Tag: Flora and Fauna

Beware – Here be dragon(flies)

Ruddy Darter

Ruddy Darter – is it looking at me?

Common Hawker

Common Hawker

I suppose I was hoping to have identified relatively rare species of these, but as their names suggest, they are both ‘common’! Nevertheless it was great to have had that extra moment to focus on these before they flew away.

For a comprehensive list of dragonflies, please see the British Dragonfly Society webpage.

Technical Data

Panasonic TZ30 Camera on (I'm sorry to say) on iAuto Mode
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Mirabilis jalapa – Marvel of Peru

I bought 4 tubers of Mirabilis jalapa (4 o’clock flower, marvel of Peru) at the Bloemenmarkt (flower market) in Amsterdam. I wasn’t expecting much from these plants, given that they are really for warm temperate regions and not the United Kingdom. To my surprise, they have taken well to the local conditions (even the miserable summer) we’ve had.

I’m not really sure what to do with these plants now that winter is soon approaching. The advice appears to be divided between leaving them in place with mulch and hope for the best year to digging the tubers up till the next year. Since I do have two in the ground and two in pots, I’ll probably try different methods and see which one works best! A proper scientific process!

Evening Primrose – on black

Oenothera’s are a genus of plants native to the America‘s. In the United Kingdom they are grown as annuals, but due to their self-seeding nature, they come back year on year. These are some of the last flowers for this year.

Two pictures: The top one focussing on the petals to bring out the delicate veins, the bottom one to focus more on the stamens and carpel of the flower. In order to achieve a dark background, a flash was used with high shutter speeds. The blacks and shadows were adjusted in Lightroom 4.1 to give a complete black background.
Technical details:

Nikon D80
SB-600 Speedlight Flash
Sigma 105mm f/2.8 macro lens
Post-Processed with Adobe LightRoom 4.1
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Study of a Rose

As autumn draws ever closer here in the United Kingdom, the last of the summer roses go out in a blaze of colour for a final time in 2012. The following pictures are of one such rose in my garden. I would be interested in knowing which one of the four you like best, or none as well!

Please click on each picture to view a full size version. In order to achieve a dark background, I have used a flash and post-processed to cut darks and shadows.

Technical Details:

Nikon D80
SB600 Speedlight Flash
1/125 to 1/40 f/7.1 ISO200
Sigma 105mm f/2.8 macro lens
Post-processed in Adobe Lightroom 4.1

 

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Daffodil on black

I know it is strange to talk about spring blooms in the dreary days of autumn! I came across this picture in my collection taken earlier this year and thought it would offer a chance for us facing shorter days, cold and rain to cheer up with thoughts of spring!

Daffodil against a dark background. Click to see a larger image.

Technical details:

Nikon D80
Sigma 105mm f/2.8 macro lens
1/3200 f/7.1
External SB-600 speedlight flash used.
post-processed in Adobe LightRoom 4.1

Yellow-on-monochrome

 

Nothing probably gives a better contrast and highlights a picture, like something yellow on black on monochrome background. To test this hypothesis, I put forward this picture of a yellow flower against a desaturated background.

Yellow on grayscale.

Really interested in your thoughts!

Technical Details:

Nikon D80 
Sigma 105mm f/2.8 macro lens
1/300 f/4.5
Processed with Adobe Lightroom 4.1

 

British Wildflowers – Scarlet Pimpernel

Scarlet pimpernel – a small flower with a big and famous name. A low sprawling plant with bright red flowers about 10mm across. All parts of the plant are poisonous and contain glucopyranoside cucurbitacins (Arvenins I to IV). Consumption can cause stomach upsets, trembling and kidney damage. (Source: Wildflowerfinder.org.uk).

Scarlet pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis): picture taken with a Panasonic TZ30 Camera
Scarlet pimpernel: Picture taken with a Panasonic TZ30 camera

For more information, please see: http://wildflowerfinder.org.uk/Flowers/P/Pimpernel(Scarlet)/Pimpernel(Scarlet).htm