Bent Trillium – March 2012 Photo of the Month

Bent Trillium © 2012 Patty Hankins

Trilliums are some of my favorite spring wildflowers. I’m always on the lookout for new-to-me varieties to photograph – and to photograph favorite varieties in new ways. Last spring, I found several Bent Trillium (Trillium flexipes) to photograph at the Crockford Pigeon Mountain Wildlife Management Area in North Georgia. I’d heard about Pigeon Mountain from Gerry Williamson (@USWildflowers  on Twitter). It’s a wonderful place to visit (and photograph). This was my favorite photo of the Bent Trillium that I took that morning.

Until March 31, 2012, SAVE 20% off the regular prices for Bent Trillium. The photograph is available through my website in two sizes of gallery-wrapped canvases.

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

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

Free shipping to U.S. Addresses on all purchases over $ 50.

As with all photographs from BeautifulFlowerPictures.com,  Bent Trillium 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: Texas Paintbrush

Texas Paintbrush © 2011 Patty Hankins

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

I first photograph a member of the Paintbrush family of wildflowers several years ago on the Blue Ridge Parkway – I only found it once – and have never been able to identify what species it was. Since then I’ve photographed members of this family in several other locations – including Colorado and in Glacier National Park. This past May, I found some wonderful bright orange-red Texas Paintbrush (castilleja indivisa) north of Dallas. I love the colors and shapes of the various members of paintbrush family. I’m always on the lookout for ones I haven’t seen.

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

Ladies Tresses – Spiranthes odorata

For the first time – you get to see some photos of flowers from my garden!! I’m not known for my gardening abilities – in fact – I killed a butterfly bush. In the past couple of years, I’ve been adding more and more native plants into my garden. Not only are they well suited for my climate (so hopefully will require less babying) but they also attract lots of birds, butterflies and insects into my garden.

This spring, I planted a Ladies Tresses plant. Ladies Tresses are a native orchid – and are supposedly reasonably easy to grow. My guess is that mine are the Chadds Ford variety – which is one of the easiest to grow in gardens. Throughout much of the summer, it didn’t look very good – then all of a sudden a couple of weeks ago – it perked up and started to bloom!!! So here are photos of my Ladies Tresses!!

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Ladies Tresses (Spiranthes odorata) is frequently the last native orchid to bloom each year. In the Washington DC area, it blooms in September and October. Further south, it can be found blooming as late as December. These lovely orchids are native to the Southeastern United States – their habitat ranges from New Jersey to Texas.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Known also as Fragrant Ladies Tresses and Marsh Ladies Tresses, Spiranthes odorata grow to about 2 feet tall. Small white hooded fragrant blossoms are found on spiral stalks. The twisting of the stems is a result of uneven cell growth. They prefer to grow in moist boggy soil in partial shade. The ones in my garden are in partial shade and not very good soil.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

There are close to 300 species of Ladies Tresses worldwide – 25 species in North America. Some practical uses of the plants have been recorded. A European variety was used medicinally to treat eye, skin and kidney diseases. In Chile, a local species was used as a diuretic. Native Americans used it for everything from a blood purifier to a treatment for venereal diseases. The roots were sometimes used in charms for hunters or as food.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

I hope you’ve enjoyed the photos of my ladies tresses. They did well enough this year that I may add another few ladies tresses into my garden next year!

If you’d like more information about ladies tresses, you can find some online at

Flora of North America

Kemper Center for Home Gardening

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Native American Ethnobotany

USDA Plant Profiles

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

Wildflowers – A Not So Hidden Beauty

Yellow Trillium & Purple Phacelia © 2009 Patty Hankins

 

I love photographing wildflowers – especially in the spring.  For the past several years, I’ve spent part (if not most) of the month of April in Tennessee and North Carolina in what can only be described as the most beautiful place on Earth for wildflowers. Be it alongside the road or under a tree, it seems that whereever you look is another wildflower waiting to be discovered and photographed.

The combinations of colors, shapes and textures have to  be seen to be believed. I took this photo of the Yellow Trillium (trillium luteum) and Purple Phacelia (phacelia bipinnatifida) quite literally along the side of the road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park three years ago.  It has the wonderful combination of the triangles in the trillium and the rounded edges of the phacelia. The complementary shades of yellow and purple bring additional balance to the scene, while the pattern of the trillium draws you into the scene.

It’s not just the beauty that attracts me to the wildflowers – spending time among the flowers brings me an incredible sense of peace and connection with the greater natural world. Not only do I see the flowers – but also the settings where they are. I’m often photographing in the mountains, or alongside a stream. I can hear the birds singing in the trees, the insects buzzing, and the wind rustling through the leaves. I also know that the amazing colors and shapes serve the purpose of attracting just the right pollinator to the flowers to ensure the future of the species.

When I’m out photographing wildflowers people often stop and ask me what I’m photographing. They are so used to looking for the big wildlife or grand landscapes – that they don’t think to look down at their feet to see what’s growing. As I was photographing the trillium and phacelia, two people asked the inevitable question that people seem to ask when they see a photographer with a tripod the park – “Is there a bear?” Umm – no. Given how short of a lens I was using and how close I was to my subject – if I had been photographing a bear at that particular moment – I could easily have been his next meal!

