Inner Lens

Desert Globe Mallow

2009-09-25T15:51:00.000-06:00

I thought I might have to sit this one out - even though I chose the color for Flower Fest's Orange you glad it's a new color? - especially since I didn't have the time to make my third attempt at a watercolor (first and second attempts). But my archives came to my rescue.

Desert Globe Mallow, Arches National Park, Utah

I came across these bright flowers in Utah's Arches National Park last year. They are called Desert Globe Mallow and belong to the Malvaceae family. The botanical name for this globe mallow is Sphaeralcea coccinea. It can be found in semi-desert and arid regions.

I also came across another species of the globe mallow called Sphaeralcea leptophylla. The flowers are orange but the leaves are longer and narrower.

This is my entry to Flower Fest's Orange you glad it's a new color?

Wild Bergamot or Purple Bee Balm

2009-08-25T17:30:00.001-06:00

Purple bee balm stole the show on one of our summer hikes in Boulder Mountain Park.

Monarda fistula

Also known as wild bergamot.

This was a gorgeous sight on an otherwise rocky and dry trail. Two lush carpets of purple, wild bergamot and purple mountain harebells. What a treat!

This is my entry to Flower Fest's Purplicious.

YIP.::.Day 6.::.Breakfast

2009-04-10T00:13:00.002-06:00

Medha made breakfast today and then wanted a picture of her waffles, all stacked, with a dab of butter and as she poured syrup over them. "Just like in the magazines, Mumma!" she said.

This isn't just like in the magazines but it will do. Cos she's happy.

YIP.::.Day 5.::.Adaptive Reuse

2009-04-08T16:01:00.002-06:00

Once a church, now a home.
Built in 1904
Downtown Louisville

you must see it like this

(Thanks for the texture)

YIP.::.Day 4.::.Boulder Public Library

2009-04-08T15:58:00.002-06:00

...was not part of the to-do list today. The Louisville library was. She needed to have borrowed "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" two weeks ago and have been done reading it by now. She needs it for a school related extra-curric activity. When she looked up its availability at Lousiville, she read it wrong. All copies were checked out and only the sequel was available. A downloadable electronic audio copy is available so while I was figuring out whether I needed a key to be able to do that, her Dad got busy and confirmed that Boulder had the book and that we had an hour to get there as the library closed at 6.

20 mins in the opposite direction to Boulder, 1 photo, 25 mins back to Broomfield, one happy and relieved child. When will she learn to keep track of her own assignments?

YIP.::.Day 3.::.Wintry

2009-01-03T23:45:00.000-07:00

Rime on the trees on our way down from Eldora.

YIP.::.Day 2.::.Circumhorizontal Arcs

2009-01-02T23:25:00.000-07:00

YIP.::.Day 1.::.A Delicious New Year to you all

2009-01-01T23:20:00.002-07:00

10 peaks not 12. Imagine the other two.

(I am going to start adding my YIPs here. Until I catch up, the posts will be back-dated to the date of the YIP.)

Swept Away: The Making of

2008-02-06T21:38:00.000-07:00

This post is long overdue! Thanks to everyone who voted for my pic, aptly named by Nupur, as the Tsunami in a Martini glass!

I have long been an admirer of Martin Waugh's Liquid Sculpture. I can literally spend hours gazing at his work, wondering, imagining, being inspired - how can one not be inspired by Big Wet Red One - and having nothing come out of it...

Much has been written on liquid art, liquid sculpture and high-speed photography. Most of it is quite advanced and requires special equipment like external flashes, strobes, high quality macro lens, a tripod and so on. I could never do justice to an image of liquid art with my now 6 year old Sony DSC-S85, a 4.1 MP camera. It may be possible with the better P&S cameras today but I do think a digital SLR camera makes a huge difference. Of the equipment listed on these various web resources, I had only the following:
A Sony A100 (digital SLR with the kit lens), with an on-camera flash
A very standard non-fancy tripod
Lots of daylight, even in winter (thank you, Colorado)
Lots of determination
and nothing else. So no external flash or strobes or fancy lights or an expensive macro lens.

I have read of people having an elaborate set up in their garage to take high speed shots of water. It would take me months to clear out my garage so I opted for my kitchen sink instead. And it was the only time that I ever felt that I should have had a white ceramic sink instead of stainless steel. I laid down a white cutting board in the sink, put a martini glass on it, which I filled with water from the faucet right above. I used a small bounce above the kitchen sink to prevent reflections of the shades and all the junk that accumulates there. I opened up the shades to allow as much daylight as I could handle - the sun was making its descent and shone right into my eyes. Not fun. I also placed a large styrofoam sheet to the right of the kitchen sink, against the cabinets, to reflect the sunlight. I then adjusted the aperture and shutter speed until I had a reasonably good looking image, like so:

This image has only been resized to 1200px by 803px and is otherwise SOOC (straight out of the camera). The readings that worked for me at this point were:
Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 40 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0/10 EV
Flash: Flash fired

The stainless steel kitchen sink actually appeared to work as it reflected the flash! I also adjusted the level of the flash. Unfortunately, that does not seem to be recorded anywhere or at least not in a place that I can read it off easily. But that does not matter as the flash will have to be adjusted for each setup individually.

Then, I turned on the faucet into a very steady drip, such that there was a reasonable delay between each drop. And I kept adjusting my settings and focus until I got this:

Not much change in anything but focal length.
Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 70 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0/10 EV
Flash: Flash fired

But that's when I knew that I would get somewhere with this. I was lucky enough to have lemons at home! Meyer lemons, they were, too! A little bit of fun with Photoshop gave me this:

But more on that later! After this, it was toss, throw and click with the flash turned on. Repeat. I ended up many variants of these, many of which had no lemon in the frame!

After about 100 attempts, I looked through what I had and I liked three. I cropped them and for each, I made a stack of layers with a different blend method in Photoshop until I liked what I saw. The smaller image on the right in the diptych is the result, the larger image on the left is SOOC.

To the last one, I applied the Urban Acid (zip file) action in Photoshop to give it a green cast and deepen the shadows.

This action mimics a cross-processing technique used in some glamour, fashion, and urban photography. It skews and saturates colors, while dramatically increasing contrast. The action does all this by creating an aggressive curves adjustment layer (which is user adjustable). Secondly, the action creates a black layer which can be used to desaturate/mute the colors. This can be accomplished by changing the opacity of the layer.

This last one is my favorite.

I was quite thrilled when it got a thumbs up from Lara Ferroni of Still Life With for January's theme: Cheers.

And then I was overwhelmed and really really touched when I found out that the judges for Click: Liquids had selected the first of the these three for the Spectra (first place) and Concept Awards. And the cherry was when all of you voted for it and gave it the Reader's Choice Award. You have no idea how this makes me feel! Yay! Thank you all very much!

Other liquid art resources:
Mike's High Speed Photography
LeggNet's How To: High Speed Splash Photography
Stunning High Speed Liquid Photography

Interestingness in my images

2007-12-31T14:04:00.000-07:00

1. citrus goodness
2. Beauty
3. A spring morning at the lake
4. The Eye (North Window, aglow)
5. Hop On the Green Bus
6. Fibonacci sequence?
7. Magic Moment in Maine
8. The sky's afire
9. Gaillardia

According to Flickr, that is.

Rule of Thirds

2007-11-18T15:44:00.000-07:00

The Rule of Thirds is the first mantra that is thrust upon anyone even remotely interested in the art of photography.

The rule states that an image can be divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines. The four points formed by the intersections of these lines can be used to align features in the photograph. Proponents of this technique claim that aligning a photograph with these points creates more tension, energy and interest in the photo than simply centering the feature would.

Take a look at this photograph I took several years ago in Cape Ann, MA.

The horizon sits in the middle of the picture and gives it a very static feeling, when in fact the setting sun has cast a wonderful glow and there is gentle movement in the water. A simple crop that places the horizon near the top of the middle third instead of the middleat the bottom of the upper third dramatically improves the photograph.

