Wildflowers

[Bowwowmeow]

I've got dozens of pictures of wildflowers I've taken while learning to use my new macro lens, so here goes. Enjoy, and post your own too if you have any please!

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Nature/CopyofFairyLantern3.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Nature/CopyofFairyLantern1.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Nature/Fairylantern4.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Nature/CopyofFairyLantern2.jpg



These are called Fairy Lanterns, also known as Globe Lilies. Each blossom is about as big as my thumbnail.

[gabbles]

Beautiful flowers.

[Bunny]

Gorgeous! I'd love to be able to take a decent picture!

[paul]

very nice

[Gliondrach]

Lovely flowers. I'll have to put the picture of the poppy from my wildflower meadow on my computer so I can add it here.

[Bowwowmeow]

Thanks everyone! :nanakiss: :nanakiss: :nanakiss:

[Bowwowmeow]

Dogwood blossoms from Happy Isles:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Nature/CopyofDogwood3.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Nature/CopyofDogwood4-1.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Nature/CopyofDogwood5.jpg

[Bowwowmeow]

These are known as Monkeyface flowers. They grow on the beach I went to while I was staying near the Russian River this past July.

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/yy1/BlackieLagoon/CopyofSonomaCountyCoastJuly2009252.jpg

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/yy1/BlackieLagoon/CopyofSonomaCountyCoastJuly2009251.jpg

[Gliondrach]

They look a bit like orchids.

[Fauxmage]

They look a bit like orchids.
Not the slightest bit like monkey faces though. People have some crazy imaginations!

[Bowwowmeow]

I have not been able to identify this flower. It also grows on the beach.

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/yy1/BlackieLagoon/CopyofSonomaCountyCoastJuly2009257.jpg

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/yy1/BlackieLagoon/CopyofSonomaCountyCoastJuly2009256.jpg

I was lucky that either of these came out well. The wind had started to blow a bit.

[Gliondrach]

They remind me of rosebay willowherb.

[Bowwowmeow]

I think that might be it! Very young flower stalks. It seems to be known as fireweed here. Thanks Martin!

[Gliondrach]

You can thank Nitram Nagev's book: 'Botany for Idiots' for that. He said he wrote it with me in mind.

[Bowwowmeow]

Indian Paintbrush

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3439/3711406039_8bae92dfd5.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2515/3888330279_cca480607d.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2535/3889126766_93544c3848.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3527/3889126604_6b27517dbd.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2550/3889126390_fba546a90c.jpg

[Gliondrach]

Those are very nice. Are they a shrub or individual flowers?

[Bowwowmeow]

They are individual flowers. The plants are small, but spread a bit, and the stems get maybe six inches long or so. They are quite stunning when seen at a distance, especially when they are growing along rock faces in the mountains. These were growing along a sandy path to the beach.

[Gliondrach]

They must be very impressive when there's a big mass of them.

[Bowwowmeow]

I had to lie on the forest floor to take these. The violets are tiny. The blooms are hardly bigger than my pinky fingernail.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2615/3888326781_ea6626ab5f.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2448/3888326641_0a89783008.jpg

[Gliondrach]

A beautiful flower. Do they have a violet scent?

[Bowwowmeow]

Oh yes. And I love the smell of violets. The flavor too. I bought a lovely violet flavored balsamic vinegar not too long ago, from the local wear-round farmers market. I like violet pastilles too.

[Bowwowmeow]

I don't know whether these are wild on my property or were planted. Nothing much else seems to have been planted there as a garden or landscape plant except a few rose bushes. And the grape vines. These periwinkle vines grow all along the stone walls that line my creek:

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_M8aAcoQrumc/S61WZRGJc-I/AAAAAAAAAzo/w6F0H_c2wY4/Periwinkles.jpg

[Gliondrach]

Nice. Are they native?

[Bowwowmeow]

No, I've looked it up and it is considered an invasive plant in California wildlands. Seems it is easily spread by running water in riparian areas as stems break off and easily root elsewhere. I may consider pulling it out eventually, and using some other sort of plant to stabilize my slopes. It's a shame, since it is so pretty, but I don't want to keep it if it is going to contribute to disruption of the wild areas downstream of my lot.

