Maidenhair Fern – Adiantum pedatum

© 2011 Patty Hankins

One morning in April while I was photographing along Little River Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, I noticed just how wonderful the maidenhair ferns were looking. It had rained quite heavily the night before and it was still pretty overcast when I was out photographing. So there were lots of rich saturated colors and plenty of water still on the leaves of the ferns.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Maidenhair Ferns (Adiantum pedatum) are native to most the eastern United States and Canada. They are also native to Alaska. Like most ferns they prefer to grow in moist soil in partial to full shade. They are not very tolerant of droughts.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Maidenhair ferns are fairly easy to identify. They have a distinctive shiny black stems that grow to almost circular – with fronds spreading out to enlarge the fan-like appearance of the plant. The fronds can grow up to 20″ long.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Maidenhair ferns are a very useful plant. Native Americans used it to treat diseases such as rheumatism, fevers, heart troubles, and pneumonia. The stems were used in making baskets. Small wildlife such as toads and lizards frequently shelter under the fronds of the maidenhair fern.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

As I photographed the maidenhair ferns – I realized just how delicate and complex they were. I loved the contrast of the shiny black  stems with the bright green leaves.  When multiple fronds are close to each other – the leaves can create fascinating patterns and textures. As you can probably guess – I had a lot of fun with the maidenhair ferns that morning.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

If you’d like more information about Maidenhair Ferns – you can find it online on the following sites

Kemper Center for Home Gardening

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Native American Ethnobotany

Robert W  Freckmann Herbarium

USDA Plant Profiles

Capturing the Beauty of Nature Workshop – Bring a Friend for Free

There are still a few spaces left in my Capturing the Beauty of Nature workshop scheduled for July 8 & 9 at Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens in Washington DC. If you’ve been thinking about joining me for the workshop – now is the time to sign up.

If you register this week at the regular price of $ 149 – you can bring a friend to the workshop for free! I don’t know about you – but I love attending workshops with a friend – because then I know I’ll have someone to talk over all the new ideas with when I get home.

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

If you have any questions about the workshop – please drop me an email or give me a call at 301 828 8075.

 

New Photo: Texas Blanketflower

Texas Blanketflower © 2011 Patty Hankins

I’ve recently added a new photo – Texas Blanketflower – to my Beautifulflowerpictures.com website.

In May I was invited to Texas to photograph wildflowers on some private property one of my friends knew about. There were over 600 acres of woods, streams, fields and wildflowers. As you can imagine I spent a few wonderful days photographing there. One of the most common wildflowers in bloom was Blanketflowers – Gaillardia pulchella. I love the bright colors of these wild asters. They are related to the Arizona Sun Blanket Flowers I photographed a few years ago.

This photograph is available as either a 10X10″ or 20X20″ gallery-wrapped canvas.  You can order Texas Blanketflower from my website.

Links – June 24, 2011

Western Blue Flax © 2010 Patty Hankins

I made it home yesterday from my trip to Yellowstone, Glacier and Grand Teton National Parks. I’m starting to process my photos and will be sharing some with you soon. In the meantime, lots of links this week since I haven’t posted a links post in a few weeks . . .

Photography and Art Links

Scott Wyden has How to write and format a DMCA Letter

Maria Brophy has Is it okay to copy and sell another’s work? Plagiarism and the Golden Rule

PhotoAttorney has   You Get What You Pay For . . . , Why You Should Use Conditions in Your Licenses  and Court Rules for Photographer in Copyright Infringement Case

Mat Gleason at Huffington Post has The Career Benefits of Boycotting Charity Art Auctions

Plagiarism Today has Why Register a Copyright If You Don’t Want to Sue?

Pixiq has  Watermarking your images: Yay or nay?

Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has Removing photo credit creates DMCA liability

NY Times has Mysteries of a Nazi Photo Album  and  World War II Mystery Solved in a Few Hours

Flowers, Plants & Gardening Links

Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens has Plant Natives in the Side Yard  and Native Cultivars – Good, Bad, and Ugly

National Parks Traveler has Plan Crafted To Address Threats To Whitebark Pine Forests in Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