With the grid

Without the grid

I used to have a strong preference to press the shutter on a perfectly composed image with ideal in-camera settings. One that does not need any touch up. But then I was introduced to photography greats like Man Ray. Man Ray was indeed ahead of his times. He used various techniques to deliver the effect he had in mind. He jumped through hoops to achieve the effect of solarization, which can be done in a few keystrokes today using Photoshop or Gimp. If I had to use Man Ray's techniques to produce this picture, it would be prohibitively expensive and not worth the time. I did this in less than 15 minutes, from actually taking the image, processing it and uploading it. I have since given up any such pretensions and now, I do crop my images, adjust the levels and apply several post processing techniques. And especially so when I understood that adjusting the settings on my camera before taking the picture is actually in-camera processing. If I were to shoot in RAW, then everything would be post-processing. That is not to say that it is very exhilarating to find a perfect image coming out of the camera.

But, back to rules...

Like every rule, this Rule of Thirds also begs to be broken with an image where the subject or the focus of the photo is in the center. And, it's very simple to create an image like that. But to break the rule and create an image that's good? That's the tough part.

I've been looking for opportunities to break this rule and I think I made a reasonable attempt with my effort for CLICK: Noodles.

bulleye with grid

bullseye

What do you think?

Fall Surprises

2007-10-28T01:24:00.000-06:00

Found this in one of my flower beds while cleaning up the yard last weekend.

It was about 3 inches in diameter. And hollow inside.

I've never seen a mushroom like this before.

Fall is full of surprises!

In search of gold

2007-09-30T23:24:00.000-06:00

According to Mike of 7 News / The Denver Channel, "this weekend and next weekend will be the peak time for viewing fall color. So what are you waiting for? Get outside and enjoy Colorado's gold splendor." Who are we to argue with Mike?! Besides, I love the list of short and long drives that he has collated! So we set out earlier this morning with #2 of Mike's short drives as our ultimate destination. In search of Colorado Gold.

From Louisville, we drove through Boulder to Ward via Lee Hill Drive. Yes! Ward, the town with old dilapidated trucks and broken down cars. I quickly took as many pictures as I could - most of which will appear on my Flickr photostream soon, I promise - and headed further up C-72 to meet C-7 on the Peak to Peak Highway. The views are gorgeous but there were only a few splotches of color along the way, as rock and pines line the route. It also did not help that my beloved drives at or over the speed limit, making it difficult for me to say: Stop! I want to take pictures of that...whizzzzz! It's gone. Forget it!

By the time I saw the lovely church, it too was just a memory.

But, we hold our breath each time we see this for the first time. No matter how many times we have seen it before.

As you can see, the sky was the beautiful blue that we are so used to in Colorado and nary a cloud. We stopped for some spectacular views of Longs Peak and then turned off on Marys Lake Road.

Marys Lake was the best route into town for us as our insides had developed a longing for the best sandwiches in Estes Park. At The Other Side, of course. The wind was whipping around by then but that did not deter us from going higher in elevation!

We entered Rocky Mountain National Park to find that Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous highway in the US which tops off at about 12,183 feet, was closed at Many Parks Curve. The storm that brought down branches in our area had left hail, ice and snow at the higher elevations, making it unsafe for motorists. (Trail Ridge is not closed for the season yet but Old Fall River Road is, much to Medha's relief.) I felt really bad for the guy who was headed for Lake Granby as he had to head back down to I-70. But only for a minute as he was sure to catch some Colorado Gold. Mike had said...

We headed first to Moraine Park. Just one clump of golden aspens and some elk way deep in the meadows. Having gone through some of the pictures uploaded on the 7News web site, I expected the thick grove of aspens that welcomes you to Moraine Park to be glistening in the sun. But, to my surprise, it was mostly green! I think it will be afire by next week though. Not willing to give up yet, we headed for Sprague Lake - inspired as I was by these pictures. I am sure Bear Lake would have been very scenic but we didn't want to deal with the crowds that flock to that gorgeous piece of landscape. Sprague had its share of crowds but it was tolerable. And it was here, that I took my first memorable picture of a beautful golden aspen.

We also saw a large elk bull right by the parking lot. He seemed shy and wandered away quickly. Several of us wanted to follow him but his antlers were larger than all of ours put together, so we went towards the lake instead. We watched the trout try to swim upstream from the lake back to where they came from. Or was it the lake that they came from?! A bird fished alongside fishermen who cast their bait patiently into the lake. It was all very wonderful. It soon became magical when we chanced upon this...

Serendipitous!

The ducks were doing their best to seek shelter in the reeds from the blustery wind. They fluffed up their feathers, screwed up their eyes and hunkered down.

The lake glistened and well, this is as good as it got! Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining!

We really should have headed home next but Trail Ridge always beckons, even if it is only up to Many Parks Curve. And it never fails to deliver because look what we saw next! An elk bull with missing antlers!

And further down, another bull elk! They were literally coming out of the woodwork onto the roads!

We took a final pit stop at The Village Store in Estes Park...

...and we drove home via Lyons (Hwy 36) with big smiles on our faces, feeling very good about our day.

We didn't see much color but you know what? I think we found Colorado Gold.

If you would like to re-publish this Photo Essay or publish any of my images from this blog or from my Flickr photostream, please get in touch with me by email polarmate [at] gmail [dot] com.

High Key - Cracked Egg

2007-09-29T14:50:00.000-06:00

High Key is a style of lighting for film, television, or photography that aims to reduce the contrast ratio present in the scene. This was originally done partly for technological reasons, since early film and television did not deal well with high contrast ratios, but now is used to create an upbeat mood.

I was first introduced to the concept of High Key as part of an assignment on the Flickr Group Take a Class with Dave and Dave.

My submission to the assignment was a black and white high key of a cornflower.

My camera at that time was my 5 year old Sony S85, which Medha now thinks is her camera and is doing a rather great job with.

My favorite submissions from other participants in that group were this, this and this. You can see all the submissions here.

I haven't been very successful with high key in color, therefore I am rather pleased with this attempt. What do you think?

In fact, so happy am I that I am sending it as an entry for Jai and Bee's first themed photo event, Click, where surprise! surprise! the theme is Eggs!

I knew what I wanted to do but I didn't quite know how to stand up the egg without the prop showing through. Any guesses on what I used? My husband - oh! is he out of the doghouse again or what?! ;-) - came up with the solution. What would I do without him?! Cos I was close to giving up.

I used a plain sheet of discarded drawing paper as the background and curved it up a bit to eliminate all the mess that lay on my dining table. I also tried to do as much in-camera editing by setting the exposure and shutter speed so that post-processing using Adobe Photoshop was limited to cropping, minor adjusting of levels and removal of some inadvertent drops of water that dampened the background paper as they were added to the cracked egg to make it flow over.

Camera: Sony DSLR A100
Lens: Kit lens 3.5-5.6/18-70 (birthday's coming up! Need to drop hints starting now! But I have to admit that for a kit lens, this lens rocks!)
Focal length: 70mm
Aperture: f6.3
Exposure time: 1/30
ISO: 400
White Balance: Sunny
Metering Mode: Spot
Post processing: Adobe CS

Utah: Where the Ancients Once Roamed

2007-09-08T12:27:00.000-06:00

On the spur of the moment - a euphemism for "we took too long to decide and got the last available room" - we drove to Moab, Utah for the long weekend. We pulled a reluctant Medha out of school - yes, she's crazy like that - and headed for the oven that was the high desert of Utah, where surface temperatures are 20-25F more than the air temperature. Our neighbors hid their smiles when we told them we were going. It was 100F in Moab all weekend long but we were armed with all the frozen water in the world and we had an incredible weekend.

The land formations are so unique and mind-blowing that the whole weekend was akin to a very spiritual experience, not unlike the one at the Grand Canyon. Where you are looking at millions of years of history of the Earth. Where it is driven home just how insiginficant man is. If there is a God, then this is the closest thing to being with God.

On a good day, Arches National Park, near Moab, Utah, is just 5 and half hours away from Louisville, Colorado. The park is filled with sandstone formations sculpted by the forces of nature - sun, wind, snow, rain and rock upheavals due to an unstable underground salt bed - into fins, balanced rocks and over 2000 arches.

The North Window

The Windows section has two large arches that frame the vistas behind them. They were a dull red till the sun broke out from behind the clouds. When this happens, the glowing landscape comes alive, draws you further into its magic as the play of light continues, and one can't but help wonder what the ancients made of this.

