Capturing the Beauty of Nature Workshop – July 8-9

The Lotus Pond (c) 2008 Patty Hankins

Have you ever felt uplifted by what you see in nature – but you couldn’t bring that feeling home in the photos you took?

Have you ever wondered how some photographers take amazing photographs of every day scenes in nature?

IF YES, then the flower photography workshop I’m teaching this summer may be just what you are looking for:

 

Capturing the Beauty of Nature

No Matter What Kind of Camera You Use

A Hands-on Workshop with Flower Photographer Patty Hankins

July 8 & 9, 2011

Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens

Lotus Blossom (c) 2007 Patty Hankins

The workshop will include classroom sessions on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon, and a Saturday morning field photography session at Kenilworth Gardens. I’m limiting registration to 8 participants so that everyone can get the maximum benefit from the workshop.

Located in North East Washington, DC along the Anacostia River, Kenilworth Gardens and Aquatic Park is one of the hidden gems of the National Park System. The park features wetlands and ponds full of water lilies and lotus blossoms.

For more information about the workshop and to register – visit the Capturing the Beauty of Nature page on my website.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Odalisque Tulips

On a recent visit to Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland I photographed some wonderful pink flowers – that I wasn’t sure if they were tulips or crocuses. Several other people at the gardens also weren’t sure what they were – and unlike most of the other flowers in the garden – there was no identifying sign nearby. Finally – one woman said – she thought they were a variety of tulips – known as crocus tulips. With that clue – and a little time spent searching the web using Google and Google images – I was able to identify the flowers as Odalisque Tulips – a variety of tulipa humilis – also known as Crocus Tulips!

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

Tulipa Humilis are native to Turkey, Iran and the Caucus mountains. They are short (usually 6-12″ tall) and bloom early in the spring. The Odalisque tulips have wonderful two tone-pink petals and bright yellow centers.

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

These are the earliest blooming tulips I’ve seen in the Washington DC area. I photographed this set in mid-March – when the daffodils were just starting to bloom. I love the color and pattern of the petals. These tulips were wonderful to find on a late winter visit to the gardens.

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

Glory of the Snow – chionodoxa

In the Washington DC area, one of the earliest blooming spring flowers is Glory in the Snow. I usually start seeing it in local gardens in early March. The bright purple – blue flowers are a welcome splash of color after the duller colors of winter.

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

Native to Turkey, Crete and Cyprus – Glory of the Snow are an early blooming spring flowers. Members of the  Hyacinthaceae family, they grow 4-6″ tall,  with 6 petaled flowers. The most common color for Glory of the Snow is a wonderful shade of blue-purple. There are some white and pink varieties available.

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

In the U.S – Glory in the Snow is hardy from zones 4a to 8b. It prefers to grow in full sun or part shade. It seems to grow nicely in wooded areas – blooming before the leaves grow in the bushes and trees.

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

At Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland there is a wonderful area near the Children’s Garden where hundreds of Glory in the Snow bloom each spring. Each year, the patch is larger and more beautiful than the year before. For me – I know spring is just about here when I see the Glory in the Snow at Brookside Gardens. 

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

 

 

 

 

New Photo: Blue Mystique Orchid

Blue Mystique Orchid (c) 2011 Patty Hankins

 

 

I’ve recently added a new photo – Blue Mystique Orchid – to my Beautifulflowerpictures.com website.

Blue Mystique is one of the newest orchids available. Introduced earlier this year – the Blue Mystique orchids start out as white orchids – and then the blue color is infused into the orchids. They seem to be getting a mixed reaction from orchid fans – many of whom view them as artificial. I just know that I love the color of the Blue Mystique Orchids.

This photograph is available as either a 15X12″ or 26X20″ gallery-wrapped canvas.  You can order Blue Mystique Orchid from my website.

