Tag Archives: flower

Photographs: Nature

Triteleia Flowers

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Triteleia Flowers
Triteleia (“pretty face”) wildflowers, Pinnacles National Park

Triteleia Flowers. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Triteleia (“pretty face”) wildflowers, Pinnacles National Park.

I encountered this lovely batch of flowers on a long day-hike at Pinnacles National Park in mid-April. I arrived in the early morning on this spring day, when wildflowers were still going strong, and headed up a familiar trail to a reservoir. (For those who know the place, I avoided the route through the cave. Been there, done that… and I was caring a pack full of camera equipment and a tripod.)

The route I followed began by heading up the bottom of a small valley that sometimes has more of the character of a canyon, with steep walls that limit how much sunshine gets into there. Apparently this flower likes that, preferring canyons that offer some shade. While I usually do notice the larger wildflowers while hiking, I’m not necessarily one to see all of the colorful things growing here in the spring… but carrying a camera with a macro lens encourages me to pay more attention!

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.

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Photographs: Nature

Golden Desert Snapdragon Flowers

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Golden Desert Snapdragon Flowers
Golden Desert Snapdragon blooming in rocky terrain, Death Valley National Park

Golden Desert Snapdragon Flowers. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Golden Desert Snapdragon blooming in rocky terrain, Death Valley National Park.

Wildflower photography isn’t typically my main focus, especially in the desert. (An exception has been during one or two “super bloom” years, when there were sufficient wildflowers to make them a major part of the landscape.) However, traveling to such places with my wife, Patricia Emerson Mitchell, has made me much more aware of this component of the desert world. From watching her photograph wildflowers, often using a macro lens, I learned that there are flowers in places that I had regarded as being essentially desolate.

There are several things I like about the desert snapdragon. The very name reminds me of when I was a child, and I was intrigued by the snapdragon flowers that my mother grew in her yard. This desert version is nothing like those yard plants — it seems to pop up suddenly in the most unlikely places, pushing thick green leaves through remarkably rocky terrain and soon sending out these lovely little yellow flowers.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.

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Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Nature

Ice Plant Flower

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Ice Plant Flower
The flower of the invasive ice plant, Monterey county

Ice Plant Flower. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The flower of the invasive ice plant, Monterey county.

Ice Plant is ubiquitous along freeways and in similar areas in many parts of California — likely because it is a hardy plant that produces some impressive flowers during part of the year. It is also a non-native that has become invasive in many areas, including some where it probably doesn’t belong.

I photographed this specimen in one of those probably-doesn’t-belong locations. It was growing on a coastal bluff in the upper section of the Big Sur coast, and burrowing its way into the natural ecology of the place. But the flowers were attractive, especially with a bit of early morning dew still on the petals.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Nature

Purple Owl’s Clover Flowers

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Purple Owl's Clover Flowers
A purple owl’s clover bloom, San Luis Obispo County, California

Purple Owl’s Clover Flowers. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A purple owl’s clover bloom, San Luis Obispo County, California.

I continue to work my way through the California spring wildflower photography — and this isn’t the end of it! This was a better-than-average year for wildflowers in the state. Winter rains were above normal, and a good portion of the rain fell later in the season, including some big storms that swept though in early March.

I photographed this flower in San Luis Obispo County, in one of the many oak and grassland areas that are so common in the state’s lowlands and foothills. We found a spot with uncounted flowers spread across large meadows, stopped, and spent a few hours wandering around with macro lenses on the cameras.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.