Photos from the Road: Yellowstone National Park

Continuing the series of posts with photos that were posted to Facebook while I was on the road this summer . . .

After several days in Glacier National Park, Bill and I headed to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. I had visited Yellowstone last summer – and saw lots of snow. Like Glacier – Yellowstone is a completely different place when it isn’t covered with snow!

At Yellowstone – I finally found the western wildflowers I’d heard so much about. In some parts of the park – there were hillsides covered with flowers – in others – there were just a few flowers – but they were also quite beautiful.

Rosy Paintbrush (castilleja rhexifolia) and Silvery Lupine (lupinus argenteus) – and yes I did get asked where was the grizzly bear as I was photographing this set of flowers

 

© 2012 Patty Hankins

 

Rosy Paintbrush – Castilleja rhexifolia

© 2012 Patty Hankins

 

Showy Daisy – Erigeron Speciousus

 

© 2012 Patty Hankins

Narrowleaf Fireweed – chamerion angustifolium

 

 

 

 

© 2012 Patty Hankins

Lewis’ Monkeyflower – mimulus lewisii

© 2012 Patty Hankins

I’ll post a few more photos from Yellowstone National Park next week.

Photos from the Road – Glacier National Park

Continuing the series of posts with photos that were posted to Facebook while I was on the road this summer . . .

After a few wonderful days in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, I head to Glacier National Park in Montana. When I visited the park in late June last year – it was still covered with snow. Going to the Sun Road was closed – and I couldn’t get anywhere near Logan Pass.

What a difference 13 months makes . . . I arrived at Glacier National Park after the historic lastest date for Going to the Sun Road to open. I wanted to do everything I could to increase the chances that I’d actually be able to see the whole park this year. This year – the road through Logan Pass opened sometime in June. By the time I arrived – summer was in full bloom in the park. Without a doubt – Glacier is one of the most beautiful national parks I”ve ever visited.

The combination of lakes and mountains at Glacier are wonderful to photograph.

St. Mary Lake

© 2012 Patty Hankins

 

Lake McDonald

© 2012 Patty Hankins

 

And the only thing more beautiful than the lakes and mountains were the wildflowers!

Yellow Columbine – aquilegia flavescens

© 2012 Patty Hankins

 

Cow Parsnip – heracleum maximum

© 2012 Patty Hankins

 

White bog orchid – platanthere dilatata

© 2012 Patty Hankins

 

Sticky Geranium – geranium viscosissimum

© 2012 Patty Hankins

 

Orange Hawkweed

© 2012 Patty Hankins

It’s probably not a surprise to anyone – I’m already dreaming of when I can next visit Glacier National Park!

Photos from the Road: Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Here are a few more of my photos from Theodore Roosevelt National Park. This post has a few wildflowers and one abstract photo. You can see my landscape photos from the park in my August 6 blog post.

Rubber Rabbitbrush – Ericameria nauseosa – a member of the aster family

© 2012 Patty Hankins

Bergamot – Monarda fistulosa – a member of the mint family

© 2012 Patty Hankins

Prairie Coneflower – Ratibida columnifera – a member of the aster family

© 2012 Patty Hankins

And finally – some abstract patterns in sand. It was fascinating to see how water has carved some wonderful patterns into the landscape.

© 2012 Patty Hankins

Trout Lily – July Photo of the Month

Trout Lily © 2012 Patty Hankins

For the past couple of years, I’ve been on the lookout for some Trout Lilies (Erythronium americanum) to photograph. They are an early spring wildflower – a beautiful splash of bright yellow found in the DC area in early April. Last spring, I finally found some at Turkey Run Park in Virginia. I also later photographed some along the Appalachian Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. When I saw the trout lilies, I immediately knew what they were – their blossoms resemble other wild lilies such as the Turk’s Cap Lily and the Canada Lily. Now that I know what they look like, and when they bloom, I’ll be on the lookout for more of these delicate spring wildflowers to photograph.

Also known as dogtooth violets, Trout Lilies play an important role in the forest community. The leaves capture and store phosphorus in early spring, which is then returned to the soil as the leaves die during the year. The early-blooming flowers provide pollen and nectar for queen-bees and serve as an energy supply for emerging worker bees. Bee larvae feed on the pollen – and then go on to pollinate other plants such as clover and alfalfa.

So not only are the trout lilies a wonderful splash of color in the spring for us – they play a vital role in the circle of life in the forest.

Until July 31, SAVE 20% off the regular prices for Trout Lily. The photograph is available through my website in two sizes of gallery-wrapped canvases.