Small Purple Fringed Orchids – platanthera psycodes

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

Last summer, I spent a day driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. I wasn’t really looking for any specific wildflowers – rather was just curious what I’d find. One of the big surprises came when I took a closer look at a splash of purple I spotted along the side of the road. I’d found one of the native orchids – the Small Purple Fringed Orchid – platanthera psycodes. And once I knew what to look for – I spotted several of them along the side of the road north of Asheville.

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

Also known as the Lesser Purple Fringed Orchid – these wonderful wild orchids are native to much of the Eastern United States and Canada. In several states – Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island and Tennessee – they are listed as endangered or threatened.

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

The botanical name – platanthera psycodes – describes the flowers beautifully. Platanthera is from Greek for flat flower. While psycodes means like a butterfly. To me – describing these orchids as flat flowers like a butterfly seems pretty accurate.

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

Small Purple Fringed Orchids grow in woodlands, meadows and marshes, preferably in partial shade. They grow to about 2 feet tall – with an 8″ cluster of pinkish-purple fringed flowers.

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

Medicinally, the Small Purple Fringed Orchids were used by Native Americans as a remedy for cramps in young children.

More information about the Small Purple Fringed Orchids can be found online at

USDA Plant Profile

Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point

Orchids Wiki

Flora of North America

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Native American Ethnobotany

Craftsmen’s Classic Arts and Crafts Show – Chantilly, VA – Mar 25-27

I will be at the at the Craftsmen’s Classic Arts & Crafts Festival at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, VA this weekend. I will have several new flower photos with me that I’ve never shown in the DC area including Blue Mystique Orchid, Columbine and Lupine, Coral Reef Chrysanthemum, and Slipper Orchid. You can see my most recent flower photographs on my BeautifulFlowerPictures.com website.

Show hours are Friday March 25 10 AM – 6 PM, Saturday March 26 10 AM – 6 PM and Sunday March 27 10 AM – 5 PM.

My booth number is 3213 this weekend.

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

As you may already know, this is my last scheduled show. I have really enjoyed doing shows and meeting all of you over the past several years. I’m now looking forward to some new adventures with my flower photography – including teaching a workshop at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens this summer and publishing my first photo book later this year.

I hope to see you in Chantilly this weekend.

New Photo: String Lily

String Lily (c) 2011 Patty Hankins

I’ve recently added a new photo –  String Lily – to my Beautifulflowerpictures.com website.

I photographed this String Lily (Crinum americanum) in Everglades National Park. I’d seen and photographed a couple of other string lilies on my trip but what I liked about this one was that only one flower was blooming and the other two were still in bud stage. So often, string lilies can look tired and raggedly – this one is just starting to bloom. I may edit one of my other string lilies – showing all the blossoms in full bloom. But in the meantime – I thought I’d start by showing this lovely flower just starting to bloom.

This photograph is available as either a 12X15 or 20X26 ″ gallery-wrapped canvas.  You can order String Lily from my website and I will have it available at shows.

Links – March 18, 2011

Yellow Lady’s Slipper (c) 2010 Patty Hankins

 

Lots of links this week since I didn’t get a links post done last week. Hope you find some of these links to be of interest.

Photography and Art Links

John Goldsmith has Empty Cup: A Case of Copyright Infringement [Update]

Silbur Studios has Lady Gaga Vs. Concert Photographers

NYTimes has Cracking Down on Croparazzi

Beyond Megapixels has 6 Tips For Wildlife Photography

Pixiq has  Preparing for a Photo Workshop

PetaPixel has How Not to Photograph the Stanley Cup with a Leica M6

PhotoAttorney has Copyright Protection: Idea v. Expression and  Q&A – Civil vs. Criminal Copyright Infringement Claims

Flowers, Plants & Gardening Links

Eureka Alert has Will loss of plant diversity compromise Earth’s life-support systems?