So next spring – whether you are photographing locally at Turkey Run Park or in the Smokies – I hope you’ll take a few minutes to check out the wildflowers. You might find some wonderful subjects to photograph.

 

This post first appeared as a guest post on the Nature Visions blog earlier this month. If you live in the DC area, I hope you’ll consider attending the 2011 Nature Visions Conference on November 11 – 13.

Engelmann’s Salvia – salvia engelmannii

 

Salvia & Blanketflowers © 2011 Patty Hankins

The Salvia’s are a very colorful diverse member of the Mint (Lamiaceae) family. While I was in Texas earlier this year – I had the opportunity to photograph Engelmann’s Salvia (salvia engelmannii) – which is native only in Texas. When I was photographing these wonderful purple and white flowers – I had no idea that Texas was the only state they grew in – so I’m very glad I spent time photographing so many of them.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Engelmann’s Salvia is named in honor of Georg Engelmann (1809-1884). Born in Germany, Engelmann immigrated to the United States in the 1830s where he practiced medicine. After developing an interest in botanical studies, Engelmann became well-known for his studies including work on identifying cactuses and vines. Engelmann’s reserach on grape vines played a major role in preserving the French wine industry when many vineyards in France were infested with Phylloxera vastatrix, a small insect. Engelmann identified varieties of native to the US grape vines that were resistant to Phylloxera vastatrix and arranged to have millions of shoots  and seeds shipped to France.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Engelmann’s Salvia blooms in the spring. It grows to about 2 feet tall with a single spike of flowers on each stalk. It is also known as Engelmann’s Sage

 © 2011 Patty Hankins

More information about Engelmann’s Salvia can be found at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and the USDA Plant Profiles

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Prairie Smoke – geum triflorum

© 2011 Patty Hankins

One of my favorite wildflowers I discovered my trip to Yellowstone National Park in June 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.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

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 it’s 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 tooted segments.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Prairie Smoke grows easily in many different ecosystems. It can adapt to dry, moist or wet soil – sun, partial shade or full shade. It is often found growing in open woods, mountain meadows and grassland prairies.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

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 purfume.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Prairie Smoke can be grown from seeds or from a division of the rhizome. For the rhizome method of propogation the plants should be split and planted in early spring. Seeds should be collected in late summer, stored for the winter, and then planted in the spring.

More information about Prairie Smoke can be found online at

Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture

Kemper Center for Home Gardening

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Michigan Natural Features Inventory

Native American Ethnobotany

Native Plant Network

USDA Germplasm Resources Information Network

USDA Plant Profiles

Texas Paintbrush – Castilleja Indivisa

© 2011 Patty Hankins

When I was Texas earlier this year, I photographed several Texas Paintbrush (Castilleja Indivisa) plants. A member of the Scrophulariaceae (Figwort) family, they are related to the Orange Paintbrush I photographed in Colorado last summer.

© 2011 Patty Hanknis

Known also as Entire-leaf Indian Paintbrush or Scarlet Paintbrush, these showy wildflowers are native to Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. They are not listed as endangered or threatened any where in their native range.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Texas Paintbrush prefers to grow in sandy soils. It is commonly found in meadows, prairies and along open roadsides.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

The flowers of the Indian Paintbrush are actually small, inconspicuous and green. They are surrounded by the bright red bracts. Together the flowers and bracts form a paintbrush shaped spike that gives the flowers their name.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Texas Paintbrush should be propagated from seeds gathered in the spring when the capsules are dry and brown. The seeds should then be planted the following fall. Transplanting mature Texas Paintbrush plants will kill them.

More information about Texas Paintbrush can be found online at

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

USDA Plant Profiles

New Photo: Salvia and Blanketflowers

Salvia & Blanketflowers © 2011 Patty Hankins

I’ve recently added a new photo – Salvia & Blanketflowers – to my Beautifulflowerpictures.com website.

Yes – another photo of Texas Wildflowers. Whenever I head to a new location to photograph wildflowers I always hope to find a field full of local wildflowers. When I spotted this set of Engelmann’s Salvia (Salvii Engelmannii) and Texas Blanketflowers (Gaillardia pulchella)  I knew I’d found the scene that would represent a field of Texas wildflowers. The Salvia has wonderful shades of purple – that contrast so nicely with the bright yellow & red in the blanketflowers. I just smile everytime I look at this photo – it brings such great memories of the beauty I saw in Texas.

This photograph is available as either a 12 X 18″ or 20 X 30″ gallery-wrapped canvas.  You can order  Salvia & Blanketflowers  from my website.

New Photo: Mexican Hats

Mexican Hats © 2011 Patty Hankins

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

Mexican Hats is the third wildflower photograph from my trip to Texas earlier this year. Also known as Prairie Coneflowers, these bright yellow & red flowers are very common on the Texas Prairie. In large clusters, they create a wave of yellow and red fluttering in the breeze. As I was planning my trip to Texas, I saw photos of the Mexican Hats in my wildflower books – I knew they were going to be one of the flowers that I’d be looking to photograph.

This photograph is available as either a 12 X 15″ or 20 X 26″ gallery-wrapped canvas.  You can order  Mexican Hats  from my website.