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Flowers & Plants

Flowers & Plants

Big Bend National Park, Focus Stacking, Grapevine Hills Trail, Texas Wildflowers

A Desert Marigold

A Desert Marigold photographed along the Grapevine Hills Trail in Big Bend National Park in the spring of 2023.

Big Bend Bluebonnet, Big Bend National Park, Focus Stacking, Texas Wildflowers

Big Bend Bluebonnets

Big Bend Bluebonnets photographed near the Santa Elena Canyon in Big Bend National Park in the spring of 2023.

Pterospora andromedea Nutt., Upper Geyser Basin, Woodland Pinedrops, Yellowstone National Park

Dried Woodland Pinedrops

I photographed this Dried Woodland Pinedrops (Pterospora andromedea Nutt) while on a snowshoe hike along the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellwostone NP in the winter of 2022.

Big Bend Bluebonnet, Big Bend National Park, Focus Stacking, Grapevine Hills Trail, Texas Wildflowers

Big Bend Bluebonnet Flower

A Big Bend Bluebonnet flower that i photographed along the Grapevine Hills Trail in Big Bend National Park in the spring of 2019.

Blackfoot Daisy, Flowers, Focus Stacking, Melampodium Leucanthum, Texas Wildflowers

COVID-era Blackfoot Daisy

This COVID-era Blackfoot Daisy was photographed in Northwest Austin in the spring of 2020 prior to the virus spreading around the world.

Big Bend National Park, Focus Stacking, Grapevine Hills Trail, Texas Wildflowers

Desert Marigold

A Desert Marigold photographed along the Grapevine Hills Trail in Big Bend National Park. The flower was photographed during the spring of 2019.

Chihuahuan Flax, Focus Stacking, Linum vernale, Terlingua Creek, Texas Wildflowers, West Texas

Chihuahuan Flax

A Chihuahuan Flax (Linum vernale) photographed along Terlingua Creek, North of Terlingua, using the focus stacking method.

Big Bend National Park, Focus Stacking, Sierra Del Chino, Texas Wildflowers

Big Bend Bluebonnet

The Big Bend Bluebonnet is similar than the bluebonnets we have in the Austin area. The Big Bend variety has fewer leaves and grow much taller.

Focus Stacking, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Texas Wildflowers

Brown-Eyed Susan

A Brown-Eyed Susan photographed at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in the spring of 2018 using the focus stacking method.

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Rock Rose, Texas Wildflowers

Rock Rose Warning

A Rock Rose photographed at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin during the summer of 2018. Many rattlesnakes in the area. Beware!

Allionia incarnata, Ernst Tinaja, Flowers, Pink Windmills, Trailing Allionia, Trailing Four O'Clock, Trailing Windmills

Trailing Windmills

A pair of Trailing Windmills photographed in the fall of 2018 in the Earnst Tinaja area of Big Bend National Park.

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Texas Wildflowers

Autumn Sage

Autumn Sage is a very popular landscape plant. It grows throughout the Southwest. Its flowers are edible!

Hoel Azul, Oaxaca

Window and Flowers

This window and flowers arrangement are part of the Hotel Azul located in Oaxaca, Mexico. The hotel is clean and the staff is friendly.

Butterfly Gaura, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Lindheimer's Beeblossom, Lindheimer's Gaura, Oenothera lindheimeri, Texas Wildflowers, White Gaura

White Gaura

A White Gaura (Oenothera lindheimeri) photographed at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in the summer of 2018 using the focus stacking technique.

Focus Stacking, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Texas Gayfeather, Texas Wildflowers

Mature Texas Gayfeather

A mature Texas Gayfeather photogrpahed using the focus stacking technique at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, TX last week.

Berlandiera lyrata, Chocolate Flower, Chocolate daisy, Chocolate flower, Green-eyed lyre leaf, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Lyreleaf greeneyes, Texas Wildflowers

Chocolate Flower

The Chocolate Flower is not my favorite wildflower but it is my favorite flower name. The Chocolate Flower does smell like chocolate!

Apache Plume, Fallugia paradoxa, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Ponil, Seedhead, Texas Wildflowers

Apache Plume Seedhead

An Apache Plume Seedhead photographed at the Lady Bird Jonson Wildflower Center in Austin, TX in the summer of 2018.

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Eastern Purple Coneflower

I photographed this Eastern Purple Coneflower Echinacea purpurea) at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin last April.