Sun Pillar at the Turret Arch

As the colors danced in the skies, I saw my first sun pillar emerge from the setting sun. This was turning into a spiritual experience for me and we had only just arrived there. Many of the ancients, especially the agrarian tribes, worshipped the sun. I wonder how they interpreted the sun pillars that shot into the evening skies.

Delicate Arch

Utah's most famous symbol, found everywhere and now prominently on vehicle license plates.

Edward Abbey, noted naturalist and author, wrote this: "There are several ways of looking at Delicate Arch. Depending on your preconceptions you may see the eroded remnants of a sandstone fin, a giant engagement ring cemented in rock, a bow-legged pair of petrified cowboy chaps, a triumphal arch for a procession of angels, an illogical freak, a happening.... If Delicate Arch has any significance it lies, I will venture, in the power of the odd and unexpected to startle the senses and surprise the mind out of their ruts of habit, to compel us into a reawakened awareness of the wonderful-that which is full of wonder."

The spirituality of this arch hits home when you consider that the same geological and natural forces that made this arch will also destroy it in time to come.

Balanced Rock

Balanced Rocks can be seen throughout Arches National Park. This Balanced Rock is the largest and is said to be the size of 3 schoolbuses! The caprock is made up of hard Slick rock whereas the pedestal is made of the softer Dewey Bridge mudstone. The softer pedestal weathers away more quickly than the resistant Slick rock. Eventually this formation will collapse due to the faster eroding Dewey Bridge.

Utah Juniper

Limited by lack of water, shrubs and trees must disperse in the desert to survive. Once established, these desert plants are tenacious and their roots can split rocks in their search for nutrients. Desert plants are smaller than their non-desert counterparts; their leaves furled or spiny in order to reduce surface area through which water is lost. A 30 year old tree may only be a few feet tall. The Utah juniper is often called the classic desert tree. Its twisting, often-dead branches speak vividly of life with scarce water. A juniper is known to stop the flow of fluids to its outer branches in order to give the tree a better chance for survival. Scale-covered leaves and bluish, waxy-coated berries help the tree conserve moisture. The juniper berries are actually closed cones and whether you believe me or not, the Visitor Guide to Arches National Park says "they're actually tiny pinecones". Having been chastised for repeating that, I make sure I drop the word pine!

It's hard to believe but there are wildflowers of beautiful colors in the desert. The ancients dug up roots for water and knew exactly which berries to eat and which to leave for the birds. They hunted rabbits with long ears, that reflected the harsh sun and conserved water. They, too, like the plants adapted to the desert conditions. Watch my Flickr photostream for ad nauseum pictures of this trip. As of writing this, I still have a whole bunch left to upload.

Ancient Petroglyphs

Panels of petroglyphs dating back to between 600 and 1300AD line the scenic byway 279. These are etchings or peckings into the red sandstone depicting warriors, mountain sheep, bison, deer, horsemen, snakes, rivers and geometric designs. Archaeologists believe that the older panels were the work of the Southern San Rafael Fremont, and included animals, lines of hand-holding men, triangular-bodied figures with weapons like spears and shields. The more modern petroglyphs are the work of the Ute, with less attention to detail and less weathering than those of the Fremont.

Dead Horse Point

Dead Horse Point is a spectacular natural corral that towers 2000ft over the Colorado River as it goosenecks through the landscape of pinnacles and buttes it has carved over millions of years. In a state park by the same name, it is about 40 miles from Moab.

Dead Horse Point is on a mesa or plateau at an altitude of 6000ft. We were quite comfortable breathing there as we live at 5500ft.

"From the point, layers of geologic time may be viewed, revealing 300 million years of the Earth's geologic history. While standing on the canyon rim, 8000ft of geologic strata is visible looking from the peaks of the 12000ft La Sal Mountains to the river below. These rock layers were deposited over the eons by oceans, fresh water and wind, as well as igneous events" (From the Visitor Guide to Dead Horse Point State Park).

The name has arisen from a legend that cowboys would herd wild mustangs that roamed the mesa into this natural corral, linked to the main plateau by a neck only 30 yards wide, and then close off the neck with brush and branches. They would then select the horses they wanted. On one occasion, they left the horses they did not want corralled on the waterless point and these magnificient horses died of thirst looking down at the Colorado River, 2000ft below.

Green River and Canyonlands

Green River is one of Colorado River's main tributaries that begins in the Wind River Range of Wyoming. It is known to gooseneck for over 5 miles while moving ahead only 1 linear mile.

"Evidence of Utah’s ancient inhabitants can be found in the Green River Utah Basin, which was once home to the Fremont Culture. The Fremont Native Americans were a semi-nomadic people, who were known for their distinctive pottery, figurines and rock art which can be found on canyon walls and in overhangs throughout the river basin. They inhabited the area from 600 A.D. to 1200A.D. Years later, the Utes would occupy the Green River Utah Basin. Today, they still inhabit the area. Their reservation is in the Uinta Basin." (From Destination 360)

View a Slideshow of these images and click through to the photo page to View them Large on Black.

If you would like to re-publish this Photo Essay or publish any of my images from this blog or from my Flickr photostream, please get in touch with me by email polarmate [at] gmail [dot] com.

Survival

2007-08-14T00:34:00.000-06:00

On our hike to Ouzel Falls, we saw trees that live literally on the edge. It's almost the norm here in Colorado, especially given the terrain. Here's a picture of a pine tree spreading its roots to survive.

Flower Fest - W for White Silene

2007-08-10T10:34:00.001-06:00

Originally a native of Europe, I found these teeny white campions on a cold late summer morning in Tiny Town, Colorado, which is at about 8500 ft in altitude. It can be an invasive weed, depending on where it is found.

White campion or silene latifolia has male and female plants. Below is a female plant with female flowers.

And, the plant to the left in the picture below is a male plant with flowers.

White campion contains saponins which are toxic but since they are poorly absorbed by our body, they don't cause much harm. When the root is simmered in hot water, it can be used as a soap substitute for washing clothes.

The plant grows up to 3ft in height and the flowers are between 1/2 inch to 1 inch in diameter. It flowers between June and September.

This is my entry for the letter W in the Flower Fest - the A - Z of Flowers.

Flower Fest is the brainchild of Nature & Me and Sree. Every two weeks, the focus will be on a letter of the English alphabet. The current letter is V. I am submitting photographs of flowers as my entries.

Tags: Flower Fest, White Campion, Silene latifolia

Mushrooms!

2007-08-07T00:32:00.000-06:00

We hiked to Ouzel Falls (9450 ft) from the Wild Basin Trailhead (8500 ft) this weekend. It is 2.7 miles to the falls and the hike is rather moderate till Calypso Cascades Falls, after which it is a steady climb to Ouzel Falls. The next series of posts will have pictures of wildflowers, hillsides, waterfalls and the gorgeous vistas along the way. Ouzel Falls are on the east side of the Continental Divide.

Here come the mushrooms...

We thought it was either a small frisbee or a plastic lid that someone had carelessly tossed away. It was almost 8 inches in diameter and a glorious orange-red.

We spied this curious collection of fungi when we stopped for a brief respite.

Toadstool was what came to mind when I saw this one.

Some more without a stem. Another view of these mushrooms.

If you can identify these, please leave me a comment with more information.

A walk around the yard

2007-07-28T16:11:00.000-06:00

A walk around the yard today revealed the first of my rudbeckia blooms. They're small and need to be transplanted and they look like some bug is rather happy with them, too!

And a rose bud. Not enough to make gulkand but a rose nevertheless!

Some mint that has flowered. Not a great picture but the blooms are every teeny and this is without a macro lens.

Some lingering sedum blooms

Pink delosperma that is threatening to take over the little bed

A bee having its fill on my Russian Sage that is bending over with the weight of the teeny blooms

And my mums are flowering early this year. They have barely grown some leaves.

That pesky but pretty mountain harebell pops its head everywhere

And some other new and unwelcome visitors this year. I didn't notice any last year. They are growing in a carpet of grass, weeds and spent Russian sage blooms.

I'm happy! This is so much better than last year!

