Posted in Flowers, Nature, Photography, spring, Winter, tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, Canon 60mm, daffodil, narcissus, Runnymeade on March 6, 2022| 9 Comments »
As I was walking through my neighborhood yesterday, I was delighted to spot some daffodils (g. Narcissus) that were already in bloom. The ground is still brown and bare and not very photogenic, so it is hard to take a “pretty” picture of these beautiful little flowers.
I used a short macro lens capture these images of the early daffodils, the advance guard for a multitude of spring flowers that will arrive before long. I am ready for the spring.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Flowers, Gardening, Photography, Summer, tagged Canon 50D, Canon 60mm, Cindy Dyer, daffodil, Hymenocallis narcissiflora, Hymenocallis x festalis, Peruvian Daffodil on June 22, 2020| 14 Comments »
When I spotted this strange-looking flower yesterday in the garden of my photography mentor and neighbor Cindy Dyer, I had no idea what it was—she informed me that it was a Peruvian Daffodil (Hymenocallis narcissiflora). This flower, according to information at gardeningknowhow.com, is native to the Andes of Peru and is a member of the daffodil and amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae. Its flowers resemble a “spidery” version of these flowers, as you can see in my photos. The elongated, sometimes curved, petals have led to the plant’s alternate common names, “spider lily” and “basket flower.”
Further exploration on the internet led me to wonder if this is actually the hybrid version known as Hymenocallis x festalis, a hybrid of the aforementioned Peruvian Daffodil as the female parent and the Hymenocallis. longipetala, another Peruvian flower, as the male parent, as detailed in an article by the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. Fearing that I would get sucked deeper into the world of plant ancestry, I stopped my research there.
Personally, I think that the name “spider lily” fits best and maybe that that is the name I will use in the future to refer to this crazy-looking flower.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Flowers, Nature, Photography, Travel, Urban, Winter, tagged botanical garden of Brussels, Brussels Belgium, Canon SX50, daffodil on January 11, 2019| 7 Comments »
We won’t see them for a few months in Northern Virginia, but I got a sneak preview of daffodils in bloom here in Brussels, Belgium near a small pond at the botanical gardens yesterday morning.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Flowers, Gardening, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, tagged Alexandria VA, backlit, Canon Rebel XT, daffodil, green spring gardens, Sigma 135-400mm telephoto zoom lens on April 7, 2013| 10 Comments »
The sun was almost directly in front of me, a situation that is usually not optimal for photographs, but I really liked the interplay of the light and the shadows on this white and yellow daffodil.
It’s definitely a side of the daffodil that is not featured very often, but it is a lesson for me of the value of looking for new perspectives. I like image that I managed to get by looking at the flower from the other side.
Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Posted in Flowers, Gardening, Nature, Photography, tagged blooming, Canon 55-250mm zoom lens, Canon Rebel XT, daffodil, Rock Creek Park, spring, Washington D.C. on February 17, 2013| 5 Comments »
Yesterday while I was walking in Washington D.C. along a path through Rock Creek Park, I came across a small cluster of daffodils that are already blooming. The day was cold and gray and eventually we had a small ice storm, but these hardy, bright yellow flowers remind me that spring is not very far away.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 