Flowers
Stumbled Upon a Slipper
On an early spring day hike we discovered this Lady Slipper Orchid blooming among the ferns at Potawatomi State Park on the shore of Sturgeon Bay in southern Door County, Wisconsin.
These flowers show up for a short time in the early spring. Of course, to catch them during their short blooming cycle, you first have to find them. When visiting the park, I asked one of the rangers if they had spotted any and they mentioned a couple of possible locations. Unfortunately, we didn’t find many but we were pleased to, at least, find a few.
This morning I got up early to see if I could catch a sunrise image but the sky would not cooperate. So, since I had a little time, I looked at some of the images I’d captured earlier and hadn’t taken the time to process. This is one of those shots from June of 2019.
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Bright Life
The sunflower is such a bright, cheery bloomer. It really does a great job of reminding us of the summer sun.
This was a bloom I found in the field behind my house a few weeks ago. This was actually a late bloomer. All the other sunflowers surrounding this one were taller and larger in size.
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Youthful Vigor
Summertime is sunflower time in our area. We live near a seed farm that always has a few fields of sunflowers planted in our rural neighborhood. This year, they’ve planted sunflowers in the field that adjoins our home.
I finally got out to grab a few photos of the sunflowers. The variety they plant to produce seeds (as opposed to just bright, cheerful flowers) don’t last long in bloom. It seems like just a couple of weeks from first bloom to droop.
In this photo, you will notice, the main subject is in peak bloom while the others that surround it are already beginning to droop. This flower is a “late bloomer.” It also is not as tall or as big as its nearby rivals but, it is pretty.
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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.
Yellow In Season
A sight for sore eyes. These sunflowers will brighten up anyone’s day. These were found blooming in a farm field in northeast Wisconsin.
This is actually a field of sunflowers that surrounds our rural home. Simply breathtaking when if full bloom. Watch for more photos to come.
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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.
Yellow Flag Iris
I found this healthy collection of Yellow Flag Irises while strolling through the Columbus Zoo in Ohio. They lined the edge of a large pond.
In the “wild” these plants can be very prolific; to the point where they are considered an “invasive aquatic plant.”
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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.
Cute Backside
I found this cute, little flower facing the early morning sun and thought the light illuminating the petals created a very appealing image.
I snapped this photo at the Butterfly Palace in Branson, Missouri. Of course, I was there to photograph their butterflies but I had arrived a few minutes before they were ready for me. While waiting in the parking lot for an employee to let me in, this cutie caught my eye.
I don’t know what kind of flower this is. Silly me. I should have snapped an image of the front of the bloom so I could easily identify it.
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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.
Orchids Up Close
The intricate pattern of color and unique shape makes the Orchid a delight to behold and study.
This is a cluster of blooms I found when photographing butterflies in the Butterfly Palace in Branson, MO. They had several orchids growing in the tropical environment created for the butterflies.
To view a larger version – best for studying the details – 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 for digital purchase and licensing options.
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.
Delicate Folds
With its delicate petals and varied shading of soothing colors, it is easy to see why the rose if one of our most loved flowers.
I found this, and many other roses, at the West of the Lake Gardens in Two Rivers, WI. The greatest challenge with this shot was the bright daylight. Trying to capture the subtle shading amidst the brightly lit areas and the strongly shaded areas took some post processing software magic.
You can view a larger, full-screen version of this image by clicking 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 for digital purchase and licensing options.
Pleasant Pad
This pink water lily was resting upon the surface of a garden pond; the perfect, decorative accent to the green lily pads.
I found this delicate beauty in a small, cement pond at the West of the Lake Gardens in Manitowoc, WI. If I remember correctly, it was the only bloom on the pond that day. West of the Lake Gardens is a nice spot for flower lovers. There is no admission and they do a great job of cultivating a variety of flowers. I particularly enjoy their large assortment of tulips in the spring and roses in the summer.
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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.