Spring Wildflowers – my new vidoe

According to the calendar, spring officially starts next week. But from what I’ve been seeing here in Bethesda, it’s already here. Everything from daffodils to magnolias are already in bloom. The cherry blossoms are predicted to start blooming next week.

For me, spring means wildflowers! As you know, I love spending time hiking and photographing wildflowers. I’ve created a new video with photos of some of my favorite Spring Wildflowers. The soundtrack for the video is Pamela Bruner’s “Morning Has Broken” from her Sweet Spirit CD.

I’ve extended the special offer of a gift of three of my wildflower notecards through March 27 when you order a copy of my new book Wildflower Meditations: A Gift for the Spirit.

As you may have heard, due to a problem with the bindings, I was not able to start shipping copies of my book early in the month. For those of you who know me, you know I product possible. Fortuantely, the printer has been wonderful to work with and I should be able to start shipping next week. I’ve really appreciated all of your support and encouragement as I’ve worked to get this resolved.

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!

Wildflowers at Glacier National Park

I didn’t find very many wildflowers to photograph at Glacier National Park when I visiting in June. Probably had something to do with all that snow . . . However, I did lover the ones I found. Seeing (and photographing) the alpine wildflowers at Glacier National Park is on my to-do list for 2012.

Here are some of the wildflowers I photographed in Glacier National Park

Striped Coral Root Orchid – Corallorhiza striata -  a wonderful native orchid I spotted while driving to lunch one day

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Beargrass – Xerophyllum tenax – a member of the lily family . Both elk & bighorn sheep graze on the flowers

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Alpine Paintbrush – Castilleja rhexifolia – a relative of the Orange Paintbrush I photographed in 2010 in Colorado.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Pasqueflower – Anemone patens – a member of the buttercup family

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Pink & Purple Wildflowers at Grand Teton National Park

I had an absolutely fantastic time photographing wildflowers at Grand Teton National Park in June. I photographed enough different wildflowers that I share an entire blog post full of just pink and purple wildflowers from just one park!

Fairyslipper or Calypso Orchid – Calypso bulbosa – what can I say  – I found one!!!! If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you know I love the native orchids – so you can just imagine how pleased I was to find this Fairyslipper orchid

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Few-flowered Shooting Stars – Dodecatheon pulchellum – related to the Shooting Stars I’ve photographed in North Carolina and Tennessee.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Spring Beauty – Claytonia lancelolata – related to the Spring Beauty (Claytonia caroliniana) I photographed in Tennessee.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Smallflowered Woodlandstar – Lithopharagma parviflorum – I loved the way these delicate flowers appeared to dance in the wind

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Low Larkspur – Delphinium nutallianum – a relative of the Dwarf Larkspur (Delphinium tricorne) I photographed along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

And finally Ballhead Waterleaf – Hydrophyllum capitatum – one of the first wildflowers to bloom each year at Grand Teton National Park.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

With all the wonderful wildflowers I found at Grand Teton National Park in June it should come as no surprise to anyone – I’m already planning my next trip to Grand Teton. I’m hoping to be there for several days in July 2012!

September in the Smokies!

Sunrise at Clingman’s Dome, Great Smoky Mountains National Park © 2011 Patty Hankins

I spent an amazing five days photographing in the mountains of Tennessee last month. While I have visited and photographed in the Smoky Mountains several times in the past few years, this was my first late summer visit. What I discovered was incredible sunrises after 7 AM, peaceful streams, different wildflowers than I’ve seen in the past, and no crowds. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited park in the National Park System, so finding a time of year when it isn’t very crowded was wonderful!

Mistflower © 2011 Patty Hankins

 

Since the park was so quiet, I was able to sit by a stream for an hour – just reading a book and relaxing. Another day, I spent a couple of hours in just one corner of a field at Cades Cove – photographing wildflowers and watching the deer across the road.

Little Pigeon River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park © 2011 Patty Hankins

 

In addition to my time in the National Park, I spent a day exploring the Cherokee National Forest with a friend. We drove for hours on the forest roads, stopping to photograph when something caught our eye. It was one of the best days I’ve had photographing in a very long time.

Canada Goldenrod © 2011 Patty Hankins

What I realized on this trip is how important it is to just slow down and enjoy where I found myself. Usually when I’m on a photo trip I’m in a hurry because I don’t want to miss anything – wondering what if an unknown wildflower is just around the bend. I had a wonderful time – I may have missed seeing a few things because of the slower pace of this trip. But that’s OK – because I thoroughly enjoyed seeing what was around me.

Hemlock © 2011 Patty Hankins

Next time you head out into nature – whether it’s somewhere familiar – or somewhere new – how about trying what I discovered this trip. Slowing down and completely experiencing where you are and what you are seeing can be incredible.

Wildflowers at Yellowstone National Park

One of the big surprises of my trip west in June was how challenging it was for me to find wildflowers. After all, it was June – they should be all over the place right! Well not really – it was a long winter so there was still lots of snow on the ground when I arrived in Yellowstone National Park in early June. I spent my first several days at Yellowstone exploring the southern and eastern parts of the park. While the geysers, lakes and river canyons were wonderful – I was getting frustrated by the lack of wildflowers.

