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Posts Tagged ‘Rock Creek’

Asiatic dayflower

Posted in Flowers, Gardening, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, tagged , , , , , on October 1, 2012| 5 Comments »

This past weekend some small blue wildflowers caught my eye. They seemed a bit unusual, because they had two large blue petals and what appeared to be smaller white petals. In addition, they had really long stamen.

According to a Wikipedia article, these are Asiatic dayflowers (Commelina communis), a plant native to East and Southeast Asia that has been introduced into the eastern part of the United States. The flowers are used in traditional Chinese medicine and they are used to produce a dye in Japan.

As is frequently the case with wildflowers, there seems to be some debate about whether this is a weed or a flower. Call it what you will, it is a strikingly beautiful plant.

Asiatic dayflower (Commelina communis)

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Odd Duck

Posted in Art, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , on September 30, 2012| 4 Comments »

Walking along Rock Creek in Washington, D.C. on my way to the National Zoo yesterday, I came upon some ducks in a area of the creek where the water was still. I knew that they were ducks, but when I zoomed in on them I was surprised. One of them was the most unusually colored duck that I have ever seen, with a strangely shaped head, brightly colored feathers, and red eyes.

Male wood duck in Rock Creek

I did some research and discovered that this is a male wood duck. If you had asked me yesterday about wood ducks, I would have thought you were talking about those hand-painted decoys.

I managed to get a shot of the male wood duck swimming along with a female wood duck. The photo is not quite as clear as the first one, but it shows the difference in coloration between the male and the female. The female is more delicately beautiful than the male, who is really ostentatious in appearance.

Female and male wood ducks in Rock Creek

I seem to have a knack in discovering brightly colored creatures, whether they be grasshoppers or duck. I hope my good fortune continues.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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