Big Cherry Block Party – Silver Spring, MD – Saturday April 3, 2010

I will be at the at the Big Cherry Block Party in Downtown Silver Spring, Maryland on Saturday. This will be my first show in Maryland this year so I’m really looking forward to seeing all of my Maryland flower photo collectors this weekend. You can see my most recent flower photographs on my BeautifulFlowerPictures.com website.

I’m offering a special offer this weekend – available only at the Big Cherry Block Party.  For each $50 of photography you purchase from me, take $10 off your total purchase. So you can take $ 10 off a purchase of $ 50 or more, $20 off a purchase of $ 100 or more, etc. This offer cannot be combined with any other special offers.

Show hours are Saturday April 3 from 11 AM to 6 PM. The show will take place on Ellsworth Drive in Downtown Silver Spring. I’ll be in booth 6 – which looks to be in front of Ben & Jerry’s and across from Borders.

Directions to the show and other information is available on the show website.

I hope to see you in Silver Spring this weekend.

Some Saxifrages – Brook Lettuce (Saxifraga micranthidifolia) and Carey’s Saxifrage (saxifraga careyana)

In the past few years, I’ve photographed several members of the Saxifragaceae family. Most of the 30 genera and 580 species of Saxifragaceae are herbs. Found throughout the world, they usually have a basel whorl of leaves with flowers above the leaves. The members of the family I photographed have been wildflowers blooming in Tennessee in the spring.

The first Saxifrage I photographed is Brook or Mountain Lettuce ( saxifraga micranthidifolia). Brook Lettuce is an early blooming perennial wildflower. It grows in stream beds and in other wet areas. The plants grow up to 32″ tall, with small white flowers. Brook Lettuce is native to parts of the mid-Atlantic and South Eastern US. It is found in PA, MD, VA, WV, NC, SC, GA, KY and TN. According to some of the wildflower walk leaders I’ve heard describe Brook Lettuce, early settlers used to eat the leaves in the spring since after a long winter there were few other fresh greens available to them.

All three of my Brook Lettuce photographs were taken in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and show the Brook Lettuce growing along some of the beautiful streams in the park.

This first photograph was taken along Old Settlers Trail.

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

The other two photographs were taken along Porter’s Creek Trail.

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

Carey’s Saxifrage (saxifraga careyana) is another member of the Saxifrage family that I photographed last spring in Tennessee. It took me a while to identify what it was. Then one day I was looking at the photos and realized how similar it looked to Brook Lettuce – that gave me the clue to check out the other members of the saxifrage family. Once I was looking in the right family, I was able to identify it as Carey’s Saxifrage.

Carey’s Saxifrage grows in moist rocky areas. It has a rosette of leaves at the base with clusters of small white 5 petaled flowers. Carey’s Saxifrage is native to VA, TN, NC, SC, GA and AL. I photographed it at Laurel Snow Pocket Wilderness in Dayton.

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

Now that I’ve learned to identify members of the Saxifrage family, I’ll be keeping an eye out for more of them on my next trip to the Smokies. I’ll be posting photos of a few other Saxifrages in a few days.

Spring at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, Virginia

Late last week I spent several wonderful hours photographing at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, Virginia. Green Spring Gardens is a wonderful public garden in Fairfax County. Located at 4603 Green Spring Road, the gardens are open year round with free admission. In addition to formal gardens, there is a wooded stream valley and a native plant gardens. The native plant gardens are one of my favorite parts of Green Spring Gardens to spend time in. Not only are there a great variety of native plants in the garden, but many have identification signs, which makes it much easier to figure out what I’ve photographed.

This was my first visit to Green Spring Gardens this year – and it was just a couple of days after I visited Brookside Gardens. There were significant differences between what was in bloom between the two gardens – a few warm days and a slightly difference climate make all the difference in the world.

The first set of flowers I photographed were a variety of reticulated irises called Natasha. They are a pale flower with blue stripes and a striking yellow patch.

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

I also found some wonderful daffodils to photograph.

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

And some pansies. I was happy to find some pansies in good shape to photograph – it’s been a tough winter and many of the pansies that wintered over aren’t looking very good.

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

The big surprise was discovering a rhodedendron already in bloom. The Korean Rhododendron (Rhododendron mucronulatum) is a early flowering rhododendron that adds a great splash of pink to a garden in the spring.

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

And finally – I found some crocuses to photograph! When I first arrived at Green Spring Gardens that morning, the crocuses weren’t open yet. After a couple of hours – they were absolutely wonderful. This patch of purple and white crocuses were my favorites.

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

It’s so nice to be photographing flowers outdoors again – while I love seeing them in conservatories in the winter – I’m really much happier photographing outdoors.

New Photo – Arizona Sun Blanket Flower

Arizona Sun Blanket Flower (c) 2010 Patty Hankins

I’ve just added a new photo – Arizona Sun Blanket Flower – to my Beautifulflowerpictures.com website.