[Bowwowmeow]

I got rather ill while I was away this time, but it actually made me feel better to get outside and take pictures of some of the tiny wildflowers growing on my lot. The late afternoon sun was highlighting a patch of Shooting Stars, and I had to get out there to photograph them:


http://lh6.ggpht.com/_M8aAcoQrumc/S8FZW5apdEI/AAAAAAAAA_U/lDPjF-gPuGk/s512/Henderson%27s%20Shooting%20Star%201.jpg


http://lh4.ggpht.com/_M8aAcoQrumc/S8FZHZBlQzI/AAAAAAAAA_E/OLF6uOEn-68/Henderson%27s%20Shooting%20Star%205.jpg


http://lh5.ggpht.com/_M8aAcoQrumc/S8FYyMs7bPI/AAAAAAAAA-4/KBF85JU8gDE/s512/Henderson%27s%20Shooting%20Star%202.jpg

[nagev]

Cool! The shooting stars aren't usually out on our land until the end of April or early May. Although this has been an easy year and the grass widows were growing last time we went out. Haven't been out there for a couple of weeks, but hopefully there will be some at our place over my birthday. :)

[Gliondrach]

Those are very pretty and unusual flowers. Are you feeling better, BWM?

[Bowwowmeow]

Yes thanks. I was worried I might be getting worse. I had a terrible attack of indigestion, feeling as though everything I ate was poisoning me, and I was in a lot of pain all over. I also had almost no energy. Walking about 10 steps left me as winded as if I had just run a mile. I had alternating chills and fever. I don't know what it was.

I went shopping for food yesterday when I got back, and had a compulsion to buy hot chili seasonings. I bought Cholula, Sriracha, and Mongolian Fire Oil. I overdid it as far as my burning maouth was concerned, but the capsaicin seems to have killed all the pain, and made it possible for me to eat. My energy seems to be returning too, though I think I will be taking an nap shortly. Whatever this is it is making me want to sleep a lot.

Got some dandelionish pictures too, I don't know what sort of "weed" this is, since it's not a real dandelion, but it looks like one. Just maybe a quarter the size of a true silver dandelion:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2342/4509482153_f2e59242af_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2381/4509482205_39d325d502_o.jpg

[Gliondrach]

It looks very dandelion-ish. There are lots of flowers in the compositae family.

They have a good crop of greenfly.

Interesting that you had a compulsion to eat hot chilly-type things. I saw a video a few weeks ago about herbalism. The presenter introduced the concept of heat and cold. He was saying that the old herbalists believed that diseases could be grouped into hot, cold, dry and damp. And that some modern remedies for conditions where people feel cold and shivery are the ones that warm you up, such as ginger. And I think he mentioned chilli.

[nagev]

Hopefully you're feeling better. Those flus or whatever that give chills and fever really sap the energy. :(

Have you ever considered making a book for regional/local flowers as well information Bowwowmeow?

I've been collecting pictures of the flowers on and around my property (and in the area) in hopes of having a reference sheet, for me at least.

[Gliondrach]

Good idea. With the medicinal and other properties.

[nagev]

Yeah, any information I can find on the flowers. :)

Part of the reason, is because there is none for this specific region. There are the broad categories for the Rocky Mountains, or Western US, stuff like that, but not my regional area.

[Gliondrach]

You might find something on Henrietta's herbal, especially in the 'Links I like' section at the left.
ht-tp://ww-w.henriettesherbal.com/

[nagev]

Thanks. :)

[Gliondrach]

:thumbsup:

[Bowwowmeow]

It looks very dandelion-ish. There are lots of flowers in the compositae family.

They have a good crop of greenfly.

Interesting that you had a compulsion to eat hot chilly-type things. I saw a video a few weeks ago about herbalism. The presenter introduced the concept of heat and cold. He was saying that the old herbalists believed that diseases could be grouped into hot, cold, dry and damp. And that some modern remedies for conditions where people feel cold and shivery are the ones that warm you up, such as ginger. And I think he mentioned chilli.
Yes, I don't put much stock in "cravings' most of the time, because people's bodies are deranged by modern processed foods. But since I rely on the medicinal properties of foods and herbs when I am not well, I think that my body does learn to crave what will make it better.

