One flower that I have been hoping to take some great photographs of is the Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia Reginae). I’ve taken many photos of Bird of Paradise at various botanical gardens, but until recently, hadn’t managed any photos that I was really happy with.

While visiting Longwood Gardens in October, I photographed the Bird of Paradise flowers in the Conservatory. I was surprised to see what looked like two flowers growing from one stalk since I’d never seen them growing like that before.

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

About a month later, I returned to Longwood Gardens – and finally took some pretty spectacular photos of the Bird of Paradise flowers. There were several plants that had multiple flowers on a one stem. I spoke with one of the gardening staff and at Longwood – and she showed me several of the twin flowering plants. The staff at Longwood Gardens is wonderful – they’re always happy to answer questions about what they’re growing.

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

I then took several photographs of individual Bird of Paradise flowers. I don’t ever recall seeing so many of these flowers in such great condition.

Bird of Paradise I (c) 2009 Patty Hankins

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

Having finally gotten the type of photograph I’ve been wanting to create – I tried photographing the flowers from different angles. Here’s one close in photo showing the intricate details of the petals.

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

And finally – my favorite photograph of the Bird of Paradise flower. This blossom was growing quite low to the ground compared to most of the other ones. So I tried photographing it from above. I love the way the petals resemble the flames on a torch – or the feathers of a bird.

Bird of Paradise II (c) 2009 Patty Hankins

I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing the photographs of the Birds of Paradise flowers as much as I enjoyed photographing them. While I’m sure I”ll take more photographs of this flower in the future, I’m not sure I’ll take photos that I like more than the ones I’ve taken recently.