When I first saw the Arizona Sun Blanket Flower (Gaillardia aristata) - I knew I had to photograph it. I just loved the bright red and yellow colors of the petals. The flowers are 3 to 4″ across – and the plants produce an abundance of flowers. The Arizona Sun Blanket Flowers are a 2005 All-America Selection winner. They bloom earlier in the season than many other blanket flowers and make a very showy display in a garden border. They love full sun and are hardy from zones 3a to 9b.

This photograph is available as a 10X10″  gallery-wrapped canvas.  You can order Arizona Sun Blanket Flower from my website and I will have it available at shows this year.

New Photo – Harmony Dwarf Irises II

Harmony Dwarf Irises II (c) 2010 Patty Hankins

I’ve just added a new photo – Harmony Dwarf Irises II – to my Beautifulflowerpictures.com website.

For me, one of the great delights of spring flower photography is when the dwarf irises start blooming in the DC area. They are usually one of the first bulbs to bloom and they bring such a wonderful splash of bright color to gardens. Of all the dwarf irises, the Harmony Dwarf Irises (iris reticulata Harmony) are probably my favorites. I love the deep purple color, the bright yellow stripe and the wonderful shape of the upper petals.

Harmony Dwarf Irises are an early spring blooming iris. Native to the Caucuses, they are hardy in the US to zones 3 or 4 if you protect them with mulch. They grow well in beds, rock gardens and woodland gardens. The grow to about 5-6 inches tall and look wonderful with flowers such as snowdrops and early daffodils.

This photograph is available as 12 X 18″ and 20X30″  gallery-wrapped canvases.  You can order Harmony Dwarf Irises II from my website and I will have it available at shows this year.

Craftsmen’s Classic Art & Craft Show – Chantilly, VA – March 26-28, 2010

I will be at the at the Craftsmen’s Classic Art & Crafts Show at the Dulles Expo Center  in Chantilly, Virginia. I will have several new flower photos with me that I have not shown before in the DC area. Three  photos –  Wild Geranium, Harmony Dwarf Irises II, and Arizona Sun Blanket Flower -  will be available for the first time this weekend in Chantilly.   You can see my most recent flower photographs on my BeautifulFlowerPictures.com website.

I’m offering a special offer this weekend – available only at the Craftsmen’s Classic in Chantilly.  For each $50 of photography you purchase from me, take $10 off your total purchase. So you can take $ 10 off a purchase of $ 50 or more, $20 off a purchase of $ 100 or more, etc. This offer cannot be combined with any other special offers.

Show hours are Friday March 26 10 am – 6 pm, Saturday March 27 10 am – 6 pm and Sunday March 28 10 am – 5 pm. I’ll be in booth 4014 this weekend.

Directions to the Dulles Expo Center,  discount admission coupons and additional information is available on the show website.

I hope to see you in Chantilly, VA this weekend.

New Photo – Wild Geranium

Wild Geranium (c) 2010 Patty Hankins

I’ve just added a new photo – Wild Geranium – to my Beautifulflowerpictures.com website. Wild Geraniums (geranium maculatum) are one of my favorite spring wildflowers. They are a wonderful flowering native plant that grows throughout much of the United States and Canada. It is found naturally from southern Manitoba and southwestern Quebec,  south to Alabama and west to Oklahoma and South Dakota. They grow in open woods throughout the spring. The blossoms range in color from pink to purple, with an occasional white flower. The leaves have 5-7 deeply toothed leaves. I have photographed Wild Geranium in several locations in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee. I photographed this particular set of Wild Geraniums at the Laurel Snow Pocket Wilderness area last spring.

This photograph is available as a 10X10″ gallery-wrapped canvas.  You can order Wild Geraniums from my website and I will have it available at shows this year.



First Spring Flowers at Brookside Gardens

One of the gardens that I spend a fair amount of time at each year is Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland. Brookside is a 50 acre public garden located in Wheaton Regional Park. There are several separate areas of the gardens including a rose garden, a fragrance garden, an azalea garden, a Japanese Garden and a children’s Garden. There are also two conservatories – one of which features the Wings of Fancy Butterfly exhibit each summer. Brookside is open from sunrise to sunset and admission is free. For me, one of the great features of Brookside Gardens is that it’s just a few miles away from my house – and I can get there without getting on the DC Beltway!

Each year, there’s usually one visit to Brookside Gardens really signals the start of spring flowers for me. This past Wednesday – I saw the signs that spring really is starting here in the Washington DC area.

As I started exploring the gardens the other day, I thought I was going to be disappointed. The crocuses weren’t yet in bloom – and they’re usually one of the first beds of flowers to blossom. As of Wednesday morning, they were still a day or two away from blooming.

But then I spotted a few daffodils blooming under the trees. It was so nice to see a bright yellow patch of flowers in the morning light. The gardening staff at Brookside Gardens does a fantastic job with the daffodils. There are probably at least 100 different varieties daffodils and narcissuses in bloom each year somewhere on the grounds.  Throughout the early spring, there are daffodils of more shapes, sizes and colors than you can imagine.

