Tag Archives: wildflower

Photographs: Nature

Woodland Star Flowers

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Woodland Star Flowers
Woodland Star flowers, spring, Pinnacles National Park

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

Woodland Star flowers, Spring, Pinnacles National Park.

Pinnacles National Park is almost and “old friend” of a park for me. My family first visited when I was quite young, and I recall exploring the High Peaks Trail and the caves. Although I knew that there could be excellent wildflower displays here I had never gotten myself organized to photograph there. So this was my first time to try to accomplish that task.

I arrived early in the morning, and it was easy to see lots of wildflowers immediately. I decided to hike up the shore of a small reservoir, from which I would continue on to the High Peaks Trail. Along the first section of trail the route passed through a small, intimate valley, and it was in this area that I spotted and photographed these 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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Photographs: Nature

Baby Blue Eyes Flowers

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Baby Blue Eyes Flowers
Baby blue eyes flowers, San Luis Obispo County, California

Baby Blue Eyes Flowers. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Baby blue eyes flowers, San Luis Obispo County, California.

These small flowers, in the right light, can produce a nearly-fluorescent blue color — a hue that is almost unbelievable in the natural landscape. They were growing all over California’s coastal and inland oak and grassland areas this spring.

I photographed this set of flowers on a drive through a backroads area of San Luis Obispo Country, but I probably could have stopped any of 1000 other locations and found something similar. These specimens were growing in an immense meadow that was filled with all sorts of 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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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Nature

White Globe Lily… And Bug

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White Globe Lily... And Bug
An insect on the top of a white globe lily flower

White Globe Lily… And Bug. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

An insect on the top of a white globe lily flower.

Folks who follow my photography may have noted a rather large number of photographs of very small things recently, mostly a lot of wildflowers. This isn’t an entirely new thing for me, as I have photographed and occasionally shared wildflower photographs before. What has changed? Two things. First, I’m married to “the Georgia O’Keeffe of photographer photography, and she has a macro lens almost permanently attached to her cameras so that she can photograph this subject. Second, I finally decided to spring for my own macro lens, and I’ve been out trying to learn more about its use.

When viewed through the macro lens, photographs of flowers often end up being photographs of other things, too — bits of pollen, spider webs, dusk and dirt, brown areas, holes… and in this case, one black bug of significant size. I misidentified this flower for years, and I was grateful to a viewer who recently set me straight. It is a white globe lily. (If you want to understand just one of the reasons that I’m often challenged by naming such things, it is apparently also known as “fairy lantern, white fairy lantern, pink fairy lantern, lantern of the fairies, globe lily, white globe-tulip, alabaster tulip, Indian bells, satin bells, snowy lily-bell, and snow drops!”)

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

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.

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.