Spooky with a surprise ending!

 

Introducing Miss Willmott's Ghost...

I had thought I would post just one image today, from the two above, I thought that one on it's own would be quite a strong image and that to post a second might detract from the other, the problem was I couldn't decide which I liked best. Even now as I look at them I go back and forth and just as I think I like the first one best because of the ghostly wispy light in the background I then think that i prefer the angle of the flower in the second and on it goes...

I chose to photograph these in black and white because in the rain and shadow they were not that bright or colourful and I think that they actually look stunning in black and white. The lack of colour accentuates the spikiness. I also focused on individual flower heads because en masse they were a bit of a jumble but individually they are quite striking.

This by the way is a sea holly, Eryngium giganteum more commonly known as Miss Willmott's Ghost. It has earned this name after someone called Ellen Willmott who is said to have carried seeds at all times which she would plant in the gardens of fellow horticulturalists. Hopefully her habit was appreciated.

So, to the surprise ending; having intended on posting just one image (I am leaning towards the first one as my favourite) I have actually posted 3. As you can see from this last image the plant produces blue flowers which are short lived but attract all kinds of pollinators. In this case a bumblebee is taking a break and sheltering from the rain, if you look closely you will see some raindrops clinging to its fur.