Save $ 11 on the 10X10″ Canvas – regular price $ 55 – July Photo of the Month Price – $ 44.00

Save $ 90 on the 20X20″ Canvas – regular price $ 447 – July Photo of the Month Price – $ 357.00

Free shipping to U.S. Addresses for either size photograph.

As with all photographs from BeautifulFlowerPictures.com, Trout Lily comes with my Unconditional Happiness Guarantee. You have one year to decide that it is the perfect photograph for you. If it’s not, just return it (in original condition) for a full refund.

Indian Pink – Spigelia marilandica

© 2012 Patty Hankins

Indian Pinks (Spigelia marilandica) add a spectacular splash of red and yellow to the late spring landscape. A wildflower native to the southeastern and midwestern sections of the United States, Indian Pinks are fairly easy to grow in home gardens.

© 2012 Patty Hankins

The bright red and yellow trumpet shaped flowers are known for attracting hummingbirds. The day I photographed some of these Indian Pinks, there were several hummingbirds in the area. It was fascinating seeing them fly up to the blossoms, hover and reach in for the nectar.

© 2012 Patty Hankins

Indian Pinks grow to about two feet tall. The dark green foliage maintains its color and leaves all season long. In the spring, the flowers appear on a red spike of trumpet shaped flowers with five yellow lobes at the tip.

© 2012 Patty Hankins

Indian Pinks are hardy to Zone 5. They prefer in partial shade in moist fertile soil. I have seen them growing in areas ranging from full sun to just about full shade. It’s not uncommon to find them growing in wooded areas.

© 2012 Patty Hankins

Indian Pink has been used for medicinal purposes over the years. Several Native American tribes used it to treat worms and as a general vermifuge. European settlers used it as a laxative and a cough remendy. Closely related to strychnine, ingestion of Indian Pinks can cause dizziness, rapid heartbeat and dimmed vision.

© 2012 Patty Hankins

More information about Indian Pink can be found at

Dave’s Garden

Glick Pick Archives

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Native American Ethnobotany Index

USDA Plant Profiles 

© 2012 Patty Hankins

Links – June 22, 2012

Jack in the Pulpit(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

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

National Park and National Wildlife Refuge Links

MSNBC has Billionaire pledges 90,000 acres for conservation area in Colorado

National Parks Traveler has Birding In The National Parks: Top 10 Birding Spots In The National Park System , and Energy Department, National Park Service Team Up To Launch Alternative Fuel Vehicles

Wildlife Links

Native Plants & Wildlife Gardens has Surprising Find in my Wildlife Garden

Environmental Issues Links

Grounded Design has Native Cultivars on Green Roof

Mother Jones has  Report: Rhode Island Is the Fastest-Warming State

The Christian Science Monitor has Report: Wildfire risks around the world likely to change dramatically

The Nature Conservancy has Everyday Environmentalist: Paper or Plastic? Neither!

Sustainablog has Using Grasslands for Carbon Sequestration: a Viable Weapon against Global Warming?

BBC News has Rio+20: Sir Paul backs Greenpeace Arctic campaign

Photography and Art Links

Dan Williams has Judging the Quality of Light

The New York Times has In Art, Freedom of Expression Doesn’t Extend to ‘Is It Real?

Plants

Organic Gardening has Go Native but Not Wild

If you are in the DC area, I hope you will join me and other flower lovers at our DC Flower Safari Meetups. The next one is scheduled for Sunday, July 1st at Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens. We’ll meet in the parking lot at Kenilworth, 1550 Anacostia Ave NE, at 7am (map) and we’ll head in and photograph. I hope to see you there!

New Photo: Bloodroot

Bloodroot @ 2012 Patty Hankins

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

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is one of the earliest blooming wildflowers in the Washington DC area. A member of the Papaveraceae (poppy family), it stores energy in the bulbs over the winter so is able to bloom here in late March. The blossoms last only a day or two, so it can be a challenge finding them in good enough shape to photograph. I found this bloodroot at Turkey Run Park in Virginia this spring. Bloodroot is the only member of the poppy family native to North America – where it can be found from Nova Scotia to Florida, and as far west as Manitoba and Nebraska.

Bloodroot is known for it’s bright red juice. Native Americans used the juice for painting their faces, and as a dye for baskets and clothing. Early European settlers used it to dye wool. Medicinally, bloodroot was used as a blood purifier and to treat everything from cancer to repelling insects. Most modern herbalists recommend use of bloodroot only under medical supervision, since it can be deadly.

A recent use for bloodroot is fighting plaque. An extract from the plant, sanguinarine, when used in mouthwash and toothpaste can fight gum disease.

