A bud beginning to unroll
Bud unrolling; click for greater detail.
While driving past a construction site in the Hill Country west of Austin yesterday, I was pleased to find several native plants of a certain species that I see from time to time, but not all that often. The plants had some fully open flowers, but they also had some long, narrow buds that were just beginning to unroll. That was the case with the bud shown here, which I photographed looking straight down from the top. For once I won’t tell you what this is—though some of you may recognize it—but next time I’ll show you how different a fully open flower of this species looks from the roughly cylindrical bud you see before you, which was about an inch and a half across and about six inches long. For those of you who don’t know what this is, see if you can imagine what the emerging flower will be like; to my mind, it’s like trying to figure out what a butterfly will look like from its caterpillar.
Till tomorrow, then.
© 2011 Steven Schwartzman
Portraits of Wildflowers 
Nice 🙂
Eden
October 25, 2011 at 6:44 AM
It is pretty, and I’ve long been attracted to the buds’ swirling tips. Stay tuned to find out what this plant is.
Steve Schwartzman
October 25, 2011 at 9:04 AM
I love this type of flower. We have it up here in Santa Fe, also. I’ve had better luck photographing the bud/opening flower than the actual flower, so I’m really looking forward to what you produce.:) Great photo!
KatiesCameraBlog
October 25, 2011 at 11:20 AM
Thanks, Katie. I hope I can live up to your expectations in the next post.
Steve Schwartzman
October 25, 2011 at 11:34 AM
A shot of extraordinary beauty!
firasz
October 25, 2011 at 4:16 PM
Thanks. Next time you can watch it unroll.
Steve Schwartzman
October 25, 2011 at 5:14 PM
I just can’t imagine… This looks like a cross between a poorly-formed cinnamon roll and the wax flowers that decorated Victorian homes before plastic and then silk blossoms came along.
I can’t wait to see it unfurled!
shoreacres
October 25, 2011 at 9:53 PM
You do have vivid associations, Linda; I would never have thought of a poorly-formed cinnamon roll or the wax flowers that decorated Victorian homes—but then I know what this flower is, and that identity precludes others. (On the other hand, I’m no stranger to fanciful associations.)
Tomorrow will tell.
Steve Schwartzman
October 25, 2011 at 10:13 PM
Looks like a daylily! Of course I have no idea if it’s too late in Austin for them. It is in Virginia.
dogear6
October 25, 2011 at 11:17 PM
Nice try, but that’s not it. This is a species that, as far as I know, has no cultivars.
Steve Schwartzman
October 26, 2011 at 5:33 AM
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October 26, 2011 at 3:22 AM
I love this!! Nice work!!
JuanitasPhotoBox
October 27, 2011 at 1:13 PM
Thank you. I’m glad you were so taken with it.
Steve Schwartzman
October 27, 2011 at 1:45 PM
A much prettier contrast to the fruit
Galen Leeds Photography
October 28, 2011 at 8:07 AM
The buds and flowers are soft to touch, the antithesis of the seed capsules.
Steve Schwartzman
October 28, 2011 at 8:49 AM
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