Hagoromo, Royal Silver and St. Tropez – Intermediate Incurve Chrysanthemums

Intermediate Incurve Chrysanthemums are similar to the Irregular Incurve Mums. The big difference is that blossoms have shorter petals and overall the flowers have a more open center and look than the Irregular Incurve Mums do.

Last year, I posted some photographs of several Hagoromo Intermediate Incurve Chrysanthemums. I photographed more Hagaoromo’s this year, in addition to two other varieties of this wonderful class of mums.

Hagoromo Intermediate Incurve Chrysanthemums. I love the shades of pinks and purples in these mums.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

© 2011 Patty Hankins

© 2011 Patty Hankins

The Royal Silver Intermediate Incurve Chrysanthemums have similar colors to the Hagoromo  – with more white. The Hagoromos tended to be more compact than the Royal Silvers I saw.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

© 2011 Patty Hankins

And finally the St.Tropez Intermediate Incurve Chrysanthemums – with a wonderful combination of maroon and gold colors.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Wildflower Books for the Western Parks

Several people have asked me how I was able to identify all the different wildflowers I photographed on my trip west – especially since this was my first time seeing all these wildflowers. The answer is actually pretty straight forward – I bought several reference books before I headed west – and bought a few more while I was in the various parks. I’ve found that by searching amazon for the state or park name and wildflowers I can usually come up with at least some basic reference books before I visit a new area. And then I always visit park bookstores and other local bookstores to see what else I can find. I literally have a shelf full of wildflower identification books – and I’m always looking to add new ones to my collection.

Here’s what I added to my collection as a result of my trip west – and I’m sure I’ll add a few more next year . . . (links go to the books on Amazon – they are provided for your convenience – they’re not affiliate links).

Common Plants of Theodore Roosevelt National Park – Robert L. Sisk and Jan Tysdal-Sisk – includes grasses, trees, shrubs and exotic plants in addition to the native wildflowers. I bought it at the park – and it’s the best guide I found for that area.

Common Wildflowers of Grand Teton National Park – Charles Craighead – a handy little book I bought at Grand Teton. It is an official guidebook of Grand Teton National Park. There are several books in the series including Day Hikes and Short Walks of Grand Teton National Park, Wildlife of Grand Teton National Park and History of Grand Teton National Park. There may be others in the series – these are the ones I brought home with me. These books aren’t available on Amazon – you can order them directly from the Grand Teton Association website.

Tallgrass Prairie Wildflowers – Doug Ladd and Frank Oberle – includes wildflowers of the Prairie Midwest – so east of the parks I visited on this trip. It covers from eastern Manitoba – south to northeastern Oklahoma – east to western Tennessee and north to western Ohio. It’s my first book on wildflowers of this region – now I just need some parks to go visit so I can start finding these wildflowers to photograph.

Wildflowers of Glacier National Park and Surrounding Areas – Shannon Fitzpatrick Kimball and Peter Lesica – my favorite book for the wildflowers I found in Glacier National Park. The flowers are organized by color – which always makes it easier for me to identify wildflowers I find and have no clue what family they belong to.

Wildflowers of Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks – Richard J. Shaw – my favorite book for Grand Teton and Yellowstone. Organized by color, has the most common wildflowers and nice and light so easy to toss into my backpack.

Wildflowers of Montana – Donald Anthony Schiemann – includes 350 wildflowers in the mountains, plans and forests of Montana

Wildflowers of the Western Plains – Zoe Merriman Kirkpatrick – includes 186 species  native to the western plains stretching from western Texas and eastern New Mexico in the south to Canada in the north.

Wildflowers of Wyoming – Diantha and Jack States – I got my copy for about $ 20 – no clue why the only copy listed on Amazon is on sale for over $ 900!!! It’s a good book – but I’m sure you can find a more reasonably priced copy elsewhere on the web is it’s still this overpriced on Amazon.

Since I’m planning on heading back to these areas again next year – do you have a favorite wildflower guide for the region that I should add to my collection before I go? If you know of any – please let me know. Thanks

New Photo: Japanese Maple Leaves

Japanese Maple Leaves © 2011 Patty Hankins

I’ve recently added a new photo –  Japanese Maple Leaves – to my Beautifulflowerpictures.com website.

