Hellebore

 Everyday I have a word of the day from a dictionary app on my phone and I share it with my son. Today's word was "polliniferous" which means producing or bearing pollen so I thought it was appropriate to take a closer look at this hellebore which I snapped at Bodnant last weekend.

Today I spent a pleasant few hours at Sizergh Castle in the Lake District enjoying the gardens, there was lots of greenery and the hellebores were not as far on as this one but there was lots to enjoy all the same. More of that another time so for today I hope you enjoy this offering.

Close Up In The Garden

I haven't been able to post anything for a few days  but I am back with a couple of contrasting images from the botanical garden in Gothenburg.

I really like Hostas with their broad fleshy leaves and I love the fresh green and the variegated patterns here in the shade. At home we have a beautiful Hosta but every year it gets destroyed by snails so we don't get to enjoy it for long  so it was good to snap these specimens and get in close to show them at their best.

The final picture is a real contrast as I focus right into the heart of a beautiful peony with its yellow, coral like stamen. 

Sugar Coated

Canon 100mm 1:2.8   ISO 250   f/8.0   1/320 sec

Canon 100mm 1:2.8  ISO 250   f/5.6   1/250sec

So OK, these are not really sugar coated but I do think they look like they have been dipped in lemon or orange sherbet.

Can you tell what they are?

They're Crocuses, the last of the season I think at Ness Botanic Gardens.  

I had gone along hoping for lots of spring colour but I was a bit too early in the year as most of the beds were being prepared for fresh planting. I thought at first that I would be disappointed however as I walked around the gardens I found pockets of colour and new growth as well as some interesting bark patterns to photograph.

I have included the camera settings under each picture and these images are cropped from the larger images because I really wanted to highlight the beautiful detail at the heart of these flowers.

Shimmering

At first glance the first of today's images could easily be mistaken for a butterfly's wing but actually it is the shimmering petal of a Perennial Geranium.

It was because of the strong colour that I took these shots but it was only when I looked closer when I was processing the pictures that I realised how the surface of the petals reflected the sunlight so beautifully.

Getting in close to see the central components of the flower you can see how delicate it is and the fine hairs on the inner petals and on the stamen which I presume are use for capturing pollen.

 I love these pictures and I hope you do too.

Cool Clematis

I love the bold colours of these large and striking Clematis flowers. I have got it wrong in the past when I have described the colours in some of my pictures so before I started to write anything I checked out with my youngest son so now I can say with confidence how much I love the different shades of pink and yellow.



Only kidding, purple and cream :)

These are such beautiful flowers and so that is why I have posted several shots .

A Pick Me Up

I didn't post anything yesterday, I wasn't really in the right frame of mind to choose a picture to share but today I wanted to share something really nice.

Perhaps my favourite flower is the Freesia, I love the different colours, I love to watch as the bunches of tiny buds open up into beautiful blooms and of course the scent is amazing.

I have some at home today and so I set up my camera on a tripod, attached my 100mm macro lens and took a few shots.

I love to get in close and see the detail, like here for example the pollen looks as if the stamen have been dipped in sugar. The colours here are also so rich and warm, there is something about this image that cheers me up. I hope it will brighten your day too.

Delicate Tendrils

I love the different shades of purple in this beautiful clematis which was also tempting for the tiny little beetle which in the first shot is climbing up one of the tendrils and then in the second shot is walking away from the centre. 

I hope you love it too.

Tempting Yellows

I love getting up close to flowers because there is always so much to see.

As you can see from today's selection;  it's not just the vibrant colours. There's also the  texture of the petals, the intricate pattern of veins and the delicate structure of the stamen with the light dusting of pollen

A Lily

A few more close ups from the beautiful bunch of flowers from yesterday's blog.  These are macro shots of a lily, I really love the deep colours but more importantly I love the textures of the different components of this flower.

The Heart of the Flower

It's cold outside and snow is promised for parts of the UK this coming weekend so I thought I would post something bright and colourful.

All of the above pictures were taken in the gardens at Powis Castle in April

Green and White

looking into the heart of a flower you see things that are not immediately visible at first glance.

In today's pictures you can see the stamen of an azalea, they almost look like match heads.

I am not sure what the second plant is but when I looked at this picture it sort of reminded me of the Sarlacc from the movie Return of the Jedi.

You might see these things or something completely different but whatever you see I am sure you can appreciate the beauty of these plants at close quarters.

It's a Mystery

It really is a mystery, to me at least.It was growing in a hedgerow in Betws y Coed, I have tried to identify this flower but without success.  I know that someone who sees it will know so please tell me in the comments below.

#YellowFlower #MacroPhotos #BetwsYCoed

Flag Iris

So here are three pictures of a yellow Iris.  I really like the vivid colour.  My favourite image is the first one of the plants stamen which appears almost animal like.  I also really like the second shot which shows the shape and structure of the plant.

Originally I wasn't going to use the third image or I was going to use a tighter crop but then I saw the heart in the centre and so I couldn't resist sharing it. 

The detail we often miss...

I love these pictures, the detail is incredible and without the benefit of a macro lens it would be difficult to get such a close up image as these.

Tomorrow I will post pictures of the flowers these are from.  In the meantime if you feel like trying to guess what the flowers are please feel free.  or if you have any other comments please share them below, I love getting feedback.