Month: April 2009

Indiana Wildflowers (wild phlox)

If I am not boring you yet I thought I might share another wildflower with you, Wild Phlox, this is another beautiful little flower that grows in small clusters and has a beautiful purple color too it. I love how the colors in the bloom contrast with the deep greens of the forest floor, many times I find this one amongst the dry dead leaves but this bunch had a great bg I could take advantage of.

In some places they grow so in such large masses it seems if the ground is covered in purple, and the sweet aroma of these little jewels is a wonder too behold as well. They are definitely worth the effort to get out and find among the hills and woods of the area you live, and if you can’t find any close I am sure a short drive will get you someplace to see them.

It won’t be long before all the spring wildflowers have come and gone, but it has been a joy to get out in the woods and photograph and enjoy all the beauty that lies beneath our feet, hopefully we will get some rain and I can get out in Clifty Falls ans get some beautiful steam and waterfall shots or may be just take a stroll thru Historic Madison Indiana and get some  image from all the beautiful homes and buildings.

wild-phlox-1-20091

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look !!

Squirrel Corn

I thought I might post another wildflower image, this one has a unique look and name Squirrel Corn, found growing right along and among Dutchman’s Breeches this flower must be related to the Bleeding Heart family because of it’s look and pink coloring on the tips.

You really have to be looking for this little specimen because of it’s ability to hide among the foliage of other plants, most of the time you will walk right by this flower never knowing of it’s existence. The blooms are around 1.5 inches in size and have a surprisingly pleasant odor for such a small flower.

They have a strange shape too them as well, they do resemble a kernel of corn, but where the squirell fits into the equation I guess I will never know. In Clifty Falls State Park, near Madison indiana, this wildflower and the Dutchman’s Breeches grow in huge scattered patches on boulders and all over the forest floor. Some areas are so thick it almost looks like a skiff of freshly fallen snow.

This is just another of the many wildflowers you can witness in the woods and canyons of Madison and Southern Indiana, thanks for taking a look and stopping by !!

squirrel-corn-2-20095

White Trillium (Trillium flexipes)

I thought I might share some more wildflower images with you, so far this has been a great year except for the little cold front we got two days ago that kinda of slowed the bloom down a bit, but other than that the flowers have been beautiful and have made for some great subjects.

Just yesterday I found the trillium’s have started to bloom, I believe this is the White Erect Trillium, this is one of the larger species and with it’s very nature they make a great subject too shoot because of their propensity to stand tall and erect to expose the bloom to  photographers and flower aficionados. They grow on hillsides and moist forest floors making for a great contrast against the ever expanding green color of the environment they flourish in.

I shot this one in Clifty Falls State Park, where I shoot most of my wildflowers anymore, this one I found standing on a boulder overlooking the forest like a King over it’s domain. Its easy to spot these beautiful giants because of their large size and unique appearance they stand out well against the forest floor.

Clifty Falls Sate park has been a blaze of color from the wildflowers this year, but the show won’t last long so if you are close and would like to travel somewhere to see a small marvel of nature try Clifty Falls  it’s close to Historic Madison Indiana and it would  well worth your time.

Thanks for stopping by !!

UPDATE !!!!!

I got the real ID on this from Tom Arbour,   Thanks for helping out.

http://hiramtom.blogspot.com/

large-white-trillium-1-20091

“Clifty Falls Wildflowers”

Clifty Falls State Park located near Madison Indiana, is best known for it’s beautiful Waterfalls and tree lined canyons,  but a little known secret lies beneath the woodland canopy. Every spring an immense variety of wildflowers grace it’s woods and canyons with a beautiful display of of color and shape.

From the early season Bloodroot to the late arriving Wild Columbine a diverse number of flowers will make your hike thru the park a pleasurable outing, the flowers could be located in an isolated cluster or a patch the size of house. The color palette will range from white to blue to red and every shade of green you could imagine.

Many flowers will take on intricate shapes and textures.  The Dutchman’s Breeches (pictured here) resemble a pair of upside down trousers hence the name, and Squirrel Corn has an odd likeness to a kernel of corn, but I have no idea where the squirrel comes in.  Trout Lily has a pattern on it’s leaves that resemble the patterns on a trout and of course bluebells have an uncanny likeness to bells.

There are too many more for me to list here but as I gather more images I will keep sharing a little more of my outings in the park and surrounding areas to give you somewhat of an idea as to what a beautiful area I live in. Thanks for stopping by and taking a look !!

dutchmans-breeches-1-20092

“Spring Has Sprung in Madison Indiana”

Finally after a long cold winter spring is finally gracing us with it’s presence. Have not been blogging much lately, the long winter and work have kept me from posting or visiting other blogs, I always say I am going to to try to do better in that regard but always seem to come up short, so once again I will try too do better now !!

I have been able to go out and get some wildflower shots this past week, the hills and canyons that surround my hometown of Madison are bursting with vibrant colors and it looks to be a great flower season this year. My only disappointment so far has been with the Bloodroot which have had spotted and falling petals which has diminished the beauty of this little early wildflower.

The Hepatica, Spring Beauties  and Rue Anemone have all been quite plentiful this year along with an abundance of Virginia Bluebells  has got me hiking the deeply shadowed gorges and cliff lines in search of the perfect specimens to fill my card with.  It has been a little cold and windy but so far the weather hasn’t put too much of a damper on my excursions into the woods.

I think I will try and post an image every day or so just to give you an idea of the beauty that surrounds my area, I will start with this closeup of a Virginia Bluebell that I shot at Clifty Falls State Park yesterday morning, like I said earlier this year seems to have an abundance of Bluebells more than I have seen in years past, I shot this with a Macro Lens so I could show you the intricate details and color in this flower.

As the week and season progresses I will share more of my images with you and hopefully be able to fully illustrate the beauty that can be found close to home along with the wonderful scenes that you can witnesses on a short hike or drive from your own home. I hope you enjoy my images and I hope you have a great day as well !!

virginia-bluebells-clifty-1-20091