Morning Magic
After a soggy night of camping, I awoke just before dawn. The sun soon peeked through the nearby forest, brilliantly backlighting these Apache Plume wildflowers that I had entirely failed to notice. The scene was pure magic! Cochise Co, AZ.
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Fairy Swamp
Such beautiful carnivorous plants, pitchers supplement with insects in order to compensate for the nutritionally poor soil in which they thrive.
There are very few Pennsylvania bogs in which a fellow might encounter these bizarre beauties, making this introduction all the more special! The swamp looked so magical.....I could just imagine a fairy darting across the scene. Tannersville, PA, USA.
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The Flytrap from Venus
A close look at the leafy jaws of a Venus flytrap. Carolina Beach State Park, NC.
Pitchers in the Forest
A small stand of carnivorous pitcher plants, surrounded by their forest home. The carnivorous pitcher plant lives in nutritionally-poor soil, often in wetland habitat. To supplement, they rely on insects falling into their liquid-filled "pitchers," where the tiny, hapless creatures drown and are slowly digested. Carolina Beach State Park, NC.
Bamboo Orchids
Although the stalks do rather resemble to plant. there is nothing bamboo-like about this orchids' fantastic flowers! George O'Keefe may even find some inspiration from their shape. Dos Brazos de Tigre, Costa Rica.
Apache Plume
After a soggy night of camping, I awoke just before dawn. The sun soon peeked through the nearby forest, brilliantly backlighting these Apache Plume wildflowers that I had entirely failed to notice. The scene was pure magic! Cochise Co, AZ. Prints of this image are not currently for sale. Please check back for future availability!
Sundews – Up Close and Personal
Laying down in the marshy ground allowed for a better perspective of these tiny, carnivorous plants. Like other carnivorous plants, sundews only thrive in specific bog habitats and need insect prey to supplement the poor soil nutrition.
Photographed in Loyalsock State Forest, PA, USA.
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Indian Blanket Flower
An Indian Blanket Flower, covered in water droplets and delicately accentuated by the morning sun. This gem sat all by herself, delicately accentuated by a single beam of sunlight.
Photographed near Hartleton, PA, USA.
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Sundew Droplets
Taking a much closer look at these tiny carnivorous plants, one can see not only the precise details, but also small droplets of morning dew dispersed among the sticky tendrils. These stunning little plants catch insects to supplement for nutritionally-poor soil. Photo taken at Stephen Foster State Park, GA, USA.
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A Passionate Wasp
Look closely at this delightful passion flower and you may notice a tiny creature hidden in plain sight. Carolina Beach State Park, NC.
Passion Flower
The Flower of Passion
A more appropriate name there could not be for the gorgeous Passion Flower. This beauty was sitting all by herself, so lonely and radiant in the middle of a pine forest. Photo taken at Lake Louisa State Park, FL, USA.
Cactus and Flowers
An array of wildflowers surround this once majestic saguaro. Globe mallow, lupine, and owl clover can all be seen if you look closely enough. In life, saguaros offer much abundance to the desert creatures but, in death, they offer a different abundance. The trunk provides shelter for small creatures, while the innards transform to a mushy cocktail of entire mini ecosystems.
Saguaro National Park East, AZ.
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Carnivorous Plants
Like other carnivorous plants, the Venus flytrap must compensate for nutritionally-poor soil. To do so, they wait, jaws agape, for a small insect to climb inside. When a discrete "trigger" hair is bumped with the right amount of force, the jaws quickly close. The tiny prisoner is then slowly consumed. Carolina Beach State Park, NC.
Flytraps in the Light
Like other carnivorous plants, the Venus flytrap must compensate for nutritionally-poor soil. To do so, they wait, jaws agape, for a small insect to climb inside. When a discrete "trigger" hair is bumped with the right amount of force, the jaws quickly close. The tiny prisoner is then slowly consumed. Carolina Beach State Park, NC.
Venus Flytraps
Like other carnivorous plants, the Venus flytrap must compensate for nutritionally-poor soil. To do so, they wait, jaws agape, for a small insect to climb inside. When a discrete "trigger" hair is bumped with the right amount of force, the jaws quickly close. The tiny prisoner is then slowly consumed. Carolina Beach State Park, NC.
Pine Sap
Yellow Monkey Flower
Quite prevalent in moist soil, the yellow monkey flower can be abundant along streambeds in Southern Arizona's Catalina Mountains.
Mimosa
The last hints of sunshine delicately backlight a cluster of mimosa flowers. Lake Lure, NC.
Ancient Tree
An old, dead evergreen tree which I came upon along a hiking trail at Aguirre Springs Recreation Area, NM, USA. This ancient tree has no doubt watched many stories play out from the tall vantage point.
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Fantasy Forest
What appeared to be a natural clearing surrounded this ancient beech. It was as if the other plants felt a reverence toward the ancient, gnarled beauty. Dolly Sods Wilderness, WV.
Monkey No Climb
The pochote tree is also referred as "monkey no climb" for obvious reasons. Sinister spikes are thought to help protect these trees from excessive grazing. Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica.
Wild Iris
Leather Flower
Iris and Quartz
Lady Slipper Landscape
Pink Lady Slipper
Stunning Slippers
Indian Cucumber
Purple Asters
A number of years ago, my mother allowed me to convert a large portion of her yard into wildflower garden. Since then, s[ring, summer, and early autumn boast all manner of stunning colors! On an overcast day, the early morning offered little light. Winfield, PA
Turk’s Caps
Bee Balm
I love these pollinator plants! Bee balm not only appears beautiful, but it smells delightful and offers food to a wide array of different pollinators. Hummingbirds, bees (obviously), and butterflies all adore these wonderful wildflowers!
Sacred Datura
Indigo Bush
Throughout March and April, these otherwise scruffy-looking shrubs sometimes put on a dazzling display! Covered in these small, attractive flowers, they offer life-giving sustenance to the early pollinators. Saguaro National Park East, AZ.
Barestem Larkspur
These tiny, beautiful wildflowers are a short-lived spring delight in the Sonoran Desert. A wet winter tends to be a serendipitous sign for spring wildflowers. Photo taken in Ironwood National Monument, AZ, USA.
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Fiddlehead Fern
Young ferns are often referred to as “fiddleheads,” as they rather resemble such musical instruments. This sizable species is called a cinnamon fern. Photo taken in Loyalsock State Forest, PA, USA.
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Cattail Droplets
The subtle beauty of water droplets on a cattail plant that had recently gone to seed.
Greet Nature early in the morning, and the beauty you experience is often unparalleled.
Photographed in Hartleton, PA, USA.
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Tail of the Dragon
Generally speaking, plants derive their energy from the sun, which allows them to undergo photosynthesis and produce chlorophyll, which is the lifeblood of most plants. From flowering succulents, to tall trees, and spring wildflowers, this album covers many delicate (as well as some not-so-delicate) plants.