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John Hadden Photography

Photography of the Natural World

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flowers

Rye and Blue

grass-irises
Rye grass flowering by the pond

I’m always amazed at what is revealed when you get in close to a subject. From a distance (and without my reading glasses on…) these rye grass stems (please correct me if I’m wrong on the ID) don’t look like much. But on closer inspection, the tiny flowerettes reveal themselves. A shallow depth of field blurs the irises that were blooming behind.

I’ve been using my full frame Nikon again recently along with a wonderful Sigma 105mm macro lens. I’d kind of forgotten what wonderful photos this setup can take, especially with the magic bokeh!

Nikon D600, Sigma 105mm macro, ISO 800, f/11, 1/100″ exposure.

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Apache Plume

apache-plume
Apache Plume blooming in Plaza Blanca

I came across this spectacular shrub while hiking in Plaza Blanca, New Mexico. I was drawn to the feather styles of the plant.

From Wikipedia:

“The flower of the shrub is roselike when new, with rounded white petals and a center filled with many thready stamens and pistils. The ovary of the flower remains after the white petals fall away, leaving many plumelike lavender styles, each 3 to 5 centimeters long. The plant may be covered with these dark pinkish clusters of curling, feathery styles after flowering. Each style is attached to a developing fruit, which is a small achene. The fruit is dispersed when the wind catches the styles and blows them away.”

Here’s a shot of the shrub in situ. Amazing that anything can grow out of solid rock!

apache-plume-shrub

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Butterfly Heaven

painted-lady-western-white-choke-cherry
Painted lady and western white butterflies enjoy the sweet nectar of choke cherry flowers

While hiking near the east branch of the Jemez River in New Mexico, we came across this flowering choke cherry bush that was alive with butterflies. There must have been several hundred—mostly small western whites and a few painted ladies—swirling about and lapping up the sweet smelling nectar of the flowers.

Panasonic GX8, Lumix 14-140mm lens, ISO 1600, f/10, 1/1600″ exposure

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Bleeding Hearts

bleeding-hearts
Bleeding hearts in bloom in our ornamental garden

Bleeding hearts are in bloom now in our ornamental garden. Though I usually photograph wildflowers, these showy cultivars couldn’t help but draw my lens!

Nikon D600, Sigma 105mm macro lens, ISO 1250, f/4, 1/1000″ exposure

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Wild Apple

apple-blossom-2
Wild apple blooming

We have quite a number of wild apple trees in our front field and down in the back yard along Fargo Brook. My guess is that, over the years, deer have propagated the trees by muching apples from one and depsoitig the seeds elsewhere. We’ve pruned a few of these trees, and they provide us with apples for cider and apple sauce. This looks to be another good year if we can avoid a late frost.

Nikon D600, Sigma 105mm macro lens, ISO 400, f/4, 1/2500″ exposure.

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Bloodroot and tin

bloodroot-tin-can
Bloodroot and rusted tin

I couldn’t resist the juxtaposition of these lovely bloodroot blossoms and the rusted tin can that we came across the other day while walking along the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail in St. Johnsbury.

Panasonic GX8, Lumix 14-140mm lens @ 81mm, ISO 800, f/9, 1/250″ exposure.

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Wild Oats

wild-oats
Wild oats in bloom near a local beaver pond

Wild oats (a.k.a. sessile bellwort) are in bloom. These diminutive plants grow in colonies. They spread asexually by means of long underground stolons (think rhizomes) with most plants in a colony not flowering. There’s a prodigious colony up past the beaver pond along the old Mailbox trail.

Panasonic GX8, Olympus 60mm macro, ISO 1250, f/8, 1/125″ exposure.

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Red Trillium

red-trillium
Red trillium blooming along Taft Road

Red trillium (also known as wake-robin) is blooming along Taft Road. This wine colored three-petaled flower is a real eye-catcher against the forest floor this time of year.

Panasonic GX8, Olympus 60mm macro, ISO 1250, f/10, 1/160″ exposure

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Amelanchier

shad-bush
Amelanchier blooming along Taft Road

Amelanchier (also known as serviceberry, shadbush, and shadblow, among others) is a flowering shrub that blooms this time of year. Its white blossoms are quite visible in the woods before the rest of the neighboring trees have leafed out.

Panasonic GX8, Olympus 60mm macro lens, ISO 1250, f/2.8, 1/4000″ exposure.

 

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