alien Presence
Doing its best to blend in with the simple beauty of this wildflower, a stealthy crab spider awaits an unsuspecting victim.
I love watching the viewers reaction to shots like this. At first you see the beauty of the flower. An instant later, your brain registers the spider. How did you respond?
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Cheerful Disposition
I believe I used to know the name of this flower, but it eludes me at the moment. It is one of the common wildflowers found along the woodland trails of Wisconsin. You can view a larger, more detailed version of this image by clicking on it.
Just Peachy
This trio of tulips were outstanding in their field. Nothing says, “Spring” like a vibrant patch of tulips!
I thought a bit of color would bring some life to the dead of winter.
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Lonley One
I was out taking photos of a field of sunflowers and noticed this single stem of chicory growing on the edge of the road. The morning light seemed to enhance its solitary presence.
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Charmed
I found these charming wildflowers flourishing along a Lake Michigan beach. I don’t know what species they are but they seem to be rather common in our area.
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Of Tulips Past
These tulips have long past, but their memory lives on in digital form. Long live the tulips!
As you can see from the cropped, color image of this same stand of tulips on the right, they were two-toned in color – not your typical red or yellow. Ironically, I thought the unique, contrasting colors made them good candidates for a monochrome treatment.
To me, the detail in the petals are much more interesting in a higher contrast B&W. In fact, I think this would make an impressive, large print. May have to do that.
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Pink Pom Poms
While visiting relatives in Kansas, we enjoyed a stop at the Topeka Zoo. Along with the expected variety of animals, they had a unexpected collection of attractive flowering plants. I spotted the beautiful, unique blooms on this large tree and took a few photos. I later learned this is a Mimosa Tree (Albizia julibrissin).
Though it is revered for its beautiful and fragrant blooms, the mimosa tree is considered an invasive species. It was brought to this continent from China as an ornamental plant about 250 years ago. Like most invasive plants, it reproduces prolifically. The flat seedpods are numerous, tough and can remain dormant for decades, even over long periods of drought.
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Forgotten Embrace
This red rose evokes an entirely different feeling when presented in a monochrome tone.
This started as a color image and I spent a lot of time trying to get this just right. I like it better than the image I started with but…it still seems to be lacking something.
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Spring Beauty (Scilla Siberic)
These delicate flowers are known as “Spring Beauty” and “Siberian Squill.” Their formal name is Scilla Siberic.
They are very short (the tallest of the bunch might be 6 inches) and very early, spring bloomers. Scilla Siberic is native to southwestern Russia, the Caucasus, and Turkey. Despite its name, it is not native to Siberia. This small bunch pops up every spring in the lawn of our Wisconsin home.
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Sisterhood
These are delicate wildflowers found on an early spring walk through the woods.
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