Flower Fest - V for Verbascum Thapsus

2007-07-26T00:29:00.001-06:00

Yet another noxious weed. This time, I knew it was a weed. It had to be! I found it at the Walker Ranch on one those special days in fall when they open it up to the public. The ranch, that is. The open space around the ranch is accessible to the public year round. We were just back from a cold camping trip in the mountains and we went under-dressed for what appeared to be a gorgeous day but with cold winds blowing from the mountains. My ears couldn't bear the cold wind anymore and I returned to the car, which had been warmed by the sun. When I looked up at the sky, this is what I saw:

So, of course, I had to hop out again and brave the wind...

Known as common mullein or great mullein, this weed can grow over 7 feet tall. A wet spring can result in leaves that are as long as 20 inches.

Long dried-up brown stalks are a common sight by late fall. This plant is not native to the US but is found all over the continental US!

Wikipedia notes that it has been used since ancient times as a remedy for skin, throat and breathing ailments. It has long had a medicinal reputation, especially as an astringent and emollient. It contains mucilage, several saponins, coumarin and glycosides. Dioscorides recommended it for diseases of the lung and it is nowadays widely available in health and herbal stores. Non-medical uses have included dyeing and making torches.

This is my entry for the letter V in the Flower Fest - the A - Z of Flowers.

Flower Fest is the brainchild of Nature & Me and Sree. Every two weeks, the focus will be on a letter of the English alphabet. The current letter is V. I am submitting photographs of flowers as my entries.

Tags: Flower Fest, Verbsacum Thapsus, Mullein

Flower Fest - S for Snow-in-Summer

2007-05-30T13:24:00.000-06:00

Last year I was looking for some attractive ground cover for my so-called attempt at a 'rock garden' when I chanced upon beautiful silvery gray-green foliage that came with the promise of white dainty blooms in early summer. It was only after I bought some that I found them growing wild at almost every corner of the trails I walked on! And needless to say, it's considered an invasive plant!

Snow-in-Summer or Cerastium tomentosum are perennials that reseed every year. They thrive in well-drained poor soil and are drought-tolerant. That explains why they grow so profusely around here!

They are called Snow-in-Summer because bloom profusely from late spring to early summer and the teeny white flowers look like a matt of white snow on the silvery foliage. I just have to be careful that it doesn't take over the entire bed!

This is my entry for the letter S in the Flower Fest - the A - Z of Flowers.

Flower Fest is the brainchild of Nature & Me and Sree. Every two weeks, the focus will be on a letter of the English alphabet. The current letter is S. I am submitting photographs of flowers as my entries.

Tags: Flower Fest, Snow in Summer, Cerastium tomentosum

Flower Fest - R for Rudbeckia fulgida

2007-05-17T23:53:00.000-06:00

Rudbeckia fulgida or the Black-eyed Susan, as it is commonly known, is a very popular flowering plant. It is an easy-to-grow perennial that is native to the US. It is loved for its bright yellow/orange ray florets and its cone-like head of dark disk florets.

I have some rudbeckia seedlings that are about 7 weeks old now. So when I found out that this plant spreads aggressively by both rhizomes and seed, I wondered whether I am going to have another mint on my hands!

Rudbeckia blooms from mid to late summer into fall. It does well at higher temperatures. So the hotter the summer, the more the blooms! By winter, if the flowers are allowed to go to seed, the finches will have a field day as this is their favorite food.

This is my entry for the letter R in the Flower Fest - the A - Z of Flowers.

Flower Fest is the brainchild of Nature & Me and Sree. Every two weeks, the focus will be on a letter of the English alphabet. The current letter is R. I am submitting photographs of flowers as my entries.

Tags: Flower Fest, Rudbeckia fulgida, black-eyed susan

The finches are finally here!

2007-04-25T19:48:00.000-06:00

The nest is in a wreath and was discovered over spring break. The babies hatched on Friday.

More pictures on Flickr

Picture Shopping

2007-04-21T19:30:00.000-06:00

My friend and I went 'picture shopping' today. We drove around S. Boulder Road in Louisville and Boulder, stopping to take pictures of barns. We gave in to cravings for pastries and cakes at Panera and indulged in more therapy at Kohl's. I finally have Martini glasses to enjoy the lychee-tini in! Yay!

Slideshow of Barns - some of today's pictures.

Flower Fest - P for Prairie Coneflower

2007-04-20T00:58:00.000-06:00

Also known as the Mexican Hat, the prairie coneflower is a wildflower found almost all over the US. It is a perennial, native to the US, that grows to about 3 feet in height. It is often cultivated along the roadsides as it is drought tolerant and easy to grow. So it wasn't a surprise when I found it on one of my walks last fall. It blooms in summer and lingering blooms can be found through early fall in the foothills.

The flowers of the prairie coneflower, Ratibida columnifera, are long-lasting and are excellent as cut flowers.

Apparently, the Great Plains Indians brewed a tea from the leaves and flowers of this plant. They used a decoction of leaves and stems to treat poison ivy and rattlesnake bites and took an infusion of the plant tops to treat headaches and stomach aches.

This is my entry for the letter P in the Flower Fest - the A - Z of Flowers.

Flower Fest is the brainchild of Nature & Me and Sree. Every two weeks, the focus will be on a letter of the English alphabet. The current letter is P. I am submitting photographs of flowers as my entries.

Tags: Flower Fest, Prairie Coneflower, ratibida columnifera, mexican hat

Unfair, or is it?

2007-04-18T20:35:00.000-06:00

It's so unfair. Shilpa goes on a walk and finds wild phlox or she steps out of her home and comes across these gorgeous oxalis. She shines her windows and she spies these cuties.

Me? I go for a walk and all I find are bare trees, dandelions and a purple weed.

I was lamenting on just how unfair it all was when I came across these white blossoms on a shrub
They are really really teeny. Each blossom must be under 1/2 inch. You can see the damage from the recent ice and snow.

Right next to this shrub was this budding tree:

Then a robin deigned to sit on the white fence of a horse ranch for a bit:

As if on cue, a white hawk circled over me and then perched on a tree:

So, feeling a little better, I wend my way to the car...

As the bhendi grows

2007-03-27T00:42:00.000-06:00

I have feeling this is really a bean that escaped from Jack and the Beanstalk.

Time difference between the two pictures is 4 hours. It had opened up more and was even a bit greener. It was apparent to the naked eye that this thing had grown.

Now, if only my coneflowers would germinate.

Tree Unknown - not any more!

2007-03-26T14:18:00.000-06:00

This flowering tree gets beautiful dark red to maroon leaves through summer and fall. I have no clue what it is. Now that I know what the flowers look like, I'm hoping I will be able to identify it. It is young - at the most a couple of years old - and is about 7-8 ft tall.

Another picture

Update: thanks to the ever resourceful Bee, I was able to identify my tree as the Prunus cerasifera 'Atropurpurea': Pissard Plum. It is popularly known as the Purple-leaved Plum or the Cherry Plum.

Yay! Thank you, Bee!

Flower Fest - M for Mountain Harebells

2007-03-11T01:14:00.000-07:00

Mountain harebells, from the genus Campanula are typically found in the montane and subalpine zones. It's a perennial and this particular plant was growing wild in my yard.

Mountain harebells have bell-shaped blue-violet flowers that are about an inch in length. These are also known as bluebells of Scotland.

This is my entry for the letter L in the Flower Fest - the A - Z of Flowers.

Flower Fest is the brainchild of Nature & Me and Sree. Every two weeks, the focus will be on a letter of the English alphabet. The current letter is M. I am submitting photographs of flowers as my entries.

Tags: Flower Fest, harebell, mountain harebells, campanula

Flower Fest: L for Lomatium

2007-03-01T23:14:00.000-07:00

According to SW Colorado Wildflowers, identifying Lomatiums is not the easiest task. You need both fruit and flower. I think this wildflower that I found on the Moraine Park Campground, RMNP in September 2006 is the Lomatium, also known as the Biscuitroot for their starchy edible roots. It belongs to the Apiaceae family or the parsley family. Native Americans have incorporated these roots into their food, and are eaten cooked, dried or ground into flour. Roots of some species have been used as herbal medicines and paradoxically, there are species that are also highly toxic.

