Flower
Buckeye Beauty
This little beauty is a junonia coenia butterfly; better known a the “common buckeye.” You’ve likely seen this butterfly in your own neighborhood.
Though the majority of Buckeyes populate the southern regions of the U.S., adults from the south’s first brood migrate north in late spring and summer to temporarily colonize most of the United States and parts of southern Canada. I photographed this one on a recent trip to southern Missouri. A number of them (along with a few monarch butterflies) were feeding on a patch of asters next to a sidewalk at the resort we were staying at.
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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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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.
Pansies in Purple and Blue
The deep purple color of these pansies, highlighted by the luminescent blue, create a very royal floral feel.
If you have a good eye, you’ll notice the tiny bug on the left, top edge of the top pansy bloom. It’s small enough, I didn’t notice it when I snapped this image.
I found these, and many other beautiful flowers, blooming in small flower beds along the paved trail that runs between Memorial Drive (Highway 42) and the Lake Michigan shore in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. Hats off to the volunteer gardeners who beautify their city.
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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.
How Sweet It Is
This is honeysuckle in bloom. There are about 180 different species of honeysuckle found around the world. This bloom was found in northwest Missouri.
Honeysuckles are a favorite garden plant. Their bright color and sweet nectar attracts hummingbirds. Their vining growth are also used to cover unsightly walls and outbuildings. They are prized for their profuse tubular flowers in summer and the intense fragrance.
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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.
The Start Of Something Big
This image gives you a close-up view of a sunflower just beginning to bloom. At this stage, I think they have a dangerous look to them; not nearly as inviting as they are when the flower is fully opened.
This is another shot taken from the farm field across the road of our rural Wisconsin home. All the blooms are open and “sunny” by now. I’ll post more sunflower photos as the season progresses.
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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.
Lotus Lovelies
These floral lovelies were found blooming on the edge of a pond in northwest Missouri.
I first thought these flowers were water-lilies. Then I saw online that the leaves of lotus flowers rise above the water level while water-lily leaves are found floating on the surface of the water. The same holds true for their flowers; lotus flowers bloom above the water and water-lily blooms float on the water. Clearly, these blooms were well above any water by a couple of feet or more. Whatever you call them, they are lovely.
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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.
Avid Gardener
I found this monarch butterfly carefully tending the coneflowers in a Missouri flowerbed.
I seem to be seeing more monarchs this year. I recently learned the monarch is also called by a variety of other names – milkweed, common tiger, wanderer, and black veined brown.
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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.