Dan Violette photography - Fine Art Nature Photography
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Columbine (Aquilegia species) flowers are native to higher altitudes of North America, Europe and Asia with more than 60 naturally occurring species in various shades of yellow, red, blue, pink, white and purple. The bell shaped flowers, favored by hummingbirds, have petals modified into a long nectar-rich spur. They are easily propagated from seed which, like the plant's roots, are highly toxic. This image was made with a 100 mm macro lens.
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.
Columbine (Aquilegia species) flowers are native to higher altitudes of North America, Europe and Asia with more than 60 naturally occurring species in various shades of yellow, red, blue, pink, white and purple. The bell shaped flowers, favored by hummingbirds, have petals modified into a long nectar-rich spur. They are easily propagated from seed which, like the plant's roots, are highly toxic. Looking closely reveals two tiny insects enjoying this flower.
Giant coreopsis (Coreopsis gigantea) flowers are two-to-three inches across with fern-like leaves clustered on tall fleshy stalks. These drought-tolerant perennial asters are among Spring's earliest wildflowers brightening exposed coastal dunes and rocky slopes from Baja California and the Channel Islands to Central Southern California. With their wild grass and prickly pear cactus companions, these were photographed at the northern edge of the Santa Monica Mountains near Point Mugu State Park as an early morning fog lifts. The tall stalks on the left are dried yucca flower spikes from the prior year's bloom.
Giant coreopsis (Coreopsis gigantea) flowers are two-to-three inches across with fern-like leaves clustered on tall fleshy stalks. These drought-tolerant perennial asters are among Spring's earliest wildflowers brightening exposed coastal dunes and rocky slopes from Baja California and the Channel Islands to Central Southern California. With their wild grass companions, this arrangement of natives was photographed in the Santa Monica Mountains against the deep blue sky of the breezy Malibu coast.
Rudbeckia hirta. Black-eyed Susan flowers. This member of the aster family is native to North America. Flowers are two to three inches across on stems 12 to 24 or more inches tall. Yellow petals flushed with orange surround a dark-brown central cone. Popular with butterflies in summer; birds favor its seeds in autumn.
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.
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.
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".
Giant coreopsis (Coreopsis gigantea) flowers are two-to-three inches across with fern-like leaves clustered on tall fleshy stalks. These drought-tolerant perennial asters are among Spring's earliest wildflowers brightening exposed coastal dunes and rocky slopes from Baja California and the Channel Islands to Central Southern California. With their wild grass and prickly pear cactus companions, these were photographed at the northern edge of the Santa Monica Mountains near Point Mugu State Park as an early morning fog lifts. The tall stalks on the left are dried yucca flower spikes from the prior year's bloom.
Giant coreopsis (Coreopsis gigantea) flowers are two-to-three inches across with fern-like leaves clustered on tall fleshy stalks. These drought-tolerant perennial asters are among Spring's earliest wildflowers brightening exposed coastal dunes and rocky slopes from Baja California and the Channel Islands to Central Southern California. With their wild grass and prickly pear cactus companions, these were photographed at the northern edge of the Santa Monica Mountains near Point Mugu State Park as an early morning fog lifts. The tall stalks on the left are dried yucca flower spikes from the prior year's bloom.
Giant coreopsis (Coreopsis gigantea) flowers are two-to-three inches across with fern-like leaves clustered on tall fleshy stalks. These drought-tolerant perennial asters are among Spring's earliest wildflowers brightening exposed coastal dunes and rocky slopes from Baja California and the Channel Islands to Central Southern California. With their wild grass and prickly pear cactus companions, these were photographed at the northern edge of the Santa Monica Mountains near Point Mugu State Park as an early morning fog lifts. The tall stalks on the left are dried yucca flower spikes from the prior year's bloom.
See photo in original gallery.
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