Tag Archives: wildflower

Photographs: Nature

Sunflower

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Sunflower
A wild sunflower in the California hills.

Sunflower. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A wild sunflower in the California hills.

These impressively large flowers pop up in the spring at a local park where I’ve hiked for decades. It doesn’t seem much like the traditional sunflower, but that’s what my searching tells me it is. The plants grow close to the ground, and the flowers are large — perhaps four inches across or more. In my experience there is only a short window to photograph them while they look good.

I think everyone should have a few local outdoor places that they travel too, going back to them over years and even decades. It is exciting to visit far off places, and I’ve been to my share of them. But there is something special about a nearby place that you know like an old friend. At this spot I know exactly where and when to look for very specific types of flowers… and I go back every year to revisit them.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: Nature

Blue Dicks Flower

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Blue Dicks Flower
A spring blue dicks wildflower in bloom.

Blue Dicks Flower. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A spring blue dicks wildflower in bloom.

The blue dicks flowers are ubiquitous around here in the springtime, often growing in or at the edge of grasslands. It is an attractive flower (or group of flowers, more likely) waving at the top of a long, slender stalk. I look forward to their appearance every year, and I always end up making a few new photographs of them — despite the fact that the long stem makes them move in the slightest breeze, making photography a challenge.

The obvious question, of course, is “Where did that name come from?” I wondered for quite a while, too. According to one source, “he least suggestive explanation is that “dick” is a shortened form of the genus name Dichelostemma.” There are some other, potentially racier, explanations, but I think I’ll stick with this one.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Elephants Head Flower

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Elephants Head Flower
Elephants head flower against the backdrop of a flower-filled Sierra meadow.

Elephants Head Flower. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Elephants head flower against the backdrop of a flower-filled Sierra meadow.

I’ve always had a somewhat challenged relationship with the identification of flowers (and trees and a few other things) in the natural world. While certain facts stick in my mind (locations, elevations, etc.), it has always been hard for me to hold onto accurate information about plant identification. I usually do recognize the plant, tree, or wildflower… down to the level of knowing exactly where it grows, when it flowers, even what it looks like in its dormant seasons… but when it comes to recalling the plant’s name I’m often at a loss. But this one was new to me on all counts.

I’m told by a usually-reliable source (thanks, Patty… via Keith Walklet) that this is an elephants head flower. I did not know that when I photographed it. I was just attracted by its complex shape, its subtle colors, and its vertical extent against the background of a meadow full of other kinds of wildflowers in the Eastern Sierra Nevada.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

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

Photographs: Coastal Redwoods, Photographs: Nature

Redwood Forest Flowers

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Redwood Forest Flowers
“Redwood Forest Flowers” — White flowers growing amongst redwood sorrel in Redwood National Park. (Possibly columbia windflower?)

As I frequently report, I’m fairly weak when it comes to identifying wildflowers. I know a few obvious ones instantly, at least by their common names. (Latin names? Let’s not go there!) But there are many more that simply cannot name. In many cases I “know” the flowers, and I’m familiar with when and where they appear and how they grow. It is the naming that has always challenged me.

All of that is a preface to the experience of photographing these lowers. I know that I’ve seen them before in the redwood forests, deep beneath the shadows of the big trees. In fact, I recognized them from a previous visit when we photographed at this location. But when I wanted to go behind “white flower on forest floor” I had to start searching. I finally came up with “Columbia windflower,” and my family botanist (thanks, Ruth Ann!) confirms that identification. What attracted me was their white blossoms standing above the bed of darker greenery, including some redwood sorrel.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.

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