Focus Stacking, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Mealy Blue Sage, Salvia Farinacea

Mealy Blue Sage

The Mealy Blue Sage is an excellent plant for a flower bed, and is often planted in groupings to create an attractive mass of color. It is also a good plant for a rock garden.

Focus Stacking, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Texas Wildflowers

American Basket Flower

The American Basket Flower (Centaurea americana), is native to south-central United States and northeastern Mexico. I understand that this is a very easy plant to grow and that it requires little maintenance.

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Last of the Bluebonnets

It’s the last of the Bluebonnets. Most of the Texas Bluebonnets growing in central Texas have gone to seed. I captured this specimen at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center earlier this spring.

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Texas Bluebonnet

Texas Bluebonnet Time

It is Texas Bluebonnet Time in Central Texas and especially out at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. I was impressed by the quantity and quality of the bluebonnets at the Center this year.

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Dew on an Eastern Purple Coneflower

I finally made it out to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center to photograph some of the wonderful Texas Wildflowers. I was making my way around the grounds when I came across this Eastern Purple Coneflower with dewdrops on its petals. 

Erigeron modestus, Focus Stacking, Prairie Fleabane, Texas Wildflowers

Prairie Fleabane

Spring is moving along much faster than I expected. Wildflowers are springing up everywhere! I decided that I better get outside and make sure I still remember how to photograph Texas Wildflowers. This pair of Prairie Fleabane flowers were ideal to photograph.

Rainbow Cactus

I posted the top view if the Rainbow Cactus yesterday. This view shows you the colorful bands of spines that are the reason for its name.

Rainbow Cactus, Texas Wildflowers

Rainbow Cactus

I photographed this Rainbow Cactus along Humphries Peak Road using the focus stack technique during a recent trip to the Big Bend area.

Cedar Sage, Salvia roemeriana, Salvia roemeriana Scheele, Texas Wildflowers

Cedar Sage

I was out doing some work near a creek on my property when I noticed quite a few Cedar Sage plants so I got my camera and photographed them.

Lone Tree

I was photographing flowers in the Agua Fria area located near Big Bend NP when I ran across this lone tree and decided to photograph it.

Giant Spiderwort, Giant spiderwort, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Texas Wildflowers, Tradescantia gigantea Rose

Giant Spiderworts

Giant Spiderworts are hard to photograph using the focus stack method. There are too many parts that move in the slightest breeze.

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Texas Wildflowers

Eastern Red Columbines

I photographed these Eastern Red Columbines during a trip to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center using the focus stacking technique.

Dalea formosa, Feather Dalea, Feather dalea, Featherplume, Focus Stacking, Texas Wildflowers

Feather Dalea

I captured this photograph of a Feather Dalea (Dalea formosa) while on a drive in the desert to an area called “Agua Fria Springs”.

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Texas Wildflowers

Eastern Red Columbine

photographed this Eastern Red Columbine at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin a couple of weeks ago.

Blue Bonnet, Focus Stacking, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Wildflowers

Spring has Sprung

Spring has Sprung in Texas! The much warmer than normal temperatures has confused Mother Nature to the point that she has given up on winter

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Crooked Gayfeather

I photographed this crooked Gayfeather at the LBJ Wildflower Center last September. The Texas Gayfeather is one of my favorite wildflowers.

Grassy Sunrise

Grassy Sunrise

I photographed this Grassy Sunrise starburst during my last trip to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center last September.

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Gayfeathers

I photographed this very large clump of Texas Gayfeathers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center earlier this year.

Waterfall, Yellowstone National Park

Lichen Stump

I spotted this Wolf Lichen growing on a stump just down the path from where I captured some Wolf Lichen growing on some dead branches.

Fall in the Tetons

Fall in the Tetons

Fall in the Tetons is amazing. Aspens turn bright yellow-orange, grasses change from green to golden and the Cottonwood leaves to yellow.

Artist Point, Lichen, Yellowstone National Park

Wolf Lichen

I captured this photograph of Wolf Lichen (Letharia vulpina) at Artist Point in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone lower falls area.

Fountain Paint Pot Nature Trail, Yellowstone National Park

Grass Clump

One of the interesting things about my trip to Yellowstone NP is to see how a plant like this grass clump survives in a hostile environment.

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Jimsonweed Flower Detail

I was actually trying to photograph this Jimsonweed flower detail when I captured the photograph of the Jimsonweed Pollinator last month.

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Yellow Waterlily

A Yellow Waterlily photographed earlier this month at the LBJ Wildflower Center. This aquatic plant grows in shallow water and wetlands.

Hooker palafoxia, Hooker's palafoxia, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Palafoxia hookeriana, Sand Palafox, Sand palafox, Sand palafoxia

Sand Palafox

I captured this photograph of the Sand Palafox (Palafoxia hookeriana) flower during my last trip to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Angel Trumpet, Datura wrightii, Jimsonweed, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Sacred Thorn Apple, Sacred datura, Thorn apple

Imperfect Jimsonweed

I posted a Jimsonweed photo last week. I returned to the same location a few days later to photograph this imperfect Jimsonweed flower.

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Twin Seashore Mallows

I photographed these Twin Seashore Mallows at the LBJ Wildflower Center earlier this month. Seashore Mallows are beautiful flowers.

Hibiscus grandiflorus, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Large-flowered hibiscus, Pink swamp hibiscus, Swamp rose-mallow

A Mature Swamp Rose Mallow

I photographed this mature Swamp Rose Mallow flower at the LBJ Wildflower Center last week. It is one of the better specimens at the Center.

Kosteletzkya althaeifolia, Kosteletzkya pentacarpos, Kosteletzkya smilacifolia, Kosteletzkya virginica, Kosteletzkya virginica var. althaeifolia, Kosteletzkya virginica var. aquilonia, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Saltmarsh mallow, Seashore Mallow, Seashore mallow, Virginia fen-rose, Virginia saltmarsh mallow

Seashore Mallow

This is a Seashore Mallow flower and it is not commonly found in the wild in Central Texas but is plentiful on the gulf coast.

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Texas Gayfeather

Texas Gayfeather

My trip to the LBJ Wildflower Center was a very productive wildflower photography trip. I photographed this Texas Gayfeather on that trip.

Apache Plume, Fallugia paradoxa, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Ponil

Apache Plume

Apache Plume gets its name from the pinkish feathery seed heads which appear after the flowers bloom in the summer.

Angel Trumpet, Datura wrightii, Jimsonweed, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Sacred Thorn Apple, Sacred datura, Thorn apple

Jimsonweed

This is Jimsonweed, a member of the Nightshade family. It is highly toxic to humans and animals. Flowers open from evening to early morning.

Hibiscus grandiflorus, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Large-flowered hibiscus, Pink swamp hibiscus, Swamp rose-mallow

Swamp Rose-Mallow

I found this Swamp Rose-Mallow specimen with a nice grasshopper during a recent trip to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Eryngium leavenworthii, Eryngo, False purple thistle, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Leavenworth's eryngo

Eryngo Flower

I photographed this Eryngo flower last week at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. I thought it important to show the plant detail.

Eryngium leavenworthii, Eryngo, False purple thistle, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Leavenworth's eryngo

Eryngo

I made a trip to the LBJ Wildflower Center last week to photograph an Eryngo plant that I found growing near the Center’s courtyard.

Ruellia occidentalis, Ruellia strictopaniculata, Ruellia tuberosa var. occidentalis, Western Wild Petunia, uellia nudiflora var. occidentalis

Western Wild Petunia

I photographed this Western Wild Petunia using a new piece of equipment that I acquired called a bellows. It allows for higher magnification.

Heartleaf Hibiscus, Heartleaf rosemallow, Hibiscus cardiophyllus, LBJ Wildflower Center. Red Flower, Tulipan del Monte

Heartleaf Hibiscus

I photographed this Heartleaf Hibiscus at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center while practicing my manual focus rail technique.

Wild Poinsettia

I mentioned that the summer heat has turned into tropical rain. I decided to photograph a Wild Poinsettia in a secluded area of the center.

Rock Rose

I captured this image of a Rock Rose using the focus stacking technique. I used a manual focus rail instead of using the focus ring.

Blackfoot Daisy, Flowers, LBJ Wildflower Center, Melampodium Leucanthum

Blackfoot Daisy

I photographed this Blackfoot Daisy at the LBJ Wildflower Center. As a member of the Aster family, it resembles many other Texas Wildflowers.

Turk's Cap

Turk’s Cap

This is another image taken in my studio with my white box. This time I photographed a Turk’s Cap that was growing in between some hedges in the front yard.

Big Bend National Park, Flowers

Prickly Pear Flower

I captured this Prickly Pear flower at the Big Bend NP last spring. I like prickly pear plants because they are easy to spot and they have a lot of flowers.

Big Bend National Park, Esperanza, Flowers, Tecoma stans, Trumpetbush, Trumpetflower, Yellow Bells, Yellow elder, Yellow trumpetbush, Yellow trumpetflower, Yellowbells

Yellow Bells

We stopped alongside one of the park roads during last spring’s trip to Big Bend National Park where I captured this photograph of some Yellow Bells.

McKinney Falls State Park

False Dayflower

The False Dayflower is one of my favorite flowers. I like it mostly because the petals and stamens together give the flower the appearance of having a face.

Daylily

Daylily Flower

Daylilies are perennial plants, whose Daylily name insinuates that the Daylily flower typically does not last more than 24 hours. They do tend to wilt fast.

Bird Blind, CITE2, Carduus austrinus, Cirsium texanum Buckley, Cirsium texanum var. stenolepis, Pedernales Falls State Park, Texas Thistle

Texas Thistle

I captured this image of a Texas Thistle during my outing to the Pedernales Falls SP. A majestic plant with bright purple flowers is a magnet for insects.

Eastern Purple Coneflower - LBJ WFC

Roadside Flowers

My maternal grandparents loved the LBJ family and, like Lady Bird Johnson, my grandmother loved wildflowers. She wrote a poem titled “Roadside Flowers”.

Castilleja indivisa, Entireleaf Indian Paintbrush, Indian Paintbrush, LBJ Wildflower Center, Scarlet Paintbrush, Texas Indian Paintbrush, Texas Paintbrush

Texas Paintbrush

This photograph of a Texas Paintbrush is another one in the series that I captured while attending the Plant Identification course at the LBJ Wildflower Center.

Double-banded Bycid, LBJ Wildflower Center, Rattlesnake-weed, Sphaenothecus bivittata Dupont - Sphaenothecus bivittatus

Longhorn

I signed up for a Plant ID course at the LBJ Wildflower Center. I ran across this Double-banded Bycid hanging out on this Wild Carrot head during an outing.

Big Bend National Park, Flowers

Tree Cholla

I returned from my trip to Big Bend NP with hundreds of photos to process. In the meantime, I’ll share a Tree Cholla flower that we found along Highway 118.

Big Bend National Park, Ocotillo Field, Sunset

Big Bend #4

We usually stop at the “Ocotillo Fields” near the park entrance to photograph the sunset on our first day at the Park. The official road is Texas Highway 118 and it’s named “Panther Junction Road”.

ALCAC, Allium acetabulum, Allium canadense var. ovoideum, Allium canadense var. robustum, Allium continuum, Bull Creek, Canada onion, Meadow garlic, Wild Onion, Wild onion

Wild Onion Blooms

You know it’s spring in Texas when you smell the Wild Onions. This is especially true if you are near a field that is being mowed, the aroma is amazing.

Red Poppy

Red Poppies

Red Poppies are not native to Texas. I normally only photograph Texas Wildflowers but the scene was so nice that I decided it would make a good photograph.

Castilleja indivisa, Entireleaf Indian Paintbrush, Indian Paintbrush, McKinney Falls State Park, Scarlet Paintbrush, Texas Indian Paintbrush, Texas Paintbrush

Natural Paintbrush

Spring in Texas is the best time of year. Temperatures are pleasant and the wildflowers are in full bloom. Among the colorful flowers is the Texas Paintbrush.

Aster, Asteraceae, Bitterweed, Four-nerve daisy, Hymenoxys, Pedernales Falls State Park, Stemmy four-nerve daisy, Tetraneuris scaposa var. scaposa

Bitter and Blue

This image of a Bitterweed in the foreground and the Texas Bluebonnet in the background was taken at Pedernales Falls State Park near the Bird Blind.

Flowers, LBJ Wildflower Center

Bluebonnet Time!

Spring is just around the corner which for us Texans means that it’s Texas Bluebonnet time! This year, we are seeing Bluebonnet blooms much earlier than usual.

Clematis lanuginosa

Clematis

I planted a vine 9 years ago and each year the vine blooms with giant purple flowers. I never researched what I planted. It turns out it is a Clematis,

Big Bend National Park, Havard's fiddleleaf, Nama havardii, Sierra Del Chino

Fiddleleaf

The flower below, Havard’s fiddleleaf (Nama havardii) was one of the flowers that was new to my collection and is a rare plant as well.

Acacia constricta, Big Bend National Park, Sierra Del Chino, Vachellia constricta, Vachellia constricts, Whitethorn Acacia

Thorny

This thorny plant was pointed out to me by a friend during our trip to BBNP. We completed our sunrise shoot and turned our attention to flowering plants.

Big Bend National Park, Mule Ears, Sunset

Sotol

The Sotol plant is very prominent throughout the Big Bend NP. It was during a trip to the park that I photographed the now dead and empty stalk.

Big Bend National Park, Flowers, Lost Mine Trail

Gold Cobblestone

I was hiking the Lost Mine Trail in the Big Bend National Park the other day with some friends and I noticed this wonderful Gold Cobblestone Lichen.

Bamboo in the Garden of Eden

Bamboo

Bamboo is an amazing plant. It’s not only the largest member of the grass family but it is also the fastest growing plant in the world.

Sunflower Goldeneye

Golden

This is another image of the same Western Honey Bee (also known as European Honey Bee) that was part of my “Western” post the other day. I titled this one “Golden”.

Honey Bee, Sunflower Goldeneye

Western

I posted a Bee and Sunflower Tryptic made of images of flowers that are growing around the property and the Western Honey Bees harvesting the pollen.

Bee amd Flower Triptych

Triptych

I decided to take a walk around the house to see if there was something interesting to shoot when I walked by a bunch of Sunflower Goldeneye flowers.

Walnut Creek Park

Sweat

I posted an image last week of Maximilian, a Maximilian Sunflower that was sporting a very nice creature. This is a different kind of creature. My best guess is that this is a Sweat Bee

Walnut Creek Park

Maximilian

Maximilian was the only monarch of the Second Mexican Empire. But that’s not the Maximilian I wanted to showcase. It’s the Maximilian Sunflower that is the subject of this post.

Texas Gayfeather, Walnut Creek Park

Bikes and Flowers

I was invited by a friend of mine to do an unusual combination of mountain biking and Texas Wildflower photography. Bikes and flowers don’t normally go together.

Rock Rose

Rock-n-Rose

Well, it’s not really Rock-n-Rose but rather Rock Rose. This flower (Pavonia lasiopetala) is a native Texas Wildflower.

Quartet

Quartet

There was a flower arrangement that was about to start wilting so I decided to take this quartet of purple mums into my light box and capture them for posterity.

Echinocereus dasyacanthus Engelm., Golden rainbow hedgehog, Spiny Hedgehog Cactus, Spiny hedgehog cactus, Texas rainbow cactus, Yellow Pitaya

Fruit Rollups

The Spiny Hedge Hog is found throughout Texas. I found this specimen during my trip to Big Bend earlier this year. The stigma looks like fruit rollups.

Cactus apple, Opuntia engelmannii Salm-Dyck ex Engelm. var. engelmannii, Prickly Pear Cactus

Prickly Baby

I was hiking In Big Bend when I ran across this Engelmann’s Prickly Pear Cactus on the way to see Cattail Falls. I was fond of this little prickly baby bud.

Lepachys columnaris, Lepachys columnifera, Long-headed coneflower, Mexican Hat, Mexican hat, Prairie coneflower, Ratibida columnaris, Ratibida columnaris var. pulcherrima, Red-spike mexican-hat, Rudbeckia columnaris, Rudbeckia columnifera, Thimbleflower, Upright prairie coneflower

Mexican Hat

On of my favorite Texas Wildflowers is the Mexican Hat. Not only do I think that the name is cool but so is the flower.

Soaptree Yucca, Yucca elata

Soapy Asparagus

I’m sure the title “Soapy Asparagus” conjures up terrible childhood memories. The combination of soap and asparagus is not something any of us care to think about. But, those words are not what they seem.

Buffalo Cactus

During my recent trip to Buffalo I was able to visit the Buffalo Botanical Gardens in addition to visiting the Basilica. My favorite part of the tour was the cactus exhibit. I named this one Buffalo Cactus.

Firewheel, Gaillardia pulchella, Gaillardia pulchella Foug., Indian Blanket

Indian Blanket

Indian Blanket is one of my favorite Texas Wildflowers. It grows in the late spring and early summer and is one of the more colorful wildflowers in this area.

Cactus apple, Opuntia engelmannii Salm-Dyck ex Engelm. var. engelmannii, Prickly Pear Cactus

Very Prickly

While doing some editing I ran across this Engelmann’s Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia engelmannii var. engelmannii) and I thought this very prickly image would make a good post.

Rain Lilly

Rain Lily

I spotted this Rain Lily (Cooperia pedunculata) back in May growing in the wild area of my property. I was about to have knee surgery so I could not kneel down to shoot it.