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

One of my favorite parts of the gardens at this time of year is the Maple Terrace area – located between the Rose Garden and the Fragrance Garden. This area is planted with a succession of flowering plants that are constantly changing. Right now, you can find snowdrops and a couple of types of dwarf irises in full bloom.

The little white Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) provide a wonderful white ground cover at this time of year – and after this winter – it’s so nice to see white flowers instead of piles of snow. Here’s one of the snowdrops I photographed this week.

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

This particular snowdrop was in wonderful condition. I love the way the three white petals surround the one with the green spot on it.

The last set of flowers I photographed that morning was some Harmony Dwarf Irises (Iris reticulata harmony). I’ve always loved  dwarf irises with their wonderful shapes and colors. The Harmony Dwarf Irises are a deep purple with splashes of white and yellow.

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

I’ll be heading back to Brookside Gardens regularly over the next few weeks. There will be a wonderful progression of spring flowers – crocuses, then daffodils, and then the tulips. If you’re in the Washington DC area, be sure to visit Brookside Gardens this spring – there is always something wonderful to see (and photograph).

Links – March 19, 2010

Virginalis Water Lily (c) 2010 Patty Hankins

Here are some links I found interesting this week – hope you enjoy them

Photography & Art Links

Alain Briot has a new essay at the Luminous Landscape on Composing with Color Part 2

Black Star Rising has Put Color Theory to Work in Your Photos

Copyright Litigation Blog has 4th Circuit: Fine Art Paintings from Photographs and Actual Damages from Copyright Infringement

Southern Flourish has an article about artist Conni Togel on page 20 of their premier issue. Conni’s sheep art is incredible.

Christian Science Monitor has Photoshop and Facebook, Victorian Style

Jim Goldstein has a review of the iPhone App: iFotoGuide – Arches & Yosemite

Plagiarism Today has Setting Yourself Up For Copyright Infringement

Seven Days has A Photographer is “Banned” for Taking Photos on Church Street

PhotoFizz has Photographers Raise Concern over Polaroids on Sotheby’s Auction Block

Marie Brophy has What Can We Learn from a Bikini Model on Art and Copyrights

Flower & Gardening Links

Christian Science Monitor has 10 Steps to Success with Your First Vegetable Garden,and A Blizzard of Snowdrops

Transatlantic Plantman has How Do You Know if A Plant is Hardy?

National Wildlife Federation has Hidden in Plain Sight

eNature has a Native Gardening and Invasive Plants Guide

The Natural Capital has Learn Your Wildflowers and Wild Edibles

Washington Gardener has It’s About Blooming Time

National Parks Traveler has Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage Coming to Great Smoky Mountains National Park

National Park & Wildlife Refuge Links

National Parks Traveler has several great posts this week including

• Cost Savings Means that NPS Can Fund More Projects in the Parks,
• Groups Argue Against Proposed Transmission Lines for Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
• Celebrate National Wildlife Week in Your Favorite National Park
• Shenandoah National Park Soon to Open Facilities for Spring, Summer
• Lend a Hand to Help Clean up Civil War Battlefields on April 10
• Traveler’s Checklist for Cape Hatteras National Seashore
• Fish & Wildlife Service Proposes to List Loggerhead Turtle Species as Endangered
• Is There Economic Value to that National Monument in Your Backyard
• How Might the National Park System Appear if Not for the Use of the Antiquities Act of 1906

Refuge Watch has information about contacting Congress about the National Wildlife Refuge System Funding

Wildlife Links

Garden Variety has The Business of Bees

BBC News has Ivory and Bluefin Tuna Top Agenda at UN Wildlife Summit

State of the Birds 2010 Report on Climate Change has been released.

Discovery News has Camera Shy Pregnant Male Seahorse Photographed Giving Birth

Telegraph UK has Penguin Couple Pose for Photograph

Washington Post has Controversy Over Endangered Virginia Big-Eared Bats

Negrita Triumph Tulips

Earlier this month I was photographing in the Conservatory at Longwood Gardens when I spotted some spectacular purple tulips. It turned out that they were Negrita Triumph Tulips. They were an incredibly welcome dose of spring.

Like many other Triumph Tulips, Negrita Tulips are a hybrid of early and late flowering tulips. They tend to bloom mid-season. The flowers of the Negrita Tulip are an incredible plum purple, with splashes of yellow, white and blue on the interior. They are hardy from zones 5 to 8, and grow best in full-sun areas.

Here are some of my favorite photographs of the Negrita Triumph Tulips.

A single Negrita tulip photographed from above

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

Side view of a group of Negrita Tulips

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

A pair of Negrita Tulips

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

A large group of Negrita Tulips

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

Tulips are one of my favorite spring flowers – and I just love the colors in the Negrita Tulip. Which are your favorite tulips?