Archives

Flowers

White Spider Lily

White Spider Lily, Spiderlily, Wildflower, Flower

These interesting, exotic flowers were a new variety to me.  They are known as white spider lilies. They are part of the amaryllis family. (Amaryllidaceae – genus Hymenocallis)  The bright blooms are a beacon for their primary pollinator, Sphinx moths.

As I mentioned, this is a wildflower I’ve not encountered before. I found it growing in southwest Alabama – on a short visit last weekend.  These were growing along a boardwalk trail at Jennings Park; a beautiful, well kept park in the small town of Brewton, AL.

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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 ([email protected]) for digital purchase and licensing options.

The Queen’s Sceptre

Queen Anne's Lace, Flower, Wildflower

A close-up shot showcases the early stages of Queen Anne’s Lace, bathed in warm sunlight. Early morning dew clings to the delicate stems of the plant and a lone strand of spider web. The early light and tiny dewdrops highlight its structure and adding some sparkle.

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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 ([email protected]) for digital purchase and licensing options.

Touch-Me-Nots After a Shower

Wildflowers, Orange, Touch-me-not, Droplets

A light shower left droplets clinging to the vibrant, orange Spotted Touch-me-not flowers and its leaves. These tiny beauties were found in the woodlands of northwest Missouri.

The common name (Touch-me-not) is a reference to the seed pods popping open if they are touched, a characteristic which also explains two other common names – Snapweed and Spotted Snap Weed. The plant is also known as Jewelweed and Spotted Jewelweed.

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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 ([email protected]) for digital purchase and licensing options.

The Delicate Dogwood

Dogwood, Tree, Flower

A cluster of delicate blooms from a dogwood tree growing in northwest Missouri. Some of these petal appear thin and nearly translucent. The dogwood captures the fleeting beauty of spring in bloom.  (These blooms are long gone.)

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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 ([email protected]) for digital purchase and licensing options.

Unpretentious Beauty

Flowers, Wildflowers, Daisy, Daisies

A bunch of wild daisies that bloomed annually and self propagated liberally every spring. I love the simplicity of white petals and bright yellow centers standing out against a blur of green foliage.

These are from a patch of daisies that we welcomed every spring in our yard.  Every year the main patch would expand a little and other little patches would pop up in the lawn nearby.

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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 ([email protected]) for digital purchase and licensing options.

Purple Veined Moth Orchid

Orchid, Purple, Butterfly

This is a beautiful example of the Moth Orchid. The photo captures the delicate beauty of the orchids, contrasting with the subtle pattern on the butterfly’s wings.

This is one of the images I captured at the Butterfly Palace in Branson, MO.  This was clicked in October of 2023.

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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 ([email protected]) for digital purchase and licensing options.

Bugleweed In Bloom

Bugleweed, Wildflower, Weed, Purple

These pretty little flowers are actually considered by many to be an invasive weed. This is bugleweed, also known as Ajuga, ground pine, carpet bugle, or just bugle. It is a genus of flowering plants in the Ajugeae tribe of the mint family Lamiaceae.

This is a patch from my in-laws yard in northwest Missouri. Bugleweed is a low-maintenance perennial grown for its colorful foliage and groundcover habit. In the spring, it produces purple/blue flower spikes about 6″ tall.  Sometimes it bloom again in the summer and into fall.

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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 ([email protected]) for digital purchase and licensing options.

Springing to Life

Crocus, Flower, Spring, PurpleRising from the dead leaves remaining from autumn, we find the crocus. This is one of the very first signs of spring. I photographed these welcome beauties sprouting in northwest Missouri at the beginning of March 2024.

According to Wikipedia “Crocuses are low growing plants, whose flower stems remain underground, that bear relatively large white, yellow, orange or purple flowers and then become dormant after flowering. Many are cultivated for their flowers, appearing in autumn, winter, or spring. The flowers close at night and in overcast weather conditions. The crocus has been known throughout recorded history, mainly as the source of saffron. Saffron is obtained from the dried stigma of Crocus sativus, an autumn-blooming species. It is valued as a spice and dyestuff, and is one of the most expensive spices in the world.”

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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 ([email protected]) for digital purchase and licensing options.

Siberian Squill

 

Siberian Squill, Blue, Flower

This tiny blue flower is one of the earliest spring bloomers.  This is Siberian Squill. You will find it low to the ground and you have to look quick, because they don’t bloom long. It’s one of our favorite flowers in our rural Wisconsin the flower bed.

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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 ([email protected]) for digital purchase and licensing options.

It’s a Trap

Spider Web, Flora, Plants

When the flowers began to fade and summer was being pushed out by autumn; an opportunistic spider was taking one last shot at securing a store of food before winter.

As I’ve mentioned before, when people ask what kind of photographer I am (as in, Landscape, Wildlife, Portrait, etc.) I tell them I just capture whatever catches my eye. This is one of those photographs. I’m not sure if any will appreciate it but the more I look at it, the more I like it. I like the variety and depth of colors and the near-perfect symmetry of the web.

You are looking at a spider web that was prominently placed in a large flower pot. The flower pot occupies a corner of the cement pad in front of our garage.  I captured this on an early morning walk around my yard, while the dew was still clinging to the web.  The spider was nowhere to be found.

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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 ([email protected]) for digital purchase and licensing options.