The Telegraph has Brazil to create ‘botanical Wikipedia’ to catalogue the Amazon

National Park and National Wildlife Refuge Links

National Parks Traveler has Interior Secretary Adds Six Natural Landmarks To National Natural Landmarks Program,   PEER Still Wondering What Happened to 40,000 Acres of Potential Wilderness in Big Cypress National Preseve,   With Summer Arriving Tomorrow, Don’t Find Yourself In National Park Search-and-Rescue Reports,   Some Numbers To Keep in Mind When Reviewing Yellowstone National Park’s Winter-Use Plan,   Mark Your Calendar: Rededication of Shenandoah National Park Set For June 25,  Federal Judge Rules A Creek Bed in Canyonlands National Park Is Not A Road,    and Enjoy The National Parks This Summer…But Don’t Overlook Your Safety

NY Times has Interior Chief Promises Major Push in Congress for New Wilderness Package

Examiner.com has Don’t get lost! Hiking tips for national park trails

Wildlife Link

Dan Williams has The Secret to Locating Birds

Invasive Notes has Invasive Xylotrechus hircus – A New Beetle Species Tries to Sample Our Forests and Landscapes

National Parks Traveler has Birding in the National Parks: An Introduction

AZA has Back from the Brink – Little Known Prairie Species Rebounds

Green Buzz has The Rarest Big Cat in the World

Great News Network has Breaking news: Serengeti road cancelled

USFWS has Four bald eagles shot in West Virginia: Reward offered for information about shootings

Environmental Issues Links

NY Times has Largest-Ever Dead Zone ‘a Disaster in the Making’ for La. Fishermen

BBC has World’s oceans in ‘shocking’ decline

Yale Environment 360 has Brown to Green: A New Use For Blighted Industrial Sites

Star of Bethlehem – ornithogalum umbellatum

© 2011 Patty Hankins

When I was in the Smoky Mountains in April I spotted a lovely little white wildflower that I wasn’t to identify. You can imagine my surprise when I found is growing in my garden in Bethesda a few weeks later. I assumed it was one of the native plants that had decided it wanted a place in my garden.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

You can imagine my surprise when I finally identified it as Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum) and discovered that it’s not native to the United States. Instead, it is native to Souther and Central Europe, Northwestern Africa and Southwestern Asia. After escaping from cultivated gardens, Star of Bethlehem is naturalizing in many locations. It currently can be found in the wild in the entire Eastern half of the US and Canada, along the West Coast of both countries and in some states in between. In Alabama it is classified as a Class C noxious weed and in Connecticut it is listed as potentially invasive but not banned.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

A member of the lily family, Star of Bethlehem grows to 12″ tall. The basal leaves are up to 12″ long, with a distinct white stripe on the back. There can be clusters of many flowers in within each plant. The flower has six white petals each with a green stripe on the back. Once I learned to identify Star of Bethlehem, it was easy to recognize it.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Star of Bethlehem is toxic to humans. There are reports of it being used in herbal preparations and eaten raw. Great caution should be used to make sure than any consumption is done safely if it has to eaten.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

If you’d like more information about Star of Bethlehem, you can find it on the following websites:

Burke Museum of Natural History

Paghat’s Garden

Robert Freckmann Herbarium

USDA Plant Profiles

Wikipedia

My Favorite Time of Day to Photograph

I really appreciate all the comments and compliments I received last month when I sent out my 3 Tips for Taking Better Flower Photos video. What I didn’t expect was that I’d get so many more questions about how I take my photographs!

One of the most frequent questions is – how do I get my photos to look the way they do - strong colors, lots of details, etc? One of the answers is when I take most of my flower photos – early in the day. Here’s a video talking about why I love photographing in the magical light of early mornings.

If you view the video in the email, you can see it on YouTube.

I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing my video and that it helps you with your photography.

Trout Lilies!!!!

© 2011 Patty Hankins

One of the wildflowers I hoped to photograph this spring was a trout lily. I’d seen a few photos of them and knew they grew in several areas where I photograph pretty regularly. But as of the beginning of the spring wildflower season – I still hadn’t found any to photograph. Part of my challenge was I wasn’t sure if I’d recognize them from the descriptions. Fortunately – I found some this year – and once I spotted one – I knew immediately what it was!

