Flora - # - Dan Violette photography - Fine Art Nature Photography of California and the American West

Dan Violette photography - Fine Art Nature Photography

From orchids to fungi

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Strawberry Lily (white). This member of the Lilium family stands 18 to 24 inches tall and features large strawberry-colored flowers with white margins. Spots of brown on petals and leaves of its companion plant here show fallen pollen from the heavily laden stamens.

Strawberry Lily (black). This member of the Lilium family stands 18 to 24 inches tall and features large strawberry-colored flowers with white margins. Spots of brown on petals and leaves of the companion plant are fallen pollen from the heavily laden stamens.

Strawberry Lily (light). This member of the Lilium family stands 18 to 24 inches tall and features large strawberry-colored flowers with white margins. Spots of brown on petals and leaves of the companion plant are fallen pollen from the heavily laden stamens.

Pitcher plant (Sarracenia hybrid) flowers. Sarracenia species number about a dozen in North America and are well adapted to sunny wetlands and poor acidic soil. Bees are the primary pollinators of the pendant flowers. Seed capsules can take nearly six months to mature and release their hundreds of seeds. Graceful flowers belie the carnivorous nature of these plants. The lip serves as a landing pad for flying insects that are ultimately tempted by the nectar glands on the underside of the lip - positioned directly over the long hollow tubular leaves (several visible in this photograph). Insects that fall from the lid struggle against the inner waxy surface and are directed toward the base of the narrowing leaves. Insects attempt to escape impending death but few can overcome the downward pitch of plant hairs nor can they fly straight up the narrow vertical interior where they bump against the inner leaf walls, falling repeatedly into a water bath where the clever pitcher plant produces a wetting agent that reduces wing effectiveness - and where digestive enzymes help the plant extract nutrients from captured prey.

Strawberry Lily (dark). This member of the Lilium family stands 18 to 24 inches tall and features large strawberry-colored flowers with white margins. Spots of brown on petals and leaves of the companion plant are fallen pollen from the heavily laden stamens.

Cosmos flowers are showy two-to-four inch annuals on two-to-five foot plants with lacy fern-like foliage. They are easily propagated from seed and will freely seed themselves. Colors include various shades of pink, maroon, purple and white. Their common name is from the Greek for "balanced universe".

Laelia tenebrosa "Montecito", HCC/AOS. This is a highly-awarded clone of one of the most spectacular orchid species from Brazil's tropical rain forests. Plants may reach two feet in height, and the fragrant flowers may span eight inches. This select clone features rich bronzed mahogany petals and a large purple-violet lip.

Thunbergia alata. Black eyed Susan vine flowers. This species, one of about 200 worldwide, and native to South Africa is widely grown in warm climates. A fast growing vine with toothed arrowhead-shaped leaves, it features two-inch flowers ranging from white to bright yellow, orange or reddish with a black to deep purple throat.

Cattleya gaskelliana (maximum print size 8x10). Native to Venezuela. This robust orchid species has light purple-violet flowers to 6.5 inches across. The intricate lip features a purple splash with pale border and a yellow throat.

Strawberry Lily (white). This member of the Lilium family stands 18 to 24 inches tall and features large strawberry-colored flowers with white margins. Spots of brown on petals and leaves of its companion plant here show fallen pollen from the heavily laden stamens.