Tag Archives: san jose

Photographs: Nature

White Globe Lily Flowers

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White Globe Lily Flowers
A cluster of spring Chinese lantern flowers

White Globe Lily Flowers. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A cluster of spring Chinese lantern flowers.

Please excuse the rather large number of posts of these flower during the spring season. It is both a personal favorite flower and something that grows not far from where I live. In fact, the location is at a park that I’ve gone to for decades — really the closest hiking park to my home. I’ve hiked there in all seasons for years, sometimes going for photographic purposes and other times just going for a good trail workout.

Over the years I’ve gotten to know the character of specific locations in the park, including where and when to find particular wildflowers. These white globe lily flowers grow in abundance along one particular trail each spring, especially in an area where the route passes through some small, steep canyons. The flowers seem to arrive suddenly, flourish for a short period, and then go to seed. On the day I photographed this group a few had bloomed but most were still in the bud stage.

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

Blue Dicks, Spring Foliage

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Blue Dicks, Spring Foliage
Blue Dicks flowers against a backdrop of spring greenery.

Blue Dicks, Spring Foliage. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Blue Dicks flowers against a backdrop of spring greenery.

Blue dicks is a beautiful flower with a perhaps-unfortunate name. One reason for the “unfortunate” label is probably obvious. (I’ve been warned to exercise some care when doing online searches for this flower. Hint: include “+flower” in your search terms.) The other reason is possibly less obvious and maybe even arguable: the flower really isn’t always blue. To my eye, it sometimes leans more toward purple or even pink. It is a very common flower but also a rather nice one.

I photographed this along a trail that I’ve hiked for years, and one that isn’t very far from where I live. This time of year, if you live in California’s grassland and oak country or can get to it, there is a very good chance that you’ll be able to find it, too. The flowers typically are individuals, rising at the tips of long, slender stalks that often wave in the slightest breeze.

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

White Globe Lily Flower And Buds

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Chinese Lantern Flower And Buds
One white globe lily flower and serveral buds about to bloom

White Globe Lily Flower And Buds. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

One white globe lily flower and several buds about to bloom.

Since a recent post regarding this same type of wildflower went into some detail about it, I’ll try to keep this post a bit shorter. (Note: I wrote “try,” not “promise.” ;-) This is a white globe lily flower, one of my favorites from a local spot that I’ve been visiting for decades, especially in spring, and to which I’ve returned again this spring.

The importance of these “local spots” cannot be over-emphasized. I’ve seen a lot of photographers get trapped by the “I only photograph amazing places” mantra. Some of them, whose naturally busy lives limit the frequency with which they can drop everything and head off to an exotic locale, become frustrated with their photography. I understand — it is important to “do photography” almost continuously in order to produce and maintain the instincts of seeing that are so important. But seeing can happen locally, too. In fact, practicing (a term I know from a life in music) as often as possible, even with subjects that might not be your first choice, is crucially important… and it can be done as close as your own back yard or in your neighborhood.

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, Photographs: Northern California

White Globe Lily, Spring Green

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Chinese Lantern, Spring Green
A solitary white globe lily blossom against a background of spring green

White Globe Lily, Spring Green. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A solitary white globe lily blossom against a background of spring green.

As much as I love traveling to more distant and even exotic locations to make photographs, I often photograph right in my (more or less) back yard. If you follow me, you know that I photograph urban and industrial subjects all around the San Francisco Bay Area, but I also photograph some very nearby natural areas. This photograph, and a few others that will follow before long, was made in a place I’ve been visiting for decades, and it is only a very short drive from my home.

I know the spot where I photographed this flower very well. In fact, every spring I go to this little canyon to renew my acquaintance with a group of spring wildflowers found there. At this point, I know exactly what flowers I’ll find around precisely which bend in the trail. One of my favorites here is the white globe lily flower, a lovely and subtly-colored bulbous wildflower that grows at the end of slender graceful shoots. I didn’t see any the first time I visited this season, but on this visit I found a few blossoms and even more bud that should open a week or so later

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.