Hopefully you're feeling better. Those flus or whatever that give chills and fever really sap the energy. :(

Have you ever considered making a book for regional/local flowers as well information Bowwowmeow?

I've been collecting pictures of the flowers on and around my property (and in the area) in hopes of having a reference sheet, for me at least.
I'm still feeling weak, and get chills sometimes. No more fevers though.

That is a good idea. I get frustrated when looking up info for the animals and plants that might be in my local area, because whenever you look up info for Mariposa County flora or fauna, you get listings for Yosemite, and Yosemite is a good thousand feet higher in elevation, and lots of the flowers I see on my property I don't see there. We have two different species of the shooting stars, for example. Mine are Henderson's, which bloom early in the year and grow at lower elevations.

It would be a real project to produce such a guide. here are a couple of shots of a tiny flower I've no idea of it's name:

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_M8aAcoQrumc/S8FYx9Q-qeI/AAAAAAAAA-s/5Vs90UyUKEU/Bear%20Valley%20Flowers%20020.jpg


http://lh4.ggpht.com/_M8aAcoQrumc/S8FZHFBymTI/AAAAAAAAA_A/mPdciD2xdpg/s512/Bear%20Valley%20Flowers%20022.jpg


The blossoms are about a quarter of an inch or less in diameter. The plants grow in great drifts that look like snow on the ground from a distance.

[nagev]

I'm still feeling weak, and get chills sometimes. No more fevers though.

:( Must be one terrible illness. However, I am pleased that you seem to be feeling better (well, maybe you're not feeling better, but no more fevers).

I remember I had some terrible illness when my wisdom teeth were removed. Chills (the hot and cold flashes where I couldn't get warm enough and was shivering to the point where I was sweating like crazy and was way too hot), fever, couldn't keep anything down. Plus my mouth was in terrible pain and I couldn't chew anything since the removal of the teeth. So yeah, that just sucks.

That is a good idea. I get frustrated when looking up info for the animals and plants that might be in my local area, because whenever you look up info for Mariposa County flora or fauna, you get listings for Yosemite, and Yosemite is a good thousand feet higher in elevation, and lots of the flowers I see on my property I don't see there. We have two different species of the shooting stars, for example. Mine are Henderson's, which bloom early in the year and grow at lower elevations.

Yeah, while I do not have really a national park like Yosemite around, I can relate, which is part of the reason I have been thinking about it for this area. All the flowers I find are scattered among various books (Rocky mountains, which go up to a much higher elevation, plus there is so much variety here in the Pacific NW, that there's just not one book for the area, at least that I've found. Maybe there is and I haven't tried hard enough), plus the variations make it frustrating. I thought it would be interesting to do one on the Palouse area + the mountains around here.

It would be a real project to produce such a guide.

Yeah, that's probably why I've only gotten as far as pictures and looking them up. :)

here are a couple of shots of a tiny flower I've no idea of it's name:

Interesting, it kind of looks like a white forget-me-not. Difficult to tell with seeing the rest of the plant with leaves and all.

[Gliondrach]

Yes, it does look like a white forget-me-not.

[Bowwowmeow]

They don't have the sprawling habit of forget-me-nots. They grow on very straight stems rising about four or five inches from the center of the plant.

I'll have to take more pictures of every aspect of my plants if I want to make an educational guide. These shots were just of the pretty blossoms for their own sake!

Got some California poppies too, all closed up for the evening.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_M8aAcoQrumc/S8FZH2Ze4-I/AAAAAAAAA_M/fWIiDUNVJ9M/s512/California%20Poppy%2020.jpg

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_M8aAcoQrumc/S8FYyMcY6lI/AAAAAAAAA-0/LDl5wmlwb4s/s512/California%20Poppy%2019.jpg

[nagev]

Yeah, here's ones that kind of look like that from up here, but the ones in your picture don't look as fuzzy:
http://www.bentler.us/eastern-washington/plants/white-forget-me-not.aspx

I'm not sure, just my first impression. :)

Those California poppy pictures look beautiful.

