by hankinslawrenceimages | Sep 14, 2016 | Asteraceae Family, Flowers, Wildflowers
Last month I paid a quick visit to Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA. One of the new to me plants to photograph on that trip was some Imperial Star Artichokes (cynara scolymus). When I think about artichokes – I picture dipping delicious artichoke leaves in butter – not wonderful purple flowers! So you can imagine my surprise when I saw these wonderful plants and realized what fun they would be to photograph.
Imperial Star Artichoke – cynara scolymus © 2016 Patty Hankins
Imperial Star Artichoke – cynara scolymus © 2016 Patty Hankins
Imperial Star Artichoke – cynara scolymus © 2016 Patty Hankins
Imperial Star Artichoke – cynara scolymus © 2016 Patty Hankins
Imperial Star Artichoke – cynara scolymus © 2016 Patty Hankins
Imperial Star Artichoke – cynara scolymus © 2016 Patty Hankins
The more I looked at the artichokes at the garden – I realized they reminded me of thistle plants. Turns out both artichokes and thistles are members of the aster family! Who knew.
So to go along with my photos of the Imperial Star Artichokes, I thought I’d share a photo of a purple thistle (cirsium horridulum) I took in the Everglades National Park in Florida a few years ago.
Purple Thistle – cirsium horridulum © 2016 Patty Hankins
by hankinslawrenceimages | Sep 6, 2010 | Flowers, Wildflowers
I’ve spent the past couple of weeks editing photos and getting ready for my fall show season. I really haven’t done much photographing. The other day, I woke up wanting to photograph wildflowers. The problem was – I wasn’t sure where to go to find some at this time of year in the Bethesda area. I finally ended up just driving along a few roads until I spotted some wildflowers along the roadside. I was really surprised at the variety of flowers I could find in a couple of spots along the roads in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Here’s what I found the other day
Blue Stemmed Goldenrod – solidago caesia
(c) 2010 Patty Hankins
Field Thistle – cirsium discolor
(c) 2010 Patty Hankins
Ox-Eye Daisy – Leucanthemun vulgare
(c) 2010 Patty Hankins
Chicory – cichorium intybus
(c) 2010 Patty Hankins
Common Dayflower – commelina communis
(c) 2010 Patty Hankins
Horse Nettle – solanum carolinense
(c) 2010 Patty Hankins
If you decide to photograph wildflowers along the roadsides where you live – be sure to pull your car completely off the road – and photograph along the shoulders of the road. As wonderful as the wildflowers are – you don’t want to create a traffic hazard or cause an accident when you are photographing them.