Later in the trip, I visited the northern areas in the park – and it was in the Lamar Valley that I found lots of wildflowers. While talking with one of the park rangers about my challenge finding wildflowers – she very nicely explained about the Yellowstone Caldera – which is where all the volcanic and thermal activity in the park takes place. And that one of the characteristics of the caldera region is not great soil condition for wildflowers. So now I know – if I want to photograph wildflowers at Yellowstone – I’m more likely to find them in the non-Caldera region. And I did find some wonderful wildflowers in the Lamar Valley region of Yellowstone National Park!

Here are some of the wildflowers I photographed at Yellowstone National Park.

Arrowleaf Balsamroot – Balsamoriza sagittata – a member of the sunflower family

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Meadow Death Camas – Zaigadenus venenosus – a member of the Lily family – and yes – all parts of the plant are poisonous.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Glacier Lilies – Erythronium grandiflorum – another member of the Lily family

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Prairie Smoke – Geum triflorum – a member of the rose family

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Sugar Bowl – Clematis hirsutissima – a member of the Buttercup family

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Mountain Forget-Me-Not – Myosotis alpestris – a member of the Borage family

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Phlox – possibly Rocky Mountain Phlox – Phlox multifloral

© 2011 Patty Hankins

I’m thinking about heading back to Yellowstone next summer – and if I do – I’ll definitely plan on spending most of my time in the northern sections of the park.

Colorado Wildflowers – My August 2011 Photo of the Month

Colorado Wildflowers © 2010 Patty Hankins

 

Last summer I spent a wonderful week in Colorado photographing wildflowers. One of the sights that absolutely amazed me was just how big and grand the landscapes were. I do most of my photography in the eastern United States – and we just don’t have mountain ranges like they do in Colordao! The mountains seemed to go on forever. The incredible blue skies with white puffy clouds touched the mountain tops in the far distance. I photographed this scene in the Gunnison National Forest. In many way it is the perfect representation of what I see in my mind when I think about Colorado wildflowers. Lots of silvery lupine in the foreground, some monument plants and arrowleaf balsamroot scattered throughout the meadow – trees in the distance – rocky mountain peaks with just a bit of snow on them – and topped by a big blue sky full of clouds. I can’t wait to head back to Colorado and spend more time exploring and photographing – maybe next summer.

Until August 31, 2011, SAVE 20% off the regular prices for Colorado Wildflowers.  The photograph is available through my website in two sizes of gallery-wrapped canvases.

Save $ 30 on the 12X18″ Canvas – regular price $ 147 – August Photo of the Month Price – $ 117.00

Save $ $ 110 on the 20X30″ Canvas – regular price $ 547 – August Photo of the Month Price – $ 437.00

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

As with all photographs from BeautifulFlowerPictures.com,  Colorado Wildflowers 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.

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)

Dutchman’s Breeches – Dicentra cucullaria

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Dutchman’s Breeches (dicentra cucullaria) is one of the spring wildflowers that I found in several places this spring – which let me get some wonderful detailed photographs of them. The name refers to the way that the blossoms hang from the stalk and that it resembles the way Dutch men’s pants look  hanging on a line to dry.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Dutchman’s Breeches are a member of the Fumariaceae (bleeding heart) family – so they are related to Bleeding Hearts and Squirrel Corn. Here in the Washington DC area it blooms in late March and early April. They are native to much of the eastern US and Canada, plus Idaho, Washington and Oregon.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Dutchman’s Breeches grow up to 10 inches high – with multiple blossoms hanging from each stalk. There is a cluster of deeply cut fern like leaves under the stalks with the flowers. The plants spread quickly so it’s not uncommon to find large masses of Dutchman’s Breeches.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Dutchman’s Breeches are commonly found in the woods. They prefer sun to part shade – so bloom before the leaf cover fills in. They also prefer a moist, humus rich soil.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

I’ve found a couple of references to medicinal uses for Dutchman’s Breeches. It could be used as a love charm – either by throwing it at the person you’re interested in – or by chewing on the roots and breathing on the person. The leaves were used to help strengthen runner’s legs.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

If you’d like more information about Dutchman’s Breeches, you can find some online at

Flora of North America

Kemper Center for Home Gardening

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Native American Ethnobotany

Robert W. Freckman Herbarium – UW Stevens Point

University of Washington Herbarium

USDA Plant Profiles

Texas Wildflowers – part 3

Here are a few more of the wonderful wildflowers I photographed in Texas last month. I always love photographing wildflowers in a new location – so nice to see new to me wildflowers growing in their native habitats.

Engelmann’s Salvia – salvia engelmannii – salvia is a member of the mint family

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Purple Prairie Clover – dalea purpurea – a member of the Bean family

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Stiff Stem Flax – linum berlandieri – related to the Western Blue Flax I photographed in Colorado

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Blanketflower – gailaardia pulchella – related to the Arizona Sun Blanket Flower I photographed in a local garden

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Devil’s Claw – proboscidea louisianica – a member of the sesame family

© 2011 Patty Hankins

Texas vervain – verbena halei – a member of the vervain family. The flowers on Texas Vervain are very small – they are up to 1/4″ across.

© 2011 Patty Hankins

I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing some of the wildflowers I photographed in Texas. I’m already trying to figure out when the bluebonnets will bloom there next year. I’m hoping to see and photograph them some day.