This is my entry for the letter L in the Flower Fest - the A - Z of Flowers.

Flower Fest is the brainchild of Nature & Me and Sree. Every two weeks, the focus will be on a letter of the English alphabet. The current letter is M and this entry is late for L. I am submitting photographs of flowers as my entries.

Tags: Flower Fest, Lomatium, biscuitroot, flower

Flower Fest - K for Klamath Weed

2007-02-09T22:47:00.000-07:00

Never heard of Klamath Weed? Neither had I. But then I hadn't heard of many wildflowers and weeds till I moved to Colorado. But wait, this is one that everyone has heard of. Yup, it's none other than St. John's Wort. (When I first heard of St. John's Wort, I wondered why a plant would be called a wart...but that's a whole 'nother story!)

Anyway, egged on by Sree and Priya, I decided to put paint to paper a second time. Either that or slip in a picture of K Kosmos. Seriously, I grew Kosmos with a K; it was some Martha Stewart Garden brand of seeds from K-Mart - yes, that's how long ago it was. The flowers were gorgeous and some rather plain looking butterflies did come along for the nectar. But even though I found references to the flower spelled with a K, all text had it spelled as cosmos. Sree has already done a brilliant job with Cosmos for Flower-Fest - 'C', so I figured I might as well try again with paints.

I don't know what went wrong with the leaf on the right and whatever I did to correct it, only made it worse. So I gave up. Hey! It's only my second watercolor. So cut me some slack here!

Klamath weed or St. John's Wort, Hypericum perforatum, is a perennial plant found in almost all the US states at low elevations and in dry places. It is classified as a noxious and poisonous weed. It exudes oily secretions from its stems and these can cause a rash on people with sensitive skin. Ingesting large quantities of this weed can result in convulsions, palpitation and high heart rate, increased body temperature, and even blindness in both humans and animals. Paradoxically, this weed is used in herbal medication, and was recently identified as an effective treatment against some forms of depression. Huh? Everything in moderation applies to Klamath weed, too! (Reference)

Again, since it will be helpful to know what the real flower looks like, I based my watercolor on this lovely picture of the flower and plant.

This is my entry for the letter K in the Flower Fest - the A - Z of Flowers.

Flower Fest is the brainchild of Nature & Me and Sree. Every two weeks, the focus will be on a letter of the English alphabet. The current letter is K. I am submitting photographs of flowers as my entries.

Tags: Flower Fest, klamath weed, St John's Wort, hypericum, flower

Flower Fest - J for Jacob's Ladder

2007-01-27T11:39:00.000-07:00

Jacob's Ladder is a delicate, ornamental flower from a genus of 25 flowering plants called Polemonium. I think the picture below is of Jacob's Ladder but since I don't have a close-up of the flowers, I am not entirely sure. If anyone knows whether these are or are not Jacob's Ladder, please let me know!

And, so the challenge continued for J. It's been snowing every Friday or every weekend for the past 6 weeks - yes, we're already picked up 3 inches today - and the chances of going anywhere is very low, making it even more difficult to take new pictures of flowers. The writing was pretty clear on the wall that I was going to have to attempt to paint something.

Please be gentle with me. I have never done any painting in my life - except for some basic fabric painting. This is the first time I have done a watercolor. I know of no techniques and sometimes I wonder if I know how to hold a paintbrush. I used watercolor pencils and a combination of wet and damp paintbrushes to come up with my first and only masterpiece.

Since most folks will need to know what the flower really looks like, I based my watercolor on this gorgeous picture.

This is my entry for the letter J in the Flower Fest - the A - Z of Flowers.

Flower Fest is the brainchild of Nature & Me and Sree. Every two weeks, the focus will be on a letter of the English alphabet. The current letter is J. I am submitting photographs of flowers as my entries.

Tags: Flower Fest, jacob's ladder, polemonium, flower

Flower Fest - I for Iris

2007-01-09T22:45:00.000-07:00

Iris. Never really cared for these flowers. The 'hairy beard' put me off. So I never really paid any attention to these flowers. Until last spring, when I saw several buds in my yard that I did not recognize...

A walk around the neighborhood told me that I was the expectant gardener of the common iris. And when they bloomed, I was in love. The petals are so delicate and they come together so well, that I was soon overwhelmed by their true beauty.

I further realized how much I cared for these plants when they were attacked by whiteflies. Hosing them down with soap and water did not work so I had to resort to pesticides. This spring, if we ever get there, will tell whether the bulbs survived.

This is my second entry for the letter I in the Flower Fest - the A - Z of Flowers.

Flower Fest is the brainchild of Nature & Me and Sree. Every two weeks, the focus will be on a letter of the English alphabet. The current letter is I. I am submitting photographs of flowers as my entries.

Tags: Flower Fest, iris, flower

Flower Fest - I for Indian Paintbrush

2007-01-06T22:52:00.000-07:00

"What are you taking pictures of?! That's a weed! Visit me in Illinois and I will show you the same thing in my backyard! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

He was joking, of course; mocking me in an attempt to keep me from lagging behind on one of our hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park. He's a dear friend, too, which is one of the reasons why I did not throw the nearest rock at him. The other reason being that I had just laid eyes on a wildflower that I had never seen before. I didn't know if it was a flower or if what I was looking at was a complex set of leaves which enclosed a flower. I am so glad I stopped to take pictures because what I had found was the Indian Paintbrush.

And, according to Southwest Colorado Wildflowers, I was kind of correct that the flowers are "actually leaf-like parts, the bracts and sepals. The flower petals themselves are fused in a long, narrow tube that is often greenish-yellow and tipped in the same color as the showy bracts and sepals. The reproductive parts protrude from the tube."

The Indian Paintbrush is parasitic in nature. It taps into the roots of a host plant for its nutrients. I first realized I had taken pictures of the Indian Paintbrush when I came across it in a plant catalog for plants native to Colorado. It is often sold with a plug of blue gramma grass, another Colorado native that does well in the dry semi-arid conditions. While generally not recommended for normal landscaping, the Indian Paintbrush finds its place in xeriscaping.

The Indian Paintbrush blooms in late spring and through summer. It does well in hot desert like conditions, in full sun and sandy soil. It is found in montane and subalpine regions of Colorado. I think that the Indian Paintbrush in my pictures is Castilleja miniata, the second most commonly found species.

There is a wonderful native American legend behind this flower. The genus takes its name "Castilleja" from Domingo Castillejo, Spanish botanist and Professor of Botany in Cadiz, Spain who lived in the 1700s.

This is my first entry for the letter I in the Flower Fest - the A - Z of Flowers.

Flower Fest is the brainchild of Nature & Me and Sree. Every two weeks, the focus will be on a letter of the English alphabet. The current letter is I. I am submitting photographs of flowers as my entries.

Tags: Flower Fest, Indian Paintbrush, Castellija

Flower Fest - H for Helianthus annuus

2007-01-02T20:07:00.000-07:00

Helianthus annuus is none other than the common sunflower. "Helios" means sun and "anthos" means flower in Greek, therefore sunflower. I grew the Autumn Beauty in my flower bed in Illinois. It almost touched the second floor of my home!

The sunflower belongs to the Asteraceae family and there are so many cultivars as well as wild sunflowers that it is hard for this newbie to assimilate all that information! Colorado has several wild sunflowers. There are alpine sunflowers that hug the ground and the flowers are very small compared to the annual in my pictures. These flowers were almost 12in in diameter. I grew them from seed and it reseeded itself over 3 years. Autumn Beauty is not supposed to be tall. Mine was. Autumn Beauty has flower heads about 6 inches in diameter. Mine reached 12 inches. So either I had the wrong seeds or these were an exception!

The pattern on the flower head always intrigued me. And apparently it is not a random pattern. the number of disk flowers follow a Fibonacci sequence!

Lore has it that the Native Americans selected and planted the largest seeds, producing a much larger seed than the wild plant had. The Russians then developed it further and the Russian varieties were then reintroduced in USA. The sunflower is now cultivated for food, oil, fiber and even fuel. Amazing how such a common flower has so many uses!

This is my second entry for the letter H in the Flower Fest - the A - Z of Flowers.

