by hankinslawrenceimages | Jan 5, 2013 | New Photos, Papaveraceae Family
Bleeding Hearts © 2012 Patty Hankins
I’ve recently added a new photo – Bleeding Hearts – to my Beautifulflowerpictures.com website.
Bleeding Hearts (Dicentra spectabilis) are one of my favorite spring flowers. I love seeing the heart-shaped splashes of pink and white against the greens of the garden.
The heart shaped varieties seen in gardens originated in Japan. They were introduced in England in the 1840s, and then imported to the United States. There is also a type of bleeding hearts (Dicentra exima) native to the United States. I’ve photographed the wild bleeding hearts in the mountains of Tennessee.
This photograph is available as an 8 X 18″ gallery-wrapped canvas. You can order Bleeding Hearts from my website.
by hankinslawrenceimages | Nov 17, 2012 | Asteraceae Family, Flowers, New Photos, Wildflowers
Swamp Sunflowers © 2012 Patty Hankins
I’ve recently added a new photo – Swamp Sunflowers – to my Beautifulflowerpictures.com website.
Swamp sunflowers (Helianthus angustifolius) are a bright yellow member of the Aster family. These wonderful wildflowers are found from New York to Florida, Illinois to Texas. They are related to – and often confused with – Black-Eyed Susans.
I love seeing swamp sunflowers growing in a field – or in a garden. They add a wonderful splash of bright yellow, especially in the fall, when other flowers are dying back. Here in the Washington DC area, its not unusual to find Swamp Sunflowers blooming in late October.
I’ve photographed several sets of Swamp Sunflowers this year. This set were my favorites – I loved the contrast of the bright yellow flowers against the red and green leaves of a nearby shrub.
This photograph is available as either at 15 X 12″ or 26 X 20″ gallery-wrapped canvas. You can order Swamp Sunflowers from my website.
by hankinslawrenceimages | Oct 10, 2012 | Flowers, New Photos, Passifloraceae Family
Passion Flower Pair © 2012 Patty Hankins
I’ve recently added a new photo – Passion Flower Pair – to my Beautifulflowerpictures.com website.
Passion Flowers are one of the most amazing flowers I’ve photographed. Once you’ve seen a Passion Flower – it’s easy to recognize other members of the family. But if you’ve never seen a Passion Flower – and come across one – it’s not uncommon for people to have no clue what they are. When I have my photos at shows and I see people pick up a photo – and look at it as if they have no clue what it is – and then hold it out for me to identify the flower – it’s always the Passion Flower photo that they are holding. People have said it looks like everything from a space alien to an undersea anemone.
Actually, passion flowers are a tropical vine with flowers that are optimized for pollination by bees and hummingbirds. The flowers were named in the 15th and 16th century when Spanish missionaries saw symbols of the last days of Jesus Christ and his crucifixion in the blossoms.
This photograph is available as either at 18 X 12″ or 30 X 20″ gallery-wrapped canvas. You can order Passion Flower Pair from my website.
by hankinslawrenceimages | Sep 24, 2012 | Liliaceae Family, New Photos
Princess Irene Tulips © 2012 Patty Hankins
I’ve recently added a new photo – Princess Irene Tulips – to my Beautifulflowerpictures.com website.
Tulips are one of my favorite spring flowers. The Princess Irene Tulips are some of the most beautiful ones I’ve photographed. I love all the colors in the flame pattern on the petals. Until I saw the Princess Irene Tulips – I’d never seen any tulips with this many colors in them. Princess Irene Tulips are early blooming triumph tulips, growing to about 14″ tall.
This photograph is available as either at 10 X 10″ or 20 X 20″ gallery-wrapped canvas. You can order Princess Irene Tulips from my website.
by hankinslawrenceimages | Jun 23, 2012 | Flowers, Liliaceae Family, New Photos
Chili Lily © 2012 Patty Hankins
I’ve recently added a new photo – Chili Lily – to my Beautifulflowerpictures.com website.
There’s nothing like a bunch of colorful lilies to brighten your day. I’ve photographed the Chili Lilies on several occasions. With their bright pink and red petals, they always make me smile.
Chili Lilies are an oriental lily. Like most oriental lilies – they have large showy blossoms and fragrant odors. They can be grown in gardens – preferably in full sun. They frequently need to be staked to keep them growing upright.
This photograph is available as either at 10 X 10″ or 20 X 20″ gallery-wrapped canvas. You can order Chili Lily from my website.
by hankinslawrenceimages | Jun 16, 2012 | Flowers, New Photos, Papaveraceae Family, Wildflowers
Bloodroot @ 2012 Patty Hankins
I’ve recently added a new photo – Bloodroot – to my Beautifulflowerpictures.com website.
Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is one of the earliest blooming wildflowers in the Washington DC area. A member of the Papaveraceae (poppy family), it stores energy in the bulbs over the winter so is able to bloom here in late March. The blossoms last only a day or two, so it can be a challenge finding them in good enough shape to photograph. I found this bloodroot at Turkey Run Park in Virginia this spring. Bloodroot is the only member of the poppy family native to North America – where it can be found from Nova Scotia to Florida, and as far west as Manitoba and Nebraska.
Bloodroot is known for it’s bright red juice. Native Americans used the juice for painting their faces, and as a dye for baskets and clothing. Early European settlers used it to dye wool. Medicinally, bloodroot was used as a blood purifier and to treat everything from cancer to repelling insects. Most modern herbalists recommend use of bloodroot only under medical supervision, since it can be deadly.
A recent use for bloodroot is fighting plaque. An extract from the plant, sanguinarine, when used in mouthwash and toothpaste can fight gum disease.
This photograph is available as either at 10 X 10″ or 20 X 20″ gallery-wrapped canvas. You can order Bloodroot from my website.