Taken the same morning as my Sweet Potato Vine Leaves photo, the leaves on this Japanese Maple Tree immediately caught my eye. The leaves were a wonderful combination of red and green. The leaves were still wet from a few days of rain – which gave them an almost purple tint. It was just a great combination of colors and shapes. I couldn’t resist photographing it!

This photograph is available as a 12 X 8″ gallery-wrapped canvas.  You can order Japanese Maple Leaves from my website.

Mancetta Sunset and Purple Light Anemone Chrysanthemums

Anemone Chrysanthemums are another of the thirteen types of mums recognized by the National Chrysanthemum Society. They are named for the sea anemones. Anemone mums have flat rows of petals with a raised center of small florets. I’ve photographed two varieties of anemone mums – hope you enjoy them.

The Mancetta Sunset Anemone Mums have wonderful shades of orange and yellow in them. They are beautiful fall flowers.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

© 2011 Patty Hankins

The Purple Light Anemone Chrysanthemums really show the characteristic raised center florets of the anemone mums. It extends way above the rows of petals.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

© 2011 Patty Hankins

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Magical Maine

Fall Color Reflections © 2011 Patty Hankins

One of the highlights of October for me this year was a week photographing at Acadia National Park in Maine. I was there for a workshop on the Contemplative Landscape taught by George DeWolfe & Lydia Goetze.

Visiting Acadia National Park in the second week of October was amazing. I haven’t seen fall color like this in a very long time – probably since I was in high school. What I quickly realized was that in New England some of leaves of the Sugar Maple trees turn a magnificent shade of red that we just don’t see here in the Mid-Atlantic area. My guess is that I’ll be heading back to Maine for more fall color photography in the coming years.

Kelp on the Rocks © 2011 Patty Hankins

As wonderful as the scenery and colors were in Acadia – the best part of the trip was the Contemplative Landscape Workshop. During the workshop, I was challenged to think about my photography in ways I’ve never thought about it before. Really starting to consider – what am I trying to say with my photographs? What emotions and feelings am I trying to convey?

In addition to taking us to some incredible places to photograph, the instructors, George DeWolfe and Lydia Goetze, talked about how both Western and Eastern landscape painting traditions can influence how we compose our photographs. We also discussed how practicing mindfulness can help our photography.

 

Acadia Sunrise © 2011 Patty Hankins

It was a fantastic workshop – so good in fact – that I’m seriously considering heading to Death Valley to repeat the workshop in February!

Sumac Leaves © 2011 Patty Hankins

 

Introducing Boxed Sets of Notecards

Do you struggle to find the perfect gift for the person who is impossible to shop for?

Do you need gifts for your favorite flower and nature lovers?

Do you rush around last minute looking for a gift you forgot?

Roses

If this sounds like your holiday season (and it certainly sounds like mine), I may have the ideal solution for you. I’m happy to introduce my new Boxed Sets of Notecards – Roses and Smoky Mountain Wildflowers. Each set contains eight 5X7” notecards – two each of four different flower photographs. The cards are blank on the inside – and have one of my favorite inspirational quotes on the back.

Smoky Mountain Wildflowers

Early Bird Bonus: Get a Free 2012 Wildflower Calendar Free (19.95 value) with purchase of any two sets of notecards

Early Bird Bonus only good until December 5 – order now.

Free shipping to all U.S. addresses (my gift to you).

So please visit my website to see all the beautiful flowers that are included in the boxed sets – and order yours today.

Links – November 18, 2011

Showy Primrose © 2011 Patty Hankins

Here are some posts and articles that I enjoyed this week – hope you enjoy them as well

Photography and Art Links

Cannon Blogger has Forget the Small-Timer: Adobe Versus the Little Guy

JMG Galleries has 9 Amazing Apps for Night Photography

Flowers, Trees and Plants Links

BBC News has Human-induced fires sow the seeds of the future

The Christian Science Monitor has You’ll learn a lot when you attend a rose show

National Park and National Wildlife Refuge Links

The National Parks Traveler has Blue Ridge Parkway Management Alternatives Draw More Than A Little Debate,  BLM Considering Proposal To Expand Coal Mine Near Bryce Canyon National Park, and “Vital Signs” Report From Yellowstone National Park Points To Areas Of Concern In Park’s Health

Metro Pulse has 17,000 Species in the Great Smoky Mountains. And Counting.