Flower Fest is the brainchild of Nature & Me and Sree. Every two weeks, the focus will be on a letter of the English alphabet. The current letter is H. I am submitting photographs of flowers as my entries.

Tags: Flower Fest, Helianthus annuus, autumn beauty, sunflower

Flower Fest - H for Hyacinthus Orientalis

2007-01-02T16:44:00.000-07:00

Hyacinthus orientalis, or the beautiful hyacinth, is a very easy to grow flower. The picture below is of purple hyacinths that I grew from bulbs in my little flower bed when we lived in Illinois. I remember planting them in fall and then forgetting about them till elongated leaves popped out of the ground in early spring. The flowers are on a tall spike that bears a large cluster of flowers. I had them right by my front door and the mild fragrance was very welcoming.

Apparently, it is toxic if ingested in large quantities! So while this is not a Colorado wildflower that is an obnoxious weed, it has alkaloids that can be dangerous for pets and for humans, when consumed in large quantities. You stand forewarned! The next time you admire a hyacinth, stop there! Don't eat it!

Greek mythology has it that the flower is named after Hyacinthus who was accidentally killed by Apollo during a friendly game of quoits. Apollo then created a flower from his friend's blood which had spilled on the ground and called it hyacinth in his memory. The original hyacinth was probably not much like what we have today but that's how the flower got its name.

This is my entry for the letter H in the Flower Fest - the A - Z of Flowers.

Flower Fest is the brainchild of Nature & Me and Sree. Every two weeks, the focus will be on a letter of the English alphabet. The current letter is H. I am submitting photographs of flowers as my entries.

Tags: Flower Fest, Hyacinth orientalis, hyacinth

Flower Fest - G for Gaillardia pulchella

2006-12-10T21:36:00.000-07:00

When we got snowed out on our camping trip in Rocky Mountain National Park in September, we decided not to let it bring us down. So the next day we went to the 21st Annual Walker Ranch Special Event at the Walker Ranch Homestead. They had costumed men, women and children to demonstrate life on a ranch in the 1880s. The sun was out and the sky was clear, a fantastic contrast to the previous day. What we didn't bargain for was the biting wind that continued blowing from the mountains. I got very cold and headed back to the car while the rest of the family braved the elements. But before I opted out, I managed to find some exquisite wildflowers growing by an old horseshed. They were a splash of bright color amidst an otherwise dry and arid landscape.

Indian blanket, gaillardia pulchella, is a Colorado wildflower that grows like a carpet. Also called firewheel, this beauty will flourish in dry conditions in the hot sun and in sandy soil. It is not a needy plant at all.

Found all over North America, except in the North-west, gaillardia pulchella is an annual that propagates readily from seed. It will reseed and reappear the following summer.

It flowers from summer to early fall, which was when I saw it. In September. Apparently some states are cultivating it along highways and freeways for that same splash of color that I found so inviting.

This picture is my favorite picture as it shows the flower in various states of bloom. It has the bud, the young bloom, the full bloom, the spent bloom, the disk after the ray flowers have fallen off and the dry disk which will turn into seed.

This is my entry for the letter G in the Flower Fest - the A - Z of Flowers.

Flower Fest is the brainchild of Nature & Me and Sree. Every two weeks, the focus will be on a letter of the English alphabet. The current letter is G. I am submitting photographs of flowers as my entries.

Tags: Flower Fest, Indian blanket, Gaillardia pulchella, gaillardia, firewheel, Colorado wildflower

Flower Fest - F for Fringe Tree

2006-11-30T02:26:00.000-07:00

Life has been very hectic lately. And the Holiday Season is also upon us, making this the busiest season at work, too. So much to do, not enough hours in the day. Because of this and the wonderful weather we're having - not! - it's zero F (yes! F! not C!) and we have about 8 inches of snow on the ground - I am not featuring a Colorado wildflower for Flower Fest - F. Instead, I have for you the beautiful Fringe Tree.

Chionanthus virginicus, also known as the Old Man's Beard, sports fragrant white flowers with fringe-like petals. The Chinese Fringe Tree is wonderful to have on small lots as it does not grow taller than 10-15 feet. In the wild, it can grow up to 30 feet.

I took these pictures at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois, last summer.

This is my entry for the letter F in the Flower Fest - the A - Z of Flowers.

Flower Fest is the brainchild of Nature & Me and Sree. Every two weeks, the focus will be on a letter of the English alphabet. The current letter is F. I am submitting photographs of flowers as my entries.

Tags: Flower Fest, fringe tree, Chionanthus virginicus, old man's beard

Flower Fest - E for Erigeron peregrinus

2006-11-08T17:11:00.000-07:00

Erigeron peregrinus. Sounds quite royal, doesn't it? In a way it is.
These are flowers that grow near the top of the world, almost! They are subalpine daisies, also known as subalpine fleabanes, found in montane to subalpine meadows. I saw these teeny beauties when we went camping at the Moraine Campground in Rocky Mountain National Park in the middle of September. We got snowed out on that trip and I was truly amazed to see small patches of color on the ground, despite the weather. A closer look revealed these gorgeous teeny daisies. If you click through to the larger image, you will be able to see the ice on the flower.

Subalpine daisies are part of the Asteraceae family, the second largest family in flowering plants. Also known as the Wandering daisy, this wildflower is found mainly in the western parts of North America.

Erigeron peregrinus blooms are between 1/16th of an inch to 2 inches in diameter. The flowers I saw were all under 1 inch. These plants can be annuals, biennials or perennials. The photo below shows how easy it is to miss seeing these flowers! Yes, that is elk poo, works as a natural fertilizer, I am sure!

I was very worried that I would not be able to find a Colorado Wildflower for Flower Fest - E. I was also worried that I may have to pick up a set of watercolor pencils and try my hand at a watercolor. But, a deep perusal of my digital images and the help of SW Colorado Wildflowers' web site, I found my entry for E!

This is my entry for the letter E in the Flower Fest - the A - Z of Flowers.

Flower Fest is the brainchild of Nature & Me and Sree. Every two weeks, the focus will be on a letter of the English alphabet. The current letter is E. I am submitting photographs of flowers as my entries.

Tags: Flower Fest, Erigeron peregrinus, subalpine daisy, subalpine fleabane, wandering daisy, wildflower

Flower Fest - D for Delosperma Cooperi

2006-11-02T23:12:00.000-07:00

A hardy perennial, originally from South Africa, the Delosperma cooperi is an evergreen succulent that is about the only plant that I have successfully grown since moving to Colorado! I hope I am not saying this too soon as we still have the winter ahead of us! Maybe it's because they tolerate heat very well and do not need much water. Perfect candidate for a xeric garden, just what we need in Colorado!

I have the cultivar known as the Hardy Pink Ice Plant in my little rock garden. The pink blooms are more a metallic deep shade of magenta than pink. These little beauties are late-risers and open up every morning by about 10 a.m. - well, they used to do that before the last winter storm dumped about 10 inches of snow on us! They retire early, too, with the sun.

The dainty flowers are about 2 inches in diameter and the plants grow to about 6 inches in height. The leaves are long and cylindrical in shape, almost like slim but fleshy fingers! Cuttings of these leaves will take root and spawn new plants. They do also propagate by seed.

This is my entry for the letter D in the Flower Fest - the A - Z of Flowers.

Flower Fest is the brainchild of Nature & Me and Sree. Every two weeks, the focus will be on a letter of the English alphabet. The current letter is D. I am submitting photographs of flowers as my entries.

Tags: Flower Fest, Delosperma cooperi, hardy ice plant, xeric

Snowstorm in Colorado

2006-10-26T16:42:00.000-06:00

We woke up to a white backyard with trees bent over, heavy with snow. My Bradford Pear in the far corner was doubled over so much that I had to look really hard to find it! It lost a branch despite being being frequently shaken.

Oh no! My aspen and my other tree with brown leaves, that I wishfully thought was a Japanese Maple.

My dogwood! Oh no! My favorite tree!

The aspens across the street were in worse shape...

The cottonwood, too. Much as I despise this tree, I didn't want it to lose any branches.

Across from the cottonwood, this tree stands tall and serene; almost as if to say "I told you to lose those leaves..."

...while my dogwood grows heavier...

