Roses Are Red, Pt 2

So like yesterday these flowers were in the Leif Erikson Park in Duluth a last splash of summer colour.

Red roses are typically seen as a romantic flower, given on valentines day or for special celebrations and they really are beautiful as you can see in the third image; but I prefer some of the more delicate, understated colours.

Close up in the Garden

I'm staying out in the cold tonight and it's grey and cold so I thought for my blog today I would share a bit of summer colour which I hope you will enjoy 😁

A Work In Progress

Unlike yesterday, when not everyone would agree about how beautiful the subject was I don't think anyone could seriously disagree about today's offering.

Red flowers are difficult to photograph. It's not because they're camera shy or move about more than any other colour but because getting a true representation of the colour is really difficult. So there are some flowers that I never bother trying to shoot.

I am not 100% certain but I think this flower is a red variety of Rudbeckia, often known as Black-Eyed Susan a perennial flower that looks great with masses of colourful flowers which open out to a broad flat(ish) face with bright petals that gradually fold back towards the stem and in doing so the central black platform becomes a ball of tiny spikes and curls which look gorgeous and are a magnet for bees and other pollinators. 

I have a number of shots of these flowers from my most recent visit to Ness Botanic Gardens and I wanted to share some of my favourites. I really love the final shot with the bee hard at work and the subtle back lighting. I think its a great image. If you like them or if you have  favourite why not leave a comment. 

Echinops

I liked the picture of the bees feasting on the Echinops yesterday so I decided to post a few more images of this amazing flower today.

I like the first shot, taken from a low vantage point it gives the impression of balloons floating away. 

I also really like the third shot getting in close to show the detail of the spiky blossoms.

I can't decide which I like best, do you have a favourite? If so leave a comment below.

Coming In To Land

I can never resist posting pictures of yellow flowers and this is a stunner. It is Hypericum forestii a plant more at home on a Chinese mountainside but here in Ness Botanical Gardens it was attracting a host of bees.

As you can see in the second picture this bumble bee was drawn to the bright colours and tasty nectar and was just coming in to land as I captured the shot.

Where's Lenny?

So the title of today's post is slightly cryptic but will make sense to anyone who watches the cartoon The Simpsons.

"How?" I hear you ask...

This lovely yellow flower is Sedum caereleum and the variety is "Carl". In The Simpsons Carl's best friend is Lenny so having posted these pictures of Carl I pose the question where is Lenny?

I don't have any pictures of Lenny but a little bit of research means I can share a link to the RHS website where you can see pictures of a Hibiscus variety that is called Lenny 

Anyway back to Carl, you can see from the first image how the flower head is actually a mass of tiny star shaped flowers with little coiled stamen. 

I am really happy with all three of these pictures and hope that you enjoy them.

Fade to Green

There is so much about this flower that I love, the soft delicate petals curled around waiting to unfurl and reveal the heart of the flower, the soft white outer edges that gradually fade into green that looks like it has been applied in fine brush strokes, the shape like a candle flame and the way it stands out against the lush background. It is almost perfect but if you look closely at the left hand side you will see half way down a slight crease which shows how fragile this lovely plant is.

Dog Rose, Lavender and more

I'm sure that by now you know how much I love flowers and summer colour, and here are a few shots of some of the colourful varieties I spotted around Williamson Park in Lancaster recently.

They are from top to bottom:

• Dog Rose
• Hydrangea
• Lupin
• Lavender (two varieties)
• Blue Daisy or Kingfisher Daisy

Enjoy!