[Bowwowmeow]

Thank you. :)

Here are some different shots all of the same silver dandelion:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4058/4576687100_9d9f588e0e_o.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4057/4576051347_34816966ee_o.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4017/4576686872_0c79ef1502_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3333/4576686792_fc15720f21_o.jpg

[Gliondrach]

Very clear. They look like strands of silk. I love dandelions. If I had a lawn, it would be full of dandelions and daisies.

[nagev]

Heh. My lawn is currently quite a bit of dandelions. However, it's slowly turning into garden. I don't like them that much though, to have a whole yard/lawn of them.

Nice pictures though. :)



I'm starting on my identification of all the flower pictures from the land. I've found a couple that are at least endangered to the Palouse region (here). At least according to some sites.

[Bowwowmeow]

Thank you. :)

The lawns in San Francisco are typically loaded with dandelions, and tiny daisies. I've always loved the daisies. Homeowners tend to pull them out, but the parks and public lawns in the city are always full of daisies.


Here is a manzanita blossom. Manzanita are best known for their striking bark, and the flowers are pretty inconspicuous from far away, but I really like this close up. Shows off how pretty they are on a mild rainy day:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4056/4580774716_6428e56a66_o.jpg

The bears eat the berries in the autumn.

[Gliondrach]

They look a bit like the flowers of the alpine bearberry and others in the heather family.

[nagev]

Those are nice flowers. I like how some have opened, but some are still closed.

[Bowwowmeow]

I love manzanita. I have some growing on my lot, up the hill at the back. My back property line just runs along the beginning of manzanita elevation I guess.

Baby Blue Eyes from the Wawona Meadow:

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_M8aAcoQrumc/S99fm1jUpHI/AAAAAAAABAw/H_NvjlTS8x4/DSC_0030.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_M8aAcoQrumc/S99fm6SnexI/AAAAAAAABA0/Mn-yK3D84Lc/s512/DSC_0031.JPG

[Gliondrach]

Those are nice flowers. Just the sort of pictures you need in your flower book.

[nagev]

Here's an invertebrate and a flower. Cross-thread post!

[Gliondrach]

Very nice. What is the insect and what is the flower?

[nagev]

The plant, I believe, is a cinquefoil. The invertebrate, I assume is some kind of beetle. I'm not sure exactly though.

[Bowwowmeow]

It's pretty. The flowers remind me of strawberry flowers a little.

[Bowwowmeow]

Here is a wild amaryllis with the impressive name of Ithuriel's Spear :

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1325/4608793871_7eefa3c37f_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1290/4608794169_6437d96e98_o.jpg

I've read that the amaryllis family has been lumped in with the lilies now.

[Gliondrach]

Beautiful. Are they native to California?

[Bowwowmeow]

Yes, California has a wonderfully large population of wild lily and amaryllis species, lots of which were used as food by the natives.

[nagev]

Those are nice.

[nagev]

Here are two grass widow flowers taken last weekend. They're the last of the grass widows at our place.

[Bowwowmeow]

They are pretty! :)

[Gliondrach]

Yes, they are. Never heard of them.

[nagev]

I was really pleased yesterday when we found a calypso orchid on our land. Only one. I've never seen them before. :excited:

[Bowwowmeow]

Oooh that's beautiful. I'd be pretty excited to find one of those too. :)

[Gliondrach]

Yes, it's very beautiful. I was going to suggest collecting the seeds when they are ready but I've just read that they rely on a fungus which is particular to each type of orchid.

[Bowwowmeow]

Orchid reproduction is pretty complicated. I've toured the labs where they clone them, and hybridize them. It's amazing.

[Bowwowmeow]

A wild pea of some sort:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1084/4608793751_f0b07d43b9_o.jpg

[Gliondrach]

Pea flowers are lovely. I have a wild pea/vetchling growing in a pot on my balcony. It sends tendrils out to wrap around everything within reach.

[Bowwowmeow]

The wild sweetpeas that praying mantis was clinging to:

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_M8aAcoQrumc/TL5ssr5cdBI/AAAAAAAABtg/4qzop-z4avI/Wild%20Sweetpea.JPG

[Blueshark]

Nice photo.