Uh-oh! We have a bigger problem with the other dogwood. It's bent over and is hugging the neighbor's roof! A mature maple in the yard next door lost 4 branches.

A closer look at the heavy branches. Those could do some serious damage to the roofs when the winds kick in!

...and the other dogwood bends over further and loses its first branch. :-(

...and starts leaning over a young maple...

My neighbor climbed high into the tree and shook all the snow off the branches. We used a pole to shake the branches he couldn't get to.

There he is shaking the other dogwood. When the pole had next to no effect, he climbed up the tree and then onto the roof. If I hadn't been wearing gloves, my nails would have been chewed to the bone.

I do love my trees so it was a huge relief when the dogwoods sprang back to normal!

This is what my dogwood is like in winter. Gorgeous!

Flower Fest - C for Canada Thistle

2006-10-17T12:55:00.000-06:00

C. Canada Thistle. Cirsium arvense. Creeping Thistle.

I was amazed by this delicate wildflower. It was only about an inch in height and even less in width. It was like a blur of color on the wet ground in Morrison, Colorado. Morrison is about 8000ft in altitude. As usual, I had no clue what I was taking a picture of. All I knew was that it was a small beautiful purple wildflower.

The roots of the Canada thistle can spread more than 15 feet horizontally and its roots may grow into the soil anywhere from 6 to 15 feet deep.

Unlike the Buffalo Bur which tosses its spiny seeds into the path of all that may trod that way, the Canada thistle a creeping perennial that reproduces from vegetative buds in its root system. Roots and shoots can give rise to new plants. That's not to say that it does not produce seeds.

I took the above picture towards the end of September on one of my walks in the Open Spaces of Louisville, Colorado. It looked like it was done flowering and already producing seed.

It can produce between 1000 to 1500 seeds per flowering shoot and seeds are responsible for long distance dispersal. The feathery pappus helps disperse the seeds. However it is known to fall off leaving the seed attached to the plant, requiring other modes of dispersal. Seedlings grow slower and are subject to competition from other weeds especially as they are not backed by an extensive root system. Nevertheless, its seed should not be underestimated as it can remain viable in the soil for 20 years. The deeper it is buried, the longer it is viable.

Canada thistle has spread throughout the US except the south-eastern region. In Colorado, it is found in the plains and foothills, flowering from July to September. And, yes, it is classified as a noxious weed.

References: Colorado State University Cooperative Extension, Guide to Colorado Wildflowers Vol 1 Plains & Foothills and Guide to Colorado Wildflowers Vol 2.

This is my entry for the letter C in the Flower Fest - the A - Z of Flowers.

Flower Fest is the brainchild of Nature & Me and Sree. Every two weeks, the focus will be on a letter of the English alphabet. The current letter is C. I am submitting photographs of flowers as my entries.

Tags: Flower Fest, Canada Thistle, Cirsium arvense, wildflower

Garage Graffiti

2006-10-10T18:18:00.000-06:00

A walk in downtown Louisville, Colorado is always filled with surprises such as this garage graffiti!

Early Fall

2006-10-10T18:14:00.000-06:00

September 2 and it was barely in the 50s (F) in Morrison, Colorado. Morrison is about 7800 ft in altitude. It was a sneak peek at the cold fall that lay ahead of us.

Flower Fest - B for Buffalo Bur

2006-10-02T16:45:00.000-06:00

This is the Buffalo Bur from the Solanum rostratum genus. Beautiful and a rather unusual bloom, right? Maybe, but don't let it fool you! It's barely 1 inch across in width and is the bane of most off-road cyclists. Look at those blurry spiky things that are in sharper focus in my next picture; they're why.

Buffalo Bur is from the Nightshade family and apparently, the foliage and the unripe fruit of most nightshades contain dangerous levels of a steroid alkaloid, solanine. The ripe berries are the least toxic part of these plants. And if you haven't guessed it already, yes, it is classified as an weed.

Buffalo bur has long, yellow spines on stems, leaves, and flower heads as can be seen in the photo above. They grow up to 2 feet high and are drought resistant. The flowers bloom in summer so I guess I was rather lucky to find these on the trails towards the end of September. By fall, the spiny fruit or the berries, if you will, develop and are up to 1/2 inch in diameter. These are filled with black, wrinkled, flat pitted seeds. When the seeds mature, the stem breaks close to the ground and the plant rolls scattering the thousands of seeds it produces. (source: Colorado State University Cooperative Extension, Denver)

Apart from being a weed, its status in Colorado continues to be dubious. It's a host for the Colorado potato beetle and so control of this weed is strongly recommended. But given by the number of plants I saw just on our trail, it seems to flourish in the protected Open Spaces of Louisville, Colorado.

A huge thank you to Al Schneider of South West Colorado Wildflowers, Ferns and Trees for identifying this wildflower, I mean weed, for me!

This is my entry for the letter B in the Flower Fest - the A - Z of Flowers.

Flower Fest is the brainchild of Nature & Me and Sree. Every two weeks, the focus will be on a letter of the English alphabet. The current letter is B. I am submitting photographs of flowers as my entries.

Tags: Flower Fest, Buffalo Bur, Solanum rostratum

Colorado State Capitol Rotunda

2006-09-30T14:42:00.000-06:00

From the first floor:

From the third floor:

A close up:

Colorado Blue Spruce

2006-09-20T00:48:00.000-06:00

What could be more Colorado than Blue Spruce? Here is a young Colorado Blue Spruce from my yard poking its needles through a just budding bush of yellow mums.

Elk

2006-09-19T23:40:00.000-06:00

This elk was less than 100ft from a camp site. The bull elks bugled all night and moved their harem of cow elks right through our campground! It was eerie listening to their hooves as they went by. There was elk poo all around our tent!

We camped at Moraine Campground last weekend. Moraine Campground is in RMNP and is at about 8100ft altitude. It was cold and we got snowed out the next day!

Lost Gulch Overlook

2006-09-19T23:11:00.000-06:00

At the scenic Lost Gulch Overlook, on Flagstaff Road, Boulder, Colorado. The mountains in the distance are the Rockies and they had just got a fresh layer of snow from the weekend's storm.

Another picture (not mine) from the Lost Gulch Overlook:
A Panoramic view

Flower Fest - A for Alcea Rosea

2006-09-10T12:44:00.000-06:00

Would you believe it but this gorgeous beauty is the Common Garden Hollyhock? It grows in tall flowering spires and is very easy to grow. Either that or my neighbor has a very green thumb. Yes! Every summer these attractive semi-double flowers grow tall along the property line between my home and my neighbor's. If his property weren't elevated by a few feet, I could almost claim that the flowers were mine. In the ultimate analysis, it matters not cos I think I enjoy them more than anyone else!!

Depending on which growing zone you're in, these can be grown as annuals, biennials or perennials and may even reseed themselves. Since we are in Zone 5 in Colorado, this is grown mainly as an annual. Hollyhock is from the same family as Althaea Officinalis, an herb that was used treat swelling in horses' hocks or humans' ankles. This herb was known as the hock leaf. Hollyhock flowers vary in color from white to pink to even dark chocolate. Since they cross-pollinate, it's recommended to stay with one color, especially if you want to grow them again from seed the following year.

This is my first entry for the letter A in the Flower Fest - the A - Z of Flowers, which starts today!

Flower Fest is the brainchild of Nature & Me and Sree. Every two weeks, the focus will be on a letter of the English alphabet. The current letter is A. I will be submitting photographs of flowers as my entries. My entry is A for Alcea Rosea, the Common Garden Hollyhock. I have learned so much about Alcea Rosea because of The Flower Fest, that I am considering growing it next year. Then again, I might decide to remain lazy and enjoy the fruits er...flowers of my neighbor's labor!

Tags: Flower Fest, Alcea Rosea, Hollyhock

Emerald Lake, Dream Lake, Nymph Lake

2006-08-21T16:53:00.000-06:00

After all those pictures I'd seen of Dream Lake, I was very keen on doing a hike to one of Rocky Mountains National Park's scenic lakes. The hike starts off at Bear Lake, and is a very comfortable trail that gains 425 feet to end up at 9900 ft at Dream Lake. The hike is only 1.1 miles from Bear Lake. Emerald Lake was like the proverbial cherry on the icing and we ambled over only because it was only 0.7 miles further. The gain in altitude is another 200 ft or so, I am not entirely sure. What I do know is that Emerald Lake is just over 10,080ft. The round trip was less than 4 miles but it was the best bit of exercise I have done in a long long time.