National Parks Traveler has  Friends Of The Smokies Working To Save Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s Hemlock Trees

National Park and National Wildlife Refuge Links

National Parks Traveler has  Stay On Top Of Your Favorite National Park: Join A Friends Group or Foundation, Women’s History Month is Celebrated in the National Parks, Keeping Track of What The National Park Service Is Up To In Your State,  PEER Claims National Park Service Director’s Order On Wilderness Management Is Off-Base,  National Park Service Linking Good Health With Park Visits During National Parks Week and National Park Service Rolling Out 5-Year Plan to Commemorate 150th Anniversary of Civil War

NYTimes has  The Grand Canyon Uranium Rush

Refuge Watch has Video Monday: Happy Anniversary to the Refuge System!

Wildlife Links

Daily Tech has Report: Humans in the Midst of Causing Planet’s Sixth Mass Extinction

National Parks Traveler has Eagles Released In Theodore Roosevelt National Park After Rehabbing From Injuries,  River Road In Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area To Be Closed For Migrating Amphibians

and  Is The Florida Panther Up Next For Extinction?

Record Online has  Wayne’s World: Lead poisoning kills magnificent bald eagle

Science Daily has Non-Native Snakes Are Taking a Toll on Native Birds in Florida, Scientists Find

The Courier has Shock rise in birds of prey being poisoned

WAMU has Sea-Level Rise Already Affects Wildlife

Christian Science Monitor has  America’s oldest known wild bird a new mother and  Under assault by stink bugs

Suite101 has  Oldest Albatross Survives Tsunami Damage to Midway Atoll

Environmental Issues Links

Mother Nature Network has What can 28,000 rubber duckies lost at sea teach us about our oceans?

BBC has   Polar ice loss quickens, raising seas

Cool Green Science has  Heeding Teddy Roosevelt’s Words: Investing in Nature Is Investing in America

Mongabay has 15 conservation issues to watch

Scholastic has Why Kids Need Nature

Blue Mystique Orchids

Earlier this week I spent a few hours at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond. I love visiting this garden and try to spend some time there any time in Richmond. Their spring orchid show – Orchids Galore -  had just opened – so I made sure to visit the Conservatory and take a look. One of the delights of the orchid show was the Blue Mystique Orchid. Yes there really is a blue orchid available this year!

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

I’d seen a Blue Mystique Orchid at Longwood Gardens last month – but hadn’t gotten any good photos of it. At Lewis Ginter – I was able to get some fantastic photos of one of this year’s most unusual orchids!

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

Blue Mystique Orchids are advertised as the world’s first blue phalaenopsis orchid. The grower who developed them started with white orchids – and through a secret patented process infused them with blue. As you can see, they are an incredible shade of blue! New flowers on existing stalks will supposedly come in as shades of lighter blue. New stalks will have white flowers.

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

I find them a delight to photograph – I just haven’t found that many blue flowers to photograph. What has been interesting to hear have been the comments from other visitors to the orchid shows – the response to the Blue Mystiques seems to range from it’s a fake that people should be promoting – to wow that’s neat – got to have one of my own.

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

Now that the process has been developed – I’m going to be curious to see what new types of orchids are developed using the same process – and what the reaction to them is as well. So what do you think about the Blue Mystique orchid?

 

 

New Photo: Alligator Lily

Alligator Lily (c) 2011 Patty Hankins

 

I’ve recently added a new photo –  Alligator Lily – to my Beautifulflowerpictures.com website.

I photographed this Alligator Lily (Hymenocallis palmeri) at Big Cypress National Preserve not far from the boardwalk at Kirby Storter. I found this on my second morning photographing in the area. Instead of heading into the cypress swamp, I headed out into a field. I wasn’t sure what I’d find – I figured I”d photograph the trees against the bright blue sky. And then I spotted an alligator lily just off the path. A little ways further on the path I found another one. This is the second alligator lily I found – it was in full bloom and in beautiful condition. I’m so glad I headed out into the field that morning instead of back into the swamp.

This photograph is available as either a 12X15 or 20X26 ″ gallery-wrapped canvas.  You can order Alligator Lily from my website and I will have it available at shows.