Wildlife Links

BBC News has Viewpoints: Should we give up trying to save the panda?

The Star has Canada bringing bison back to life

The National Parks Traveler has “3″ Might Not Seem Like Much, But It’s A Record For Condor Chicks At Grand Canyon National Park

The Washington Post has Killing of orangutans in Indonesia seen as ‘serious threat’ to species; 750 killed in year

Jakarta Globe has Twelve New Species of Fish Found Near Bali

If you’re in the DC area – I hope you’ll join me and other flower lovers at our DC Flower Safari Meetups. Next one is scheduled for November 20th, you can find me at the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington DC. Hope to see you there!

Decorative Chrysanthemums

Decorative Chrysanthemums are another popular category of Exhibition mums identified by the National Chrysanthemum Society. The Decorative Mums have blossoms that appear almost flattened on top. The petals are shorter than many other types of chrysanthemums, and curve inward.

Here are some of the Decorative Chrysanthemums I’ve photographed

The Coral Charm Decorative Mums are one of my favorite varieties. I love the combination of pink, purple and peach shades in these beautiful flowers.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

© 2011 Patty Hankins

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Fireflash Decorative Mums has petals with striking shades of red, orange and yellow on the petals. It’s easy to see where the fire reference in the name came from

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Western Bushfire Decorative Mums have striking shades of red and yellow on the petals.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

© 2011 Patty Hankins

The Jackstraw Decorative Chrysanthemums are the most unusual decorative mums I’ve ever seen. Instead of the smooth edges commonly found on the petals – the petals on the Jackstraw mums have arrow-shaped points at the tips.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

My last stop on my trip west was at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. I spent part of a day in the South unit of the park near Medora. It’s definitely a park I want to revisit. By this point in the trip I”d been on the road for 2+ weeks and was getting rather tired. So when the weather wasn’t very good I spent more time than usual at my hotel curled up with a book rather than out exploring and photographing.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park has the wonderful combination of spectacular scenery and lots of history. Located in the badlands of North Dakota, this is the place that helped shape many of Theodore Roosevelt’s ideas about conservation and nature.

One of the great surprises for me at the park was the wild horses. Like the ponies at Chincoteague, these horses aren’t native to the area – instead they are descended from escaped domesticated horses. There is currently a herd of up to 110 feral horses in the park. I was lucky enough to see several of them in a fog bank early in the morning.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

I did find several wildflowers to photograph at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Since the environment was so different in Roosevelt than in the other parks I visited, it was nice to see some more new-to-me wildflowers

Gumbo Lily – Oenothera caespitosa – a member of the evening primrose family

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Scarlet gaura – Gaura coccinea – another member of the Evening Primrose family

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Leafy spurge – Eupohrobia esula – a non-native member of the spurge family. Leafy spurge is native to Europe and Asia. It arrived in the US in the early 19th century and has since spread across much of the northern part of the country. The USDA has declared leafy spurge to be an invasive species. It is an aggressive toxic plant that once established very difficult to eliminate.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

My current plans for 2012 trip west have me visiting Theodore Roosevelt National Park on my way west – rather than on my way back home. So hopefully I’ll be more ready to do some serious photography there on my next visit!

New Photo: Sweet Potato Vine Leaves

Sweet Potato Vine Leaves © 2011 Patty Hankins

 

 

I’ve recently added a new photo –  Sweet Potato Vine Leaves – to my Beautifulflowerpictures.com website.

Who knew that the leaves on a Sweet Potato Vine could be so fascinating to look at??? I certainly didn’t. I spent a morning recently photographing at a local garden – my goal was to see what signs of early fall I could see. You can imagine my surprise when one of my favorite subjects was the leaves of the Sweet Potato Vine! I thought the combination of the shape of the leaves – and all the various shades of greens and browns made a wonderful image! Usually when I think about fall color – I picture the wonderful reds, oranges and yellows of many of the maple trees. What I discovered this year is that there are so many other ways that fall color shows up in nature. I can’t wait to see what else I can find . . .

This photograph is available as a 12 X 8″ gallery-wrapped canvas.  You can orderSweet Potato Vine Leaves from my website.