© 2011 Patty Hankins

I was fortunate enough to photograph both varieties of trout lilies that grow in my area. The first is the trout lily (erythronium albidum) also known the dogtooth violet. The second is the white trout lily (erythronium albidum), also known as a fawn lily. Both are wildflowers native to the Eastern United States and parts of Canada. The yellow trout lilies have a somewhat larger range than the white trout lilies do. The yellow trout lilies are listed as threatened in Iowa, while the white ones are similarly listed in Maryland.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Both varieties of trout lilies bloom in the early spring. Both grow up to 12″ tall – although all the ones I saw were significantly shorter than that. Most were not more than 6″ tall. They are easily identified by their bell shaped flowers – where the petals and sepals frequently bend backwards to expose the brown stamens.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

One of the easiest ways to identify trout lilies is by their leaves  – elliptical mottled basal leaves. The coloring of the leaves reminded people of the markings on a trout – hence the name trout lily. The alternate name Dogtooth Violets refers to the roots of the plants – a corm about the size and shape of  a dog’s tooth.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Trout lilies prefer to areas with strong sun in the early spring – but can do well in partial shade later in the season. They grow well in rich moist soils. Here in the Washington DC area, they bloom at the same time as the Virginia Bluebells – which can provide wonderful photographic opportunities of the two wildflowers.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

There are several reported uses of Trout Lilies by Native Americans,  included as a treatment for fevers and wounds. Iroquois women reportedly used the raw plants (excluding the roots) as a contraceptive. The root, when chewed and spit into a river, was said to attract fish. As always, information about traditional medicinal uses is provided for information purposes only and not a recommendation for use.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

I photographed trout lilies this year in two locations – in Turkey Run Park in Virginia and along a section of the Appalachian Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

If you’d like more information about Trout Lilies you can find in on the following websites

Yellow Trout Lily – Erythronium americanum

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Native American Ethnobotany

USDA Plant Profile

Wild About Gardening

White Trout Lily -  Erythronium albidum

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

USDA Plant Profile

It’s All In the Details

Recently I’ve been doing more close-in show all the incredible details of wildflowers than I’ve done in the past. I realized this as I was looking back through some of the photos I took on my trips to Tennessee and Texas.
	I’ve photographed Foamflower (photo above) many times before but I’d never noticed how delicate the flowers are. Since it’s so common, I’ve always photographed in big groups – or as part of a landscape. This spring in Tennessee – most of the foamflower I was seeing was past it’s peak bloom so I couldn’t do my usual photographs. Instead, I was inspired to slow down and look at the details – wow! was I amazed.Solomon’s Plume (photo to the left) is another common Smoky Mountain wildflower. Like foamflower, it’s something I’ve always photographed from a much wider angle and never really looked at the details of the amazing flwoers. With both the foamflower and solomon’s plume – I was amazed at how intricate and lace-like the flowers of these two common plants are.
When I returned home from Tennessee, I continued looking at the details of common wildflowers. When I looked at the details of the  Bear corn (formerly known as Squaw root – photo to the right) I was amazed to see how intricate it is. I’d always just thought of it is as white & brown parasitic plant. And then I saw the shapes, the textures and all the different shades of colors.A few days later I photographed some Wood Betony (photo below). I never noticed the fine hairs on the stem and leaves nor the little hooks at the end of the petals.
	As I’ve looked closely at all these common plants – I’ve started to wonder how they evolved. They’re not just incredibly intricate delicate plants – they’ve developed this way for a reason.For most of them – what I find so beautiful is also what helps it reproduce. Most plants have specific insects that pollinate them. The plants that were that attracted the most pollinators passed on their genes – and thus their desendants survived and thrived.
I hope you’ll take some time in the next few weeks to take a closer look at some of the flowers and other plants where you are. I’m sure you’ll be amazed at the intricate magical beauty you’ll see in the detail.Photos in this article are Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia ) Solomon’s Plume (Maianthemum racemosum) Bear Corn (Conopholis americana) Wood Betony (Pedicularis canadensis) Milfoil (Achillea millefolium)

Capturing the Beauty of Nature Photo 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.

Brightly Colored Chili Peppers

As I was looking back through some of the photos I’ve taken I realized that I had several photos of various chili peppers that I’ve never shared with you.  So I thought I’d do a post with lot of brightly colored chili peppers!!!

First up are some NuMex Centennial Peppers

© 2009 Patty Hankins

© 2009 Patty Hankins

Tabasco Peppers

© 2009 Patty Hankins

Peppe Purple Tangerine Peppers

© 2010 Patty Hankins

Explosive Ember Peppers

© 2010 Patty Hankins

I’ve fallen in love with all the bright colors of peppers I’ve photographed in the past few years. I hope to find more this year. I’ve also planted a few pepper plants in my garden this year – so who knows – you may actually see some photos from my garden later in the year.