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Posts Tagged ‘pink flower’

A touch of pink for a rainy day

Posted in Flowers, Gardening, Macro Photography, Music, Photography, tagged , , , , , on September 18, 2012| 7 Comments »

The weathermen say that is is going to rain almost all day today. That is good news, because we have had a really dry summer. It means, however, that the colors of the day are more likely to be drab and subdued.

This weekend I visited Green Spring Gardens, a county-run, historical park, and was excited to see that new flowers are blooming as we move into fall. It is well-documented that I have trouble identifying my photographic subjects and flowers are no exception. I don’t know the name of this pink flower that I photographed, but I like the way the image turned out. The composition is simple and graphic and the fuzz on the leaves and the blossom cause them to glow a little.

It is my hope that this dash of pink will help to counteract the blues that sometimes creep in on rainy days. The Carpenters were not necessarily correct when they sang, “Rainy days and Mondays always get me down.”

Pink flower

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Just another bee

Posted in Bugs, Flowers, Gardening, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, tagged , , , , , on September 4, 2012| 4 Comments »

This bee is not as perfectly sharp as some that I have shot, but the softness of the image and the pink flower give this photo more of a romantic mood (if that is at all possible with a bee as the primary subject). I also like the beautiful colors in the bee’s fuzzy hair. Sometimes I feel like I would be content to photograph different kinds of bees every day, focusing at times on their hard work, at other times on their beauty, and at other times on their ferocity. It would take a long time for my fascination with bees to wear off.

Bee on a pink flower

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Uncommonly beautiful Common Buckeye

Posted in Bugs, Flowers, Gardening, Insects, Nature, Photography, tagged , , , , , , on August 25, 2012| 9 Comments »

I continue to be mystified by the names of the insects that I photograph. Yesterday I spotted this very striking butterfly that I later learned is called the Common Buckeye butterfly (Junonia coenia).  What makes it common? If it’s so common, why have I never seen one before? The vivid colors and prominent eyespots make it anything but common to me.

Common Buckeye butterfly

Here’s another view of the butterfly. The internal tear in the wing makes it clear that it is the same specimen. If you want to learn more about the Common Buckeye, check out this article on the BugGuide website, which is rapidly becoming one of my favorite places to browse and research.

Common Buckeye butterfly

One interesting fact about the Common Buckeye is that it was featured on a 24-cent US postage stamp in 2006. If you want to see what the stamp looks like, visit the Arago website. Arago, named after François Arago, a 19th century French scientist and friend of James Smithson, is a resource of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum.

One of the nice things about living in the Washington, D.C. area is having access to the Smithsonian Museums, most of which have free admission.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Unusual pattern inside a flower

Posted in Flowers, Gardening, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, tagged , , , , , , , on August 15, 2012| 9 Comments »

I have to admit that I am really challenged when it comes to identifying flowers. I just don’t know where to start in researching them. So I apologize in advance for not knowing the name of this flower.

I spotted this distinctive small flower when I was shooting with some friends at a local botanical garden. The outside of the flower was not really that unusual, but I was immediately attracted to the inside of the flower. The shape and unusual pattern on the inside reminded me of a pleated curtain installed by a designer who was color-challenged. The color and pattern of the inside did not seem to  go well with the outside (or maybe I just watch too much Home and Garden TV).

I like that I was able to isolate and photograph this unusual flower which for now remains nameless for me.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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