Today is my 250th blog. I'm surprised in some ways that I have kept it going all this time and that I have had so many pictures to post over that time but it has been very rewarding for me and I enjoy sharing pictures from my various trips.
Today's pictures are all of Purple Alium from Bodnant. The first picture is a crop from the second picture showing the fine detail of the tiny flowers that make up each head. The wind made it difficult to get these shots but patience has paid off.
Today I went to Bodnant Gardens in North Wales. It is always a treat and today there were plenty of great flowers in bloom. Conditions weren't the best for photographing flowers however due to strong winds meaning it took extra time getting shots that weren't blurred. All the same I took over 150 pictures and would have taken more but ran out of time. I guess I will have to go back another day.
The shots above are of a Bearded Iris each one showing a different perspective and close up detail of the individual parts which make a beautiful flower. I hope that you will agree the colours and detail are stunning.
I hope you like today's selection, I am looking forward to sharing some more from the visit to Bodnant in coming days...
These pictures show different views of a Calla Lily. The first is an abstract view of the flower itself and the second picture shows the detail deep inside the funnel of the plant. The third picture obviously shows much more of the plant including flower and foliage.
I haven't had the chance to go out and take any new pictures in the past week so this evening I decided that if I can't go out I will take some pictures of stuff around the house instead, and look what I found.
The top two images are of different flowers but the third and fourth pictures are progressive crops of the second flower. I really love the colour and detail and the texture in these pictures. I hope you will agree these are lovely pictures
The Clematis in the pictures above is currently in full bloom in my back garden. I have taken a series of pictures getting progressively closer and revealing more detail of the flowers. When looking at the mass of flowers which form the backdrop to the garden it is easy to miss the intricate detail, so I hope that you like the view I have given you today.
The final picture is of course not Clematis at all, but is a variety of Lavender.
Over the next few days I will be showing some more pictures of flowers and plants so come back for some more colour and fine detail...
Recently a good friend told me how much they liked my photos of flowers and since I aim to please I deliberately set out yesterday to take some new pictures of plants and flowers.
The first picture today (if my research is correct) is a male red campion. It was growing in shaded woodland, I have some growing in my garden, courtesy of a wildflower seed giveaway by BBC's Countryfile.
The flower head is the size of an English penny (U.S cent).
The fly which was feeding on one of the flowers (I haven't tried to identify what it is) was about the size of a grain of rice. The next three pictures (all different, not just crops of the same image) were taken, handheld, with my 100mm Macro lens. The lighting is all natural from the sun and it shows the shiny carapace and makes it possible to pick out some of the detailin the eyes.
Whether you are a fan of bugs or not I hope you will agree these are quite good pictures...
Today is my 200th blog posting and to celebrate I have been out taking some new pictures and I have chosen to flood this page with colour.
I visited Powis Castle near Welshpool and as well as the castle and gardens I took several macro images some of which you can see above.
The first five pictures are of different varieties of Tulip, their vivid colours and abundance of pollen were a real treat for the eyes and an invitation to bees and other insects although I was surprised not to see too many bees today.
The final picture is of a bed of grape hyacinths around the base of a tree with a view across a lawn and with a glimpse of the castle itself through the branches.
The gardens are quite spectacular and so I look forward to sharing a few more of my photos soon.
Having just enjoyed the warmest October for some time the weather has suddenly taken a turn and it's a lot colder outside, more what we should expect for November. With that in mind I decided to post a couple of pictures of different ice crystals. I love the different patterns that form and with my macro lens it is possible to get in close and pick out the detail. I guess I still need some practice but these show a little of what is possible.
In these pictures the ice had formed on the top of a puddle and over the surface of a rock.