Looking up at the peaks around us, we found Longs Peak, the only fourteener in Rocky Mountain National Park, the Keyboard of the Winds and the Pagoda Mountain

After a relatively steep uphill walk that had us breathing deeply, the trail platueaud off at a beautiful calm lake, Nymph Lake.

Hallett Peak towered over Nymph Lake and beckoned us closer to Dream Lake.

After gaining some more altitude, we stopped at what some other young Indians called 'Patel Point' to take family pictures as well as of the wonderful vista that lay around us. You can see the storm clouds beginning to gain momentum in the distance.

Before we knew it, the skies had cleared and we were at Dream Lake.

We took a short break on a rock by the lake to have lunch. The sun came out and we were fried as we sat there looking up at Hallett Peak on the left, Tyndall Gorge in the middle and Flattop Mountain on the right. It's hard to believe that the mountain with the jagged edges is really flat at the top!

About a half hour later we were at Emerald Lake.

The mallards on the lake seemed to have no fear of people and came quite close to us. Just like the trout on Dream Lake. I think they were hoping for some food! On our way down, we met some rock scramblers who had scrambled up to the top of the waterfalls seen in the Emerald Lake picture above. It took them an hour 40 minutes to get there and barely twenty minutes to come down!

I cannot capture the beauty of this place with my camera. I either don't know how, which is more likely, or it's just not possible to do justice to the raw magnificence of these mountains.

Flattop Mountain enthralls me. The trail to the top is a strenous climb and gains about 2800 ft in altitude. We're going to need to get really fit if we have to do it.

As quickly as the skies had cleared, the clouds moved in again. We made it back to Bear Lake to just in time to hear loud claps of thunder and a steadily increasing downpour. We returned home, tired but very very content. What is it about the mountains? I can't seem to get enough!

Peak to Peak

2006-08-10T16:25:00.000-06:00

Along the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway, near Meeker Park, not far from beautiful Lyons. Yes, this is Colorado!

The Alluvial Fan

2006-08-10T16:04:00.000-06:00

Walk up a few 100 yards on a trail from this and have the scene open out into The Alluvial Fan, Horseshoe Park.

This was created when boulders and debris crashed down into the Horseshoe Park because of an unnatural flood that occurred when the Lawn Lake dam burst. According to the information posted at the site, this occurred on July 15, 1982.

The Alluvial Fan - more pictures

Rocky Mountain National Park

2006-08-01T03:02:00.000-06:00

In Rocky Mountain National Park, heading toward the Alluvial Fan

Old Truck

2006-07-22T23:35:00.000-06:00

An old truck at Ardenwoods Historic Farms, Fremont, CA

Parched Desert of Utah

2006-07-22T23:30:00.000-06:00

The scenery changed from one formidable landscape to another when we crossed over into Utah. The desert of Utah was a stark contrast to the beauty of the Rockies.

Colorado River

2006-07-22T23:26:00.000-06:00

A calmer section of the Colorado River as it flows through the Rockies

The California Zephyr

2006-07-22T23:16:00.000-06:00

Looking back at the California Zephyr on a fairly sharp turn. The car with the long windows and windows in the roof is the Lounge Car. There is a cafe on the lower level that serves everything from wine to hot dogs. The upper level has tables around which groups gather to play board games or cards. There are seats facing the windows to lounge on and enjoy the scenery. (The picture is a little hazy because this is shot through the windows of our roomette.)

Rocky Mountains

2006-07-22T23:13:00.000-06:00

About two hours out of Denver, on Amtrak's California Zephyr.

Not quite a rabbit hole

2006-07-21T10:08:00.000-06:00

Much bigger than that! The redwoods at Big Sur reached for the sky and had mysterious entrances like this one, which was over 6 feet high.

Campfire

2006-07-19T13:35:00.000-06:00

The glow of a warm campfire, ready for marshmallows

Reach for the sky

2006-07-19T13:33:00.000-06:00

Redwoods at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park

Bougainvillea

2006-07-19T13:27:00.000-06:00

The bougainvillea reminded me so much of Nairobi...

Tram Ride

2006-07-19T13:19:00.000-06:00

Wheee! A tram ride through Chinatown to Fisherman's Wharf...straight to the sea

Full moon over San Francisco

2006-07-18T13:16:00.000-06:00

Slightly over-exposed. A combination of not knowing how to work the camera, cold wind and not being able to see too well in the dark.

Golden Gate Bridge

2006-07-18T13:12:00.000-06:00

A long exposure picture of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco. I still have to figure out how best to take these pictures. It was very windy that night and I was without my tripod.

Guru Poornima

2006-07-18T13:10:00.000-06:00

Full moon over San Francisco on Guru Poornima

Surreal Monterey

2006-07-18T12:17:00.000-06:00

I felt like I was in a dream. Or a movie. I was in Monterey.

Blue Jay

2006-07-18T12:11:00.000-06:00

An over-friendly fearless blue jay on my tent. We camped at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. My cell phone had no signal but wireless internet was available near the camp store.

Big Sur Coastline

2006-07-18T10:57:00.000-06:00

The gorgeous coast of Big Sur peeks out from the quickly enveloping fog, a common feature in this area.

Golden wheat

2006-07-17T18:00:00.000-06:00

Golden wheat that we took from the fields, raked and forked into a wagon, threshed and winnowed, ground in a mechanical flour mill to make delicious fresh pancakes.

On Ardenwood Historic Farm, Fremont, California.

All Aboard?!

2006-07-17T17:34:00.000-06:00

The California Zephyr, Amtrak's superliner, that runs from Chicago, Illinois to Emeryville, California. Pictured above at Denver's Union Station.

Edge of the top of the world

2006-07-06T10:06:00.000-06:00

A snowy summer day on Pikes Peak, 14110 feet above sea-level. The Cog Railway stops right at the edge of the Peak.

Pikes Peak Panoramic Camera
Pikes Peak Cog Railway
Pikes Peak pictures on Flickr - most on a sunny clear day

Information Overload

2006-06-26T17:04:00.000-06:00

...and a split second to process it. (In New York City)

Rickshaw in NYC?

2006-06-22T03:01:00.000-06:00

I couldn't believe my eyes! In the middle of NYC!

Pink Ice Shadow

2006-06-14T13:34:00.000-06:00

Shadow of a pink ice blooming in my attempt at a rock garden

Spider Web

2006-06-12T13:11:00.000-06:00

Found swinging in the breeze in my backyard

Tiny yellow tropical flowers

2006-06-06T22:37:00.000-06:00

I have no clue what this flower is. It is some sort of a tropical plant with tiny elegant yellow flowers. It caught my eye and had me fascinated for a long time.

White hibiscus

2006-06-05T18:53:00.000-06:00

One of my all time favorites, a white hibiscus with a dark red center.

Pink Hibiscus

2006-06-05T18:51:00.000-06:00

Hibiscus. Dressed in pink.

Butterfly close-up

2006-05-30T13:12:00.000-06:00

The Butterfly Pavilion, Westminster, Colorado.

BolderBoulder Marathon on Stilts

2006-05-29T23:23:00.000-06:00

He does the BolderBOULDER, a 10K marathon, on stilts every Memorial Day.

Shades of Yellow

2006-05-28T20:59:00.000-06:00

In downtown Louisville (said Lewisville), Colorado

Bare Tree

2006-05-24T01:36:00.000-06:00

Leafless in spring.

Cattails at Walden Pond

2006-05-23T12:17:00.000-06:00

Cattail reeds formed an important part of the native American diet, according to the volunteer naturalist at Walden Pond Wildlife Habitat. Every part of this reed was consumed from the root to the leaves to the seeds and the pollen!

Walden Pond, Boulder, Colorado

2006-05-22T23:32:00.000-06:00

Turtles clambor atop a rock to bask in the Colorado sun as a Canada goose watches with disdain. The majestic Flatirons stand witness to such daily travails on the Walden Pond.