[Bowwowmeow]

Bluedicks:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_M8aAcoQrumc/TcMO9u5wIiI/AAAAAAAACnw/6_Q909nYS7c/s512/DSC_0175%20%282%29.JPG


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_M8aAcoQrumc/TcMPIROKkqI/AAAAAAAACok/8IdT3FSam-8/s640/DSC_0217.JPG


https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_M8aAcoQrumc/TcMPJyObK-I/AAAAAAAACos/Gcy2sPdS-To/s512/DSC_0219.JPG


The one in the first shot was growing outside. The last two are of some I have on my desk.

[Bowwowmeow]

Sweet flag. Not native, but naturalized. These were growing along a stream by the highway:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_M8aAcoQrumc/TcMPOq_LZfI/AAAAAAAACo4/hi4El8Ac9_Q/s640/DSC_0234.JPG


https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_M8aAcoQrumc/TcN27FuoxlI/AAAAAAAACrw/cpsS0q38DYQ/s512/DSC_0247.JPG


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_M8aAcoQrumc/TcN29rN1p8I/AAAAAAAACr8/8G4cOGK3ttc/s512/DSC_0249.JPG

[Bowwowmeow]

It's raining again. We seem to be having unseasonable cold weather, coming down from Alaska.

Nice lighting for flowers though. You don't get good shots of flowers in bright sun, as it washes out their color.

Not very windy either. You don't get good shots with a macro lens at close range in low light when it's windy, since your shutter speed is slow. They get all blurry.

I've got clarkia in bloom just now. These have four petals like California poppies do, but they are about half the size of a California poppy blossom. They have a papery look to their petals.


https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Ji_noTZZpzU/TeHP_jcV7UI/AAAAAAAAC5c/VG2rQDLGjSQ/s640/007.JPG


https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-nXiujb2o-CM/TeHP9NNIIlI/AAAAAAAAC5Q/AqLSgzQWpFs/s640/002.JPG


https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Y_dzV5NwruM/TeHP8-8LDOI/AAAAAAAAC5M/ptf5PKS7zbg/s512/003.JPG


https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9Y2usKcdwvY/TeHP8kFhyZI/AAAAAAAAC5I/DmxR1wkYNHA/s640/001.JPG


I'm still learning the best way to use my macro lens too. Whether to stay further away and get more in focus, or to get really close and get a differential focus. Seem like every subject looks best with a different approach. I like the watercolor effect with these.

[Gliondrach]

Nice pictures. The second one looks very watercoloury. Do they have much of a scent?

[Bowwowmeow]

Thank you. No, no scent that I can detect.

[manzana]

Speaking of flowers, I decided to hurry up and finish my ongoing concept video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oevme-kL38Y) on the theme, which is kind of a sight-gag, but all of the floral imagery like yours is what got me started. :flower::bloom::flower:

[Gliondrach]

That was a well done bit of syncronisation. And one of my favourite opera songs.

[manzana]

Thanks, it's one of the few French language songs I like as much as Italian arias. But I digress, I haven't photographed flowers, though I do enjoy noticing them as they blossom in the sun and sway in the wind. Now they'll remind me of something special. :shy:

[Bowwowmeow]

I had to go find something to do while it downloaded, because I was on dial-up, and it took forever! It was worth the wait though. :)

[manzana]

I'm glad you got to see it, being that you're a saucy flower guru. :highfive:

[Bowwowmeow]

:)

[manzana]

Hey I like your flickr photostream. Seeing 72 thumbnails of the flowers at once is some colorful eye candy! :magnify:

[Bowwowmeow]

Aw thank you. :) I suppose I ought to try some other subject at this point.

[manzana]

Please carry on. I was just mentioning it as a compliment to your body of work. ;)

[Bowwowmeow]

Well the funny thing is, I got an invitation to join FemArt, a flickr photo group. I thought it was a group of feminist artists. Turns out it's a bunch of people contributing photos of naked and semi-naked ladies. I can't understand why I was invited, since I haven't got photos of any ladies at all in my photostream. Maybe it's a hint that I should try new subject matter. :wigglebutt:

[manzana]

How about a naked vegan in full bloom? :photo: