Plants

Bitter Aloe

/ Pat / 2 Comments

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The water lily/lotus blossoms are slow to open on my early morning trips to the botanical garden, probably wanting to sleep in until the sun is a bit higher in the sky. Consequently I haven’t spent as much time and focus at the lily ponds, instead moving through other parts of the garden and noticing other flowers in bloom.

There were several clumps of these Bitter Aloe blooms in the succulent garden and their hot, bright color drew me right in. I took several shots from different angles and this was instantly my favorite. This photograph documents the artistic flare of the head horticulturalists that design the beds. In coming blogs I will be focusing on beds of foliage plants that combine beautiful coloring and texture.

 

Travel Theme: Delicate

/ Pat / 19 Comments

I only had to travel as far as the botanical gardens down the road to find this delicate looking plant. I believe it is cyperus, it is growing on the edge of the lily pond. I was drawn to this plant as the morning sun was reflecting golden off the stems and base of the fonts. It looked so delicate and graceful as it swayed in the gentle breeze.

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There are many interpretations of delicate. To see some of them or to share yours, go to:

http://wheresmybackpack.com/2013/11/01/travel-theme-delicate/

 

Beauty thru my Lens: Geometric Designs

/ Pat / 12 Comments

I have had a lot of fun taking pictures of plants that have strong structural lines. Sometimes a plant can be beautiful to look at but I have a hard time capturing the beauty with my camera. The resulting images can be disappointing but this particular plant did not disappoint. I love the way the leaves create beautiful lines and the dramatic way they catch the light. I haven’t been able to identify most of the plants but will update the post as I learn. I couldn’t decide which image I liked the best so I included two.

The next image is of a palm font. This also has a dramatic way of reflecting light and was fun to photograph. There wasn’t much I could do in editing to make it more dramatic.

Here is the palm that it grows on.

On two different days, I admired the combination of these blue and yellow flowers but the images I took didn’t have the same impact that they did when I was standing by them. Then I noticed the piece of fence and decided to photograph that with the flowers. The geometric lines of fence was just what I needed to emphasize the delicate beauty of these flowers and the beautiful color combination.