This photograph is available as either at 10 X 10″ or 20 X 20″ gallery-wrapped canvas. You can order Bloodroot from my website.

Prairie Smoke – June 2012 Photo of the Month

Prairie Smoke © 2011 Patty Hankins

One of my favorite wildflowers I discovered during my trip to Yellowstone National Park in 2011 was Prairie Smoke (Geum Triflorum). When I first spotted it – I had no clue what it was – but I knew I wanted to take lots of photographs of it. I couldn’t remember ever seeing a wildflower with the combination of uniquely shaped flowers, fuzzy texture and fascinating leaf structure that reminded me of antlers!

Prairie Smoke, also known as Old Man’s Whiskers and Purple Avens, is a member of the Rose family. Native to much of the Northern and Western United States and Canada, this wonderful wildflower grows to about 18″ tall. It is easily identified by its bell shaped fuzzy reddish-purple flowers. After pollination, the flowers turn upward to aid dispersal of the seeds. The flowers are less than 3/4″ wide. The leaves are up to 7″ long and divided into multiple toothed segments.

Many Native American tribes used Prairie Smoke for medicinal purposes. It was used to treat wounds and coughs. An infusion of the roots was often used to treat sore eyes. It was often given to horses as a stimulant before a race and the seeds were used to create perfume.

Until June 30, SAVE 20% off the regular prices for Prairie Smoke. The photograph is available through my website in two sizes of gallery-wrapped canvases.

Save $ 11 on the 10X10″ Canvas – regular price $ 55 – June Photo of the Month Price – $ 44.00

Save $ 90 on the 20X20″ Canvas – regular price $ 447 – June Photo of the Month Price – $ 357.00

Free shipping to U.S. Addresses for either size photograph.

As with all photographs from BeautifulFlowerPictures.com, Prairie Smoke comes with my Unconditional Happiness Guarantee. You have one year to decide that it is the perfect photograph for you. If it’s not, just return it (in original condition) for a full refund.

New Photo: White Trout Lily

White Trout Lily © 2012 Patty Hankins

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

 I’ve photographed the White Trout Lilies ( Erythronium albidum) at Turkey Run Park in Virginia a few times now. They bloom in the early spring (at the same time as the yellow trout lilies) in the Washington DC area. On the right day at Turkey Run Park, it’s not uncommon to see close to 100 yellow trout lilies – but only 3 or 4 white ones. So I was thrilled to find this one particular white trout lily among a sea of green, just waiting to be photographed in the afternoon light. 

This photograph is available as  either at 12 X 18″ or 20 X 30″ gallery-wrapped canvas.  You can order White Trout Lily from my website.

Columbine – Aquilegia Canadensis

Columbine © 2011 Patty Hankins

Columbine – what can I say – it’s one of those wildflowers that I just have to photograph every time I see it. Which means I have lots of Columbine photos. As I was looking through some of my photos that I haven’t posted – I realized there about twenty columbine photos I”ve edited and not shared here on the blog – and that’s just the wild columbine we have here on the East Coast – that doesn’t include the wonderful columbine I’ve photographed out west or some of the cultivated varieties I’ve photographed. And don’t worry – I’m not going to put all the photos into one blog post – just my favorites

© 2012 Patty Hankins

Columbine – Aquilegia canadensis – is a member of the buttercup (Ranunculaceae) family native to eastern two-thirds of the United States and Canada. It is very common throughout much of its range – only listed as endangered in Florida. Known for it’s showy red and yellow flowers, columbine are a bell-shaped flower with backward pointing tubes containing nector. Hummingbirds and a few long tongued insects are particularly attracted to nectar of the columbines.

© 2012 Patty Hankins

Columbine grows well in shade/partial shade – preferring sandy well-drained soils. The plants grow to be 2-3 feet tall. The flowers themselves are almost two inches long. In addition to attracting hummingbirds to your garden – columbine are both deer and rabbit resistant.  Columbine are not hard to grow – I have several thriving plants in my garden – and as many of you know – plants have to be pretty hardy to survive in my garden.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Columbine was used for medicinal purposes by many native American tribes and early European settlers. The seeds were used by early settlers to speed childbirth – until it was discovered that large doses of columbine seeds could be poisonous. Native Americans used it to treat ailments ranging from heart trouble to poison ivy. It was also used as a love potion and to detect bewitchment.

© 2012 Patty Hankins

More information about Columbine can be found at

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Missouri Botanical Garden

Native American Ethnobotany

Robert W. Freckman Herbarium

USDA Plant Profiles

© 2012 Patty Hanknis

© 2012 Patty Hankins