Not the aurora
Click for greater size and clarity.
No, not the Aurora borealis but Mimosa borealis, a shrub known as pink mimosa and fragrant mimosa, both of which are accurate descriptions of the plant’s flowers. I photographed this one in my northwest Austin neighborhood on March 26. To get a clear shot of the mimosa I had to lie on the ground and be careful to avoid a nearby cactus and some scattered nettles: all in a day’s work for a nature photographer in Texas.
© 2012 Steven Schwartzman
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The daily posts that you’ve become accustomed to will continue while I’m away from Austin. Feel free to comment if you’d like, but please be aware that it may be a while before I can respond.
Portraits of Wildflowers 
Lovely flower and background. It would be fun to see a photo of the photographer at work! 😉
Cathy
June 29, 2012 at 3:24 PM
Perhaps, but the flowers are prettier.
Steve Schwartzman
June 29, 2012 at 5:01 PM
Hi,
Those flowers are gorgeous, and such a lovely soft colour as well.
magsx2
June 29, 2012 at 4:30 PM
And add to those things a pleasant fragrance.
Steve Schwartzman
June 29, 2012 at 5:02 PM
I agree with Cathy! 🙂
Sheila T Illustrated
June 29, 2012 at 6:56 PM
Two against one: that’s not fair.
Steve Schwartzman
June 29, 2012 at 7:56 PM
🙂
Sheila T Illustrated
June 29, 2012 at 8:10 PM
To me, it is an aurora. Lovely!
Susan Scheid
June 29, 2012 at 8:21 PM
Well said!
Steve Schwartzman
June 29, 2012 at 9:18 PM
That is a very nice photo.
bentehaarstad
June 29, 2012 at 8:27 PM
Thanks, and to someone who gets to see a real aurora.
Steve Schwartzman
June 29, 2012 at 9:21 PM
Magnifique. C’est incroyable ce que la nature peut nous réserver et surtout, quelle diversité!
lancoliebleue
June 30, 2012 at 1:05 AM
Merci, Val. L’ancolie bleue (the blue columbine) notes how unbelievable what nature has in store for us is, and what diversity there is.
Steve Schwartzman
June 30, 2012 at 3:12 AM
Wow nicely done Steve…this brought back memories…there was a mimosa tree in our side yard and we used to climb it when we were kids. I suppose these trees are not as popular as they once where. I haven’t seen one of these trees in many years.
dhphotosite
June 30, 2012 at 8:41 AM
This is most likely not the kind of mimosa you grew up with, but I’m glad it brought back memories from long ago.
Steve Schwartzman
June 30, 2012 at 8:07 PM
Well, look at that – a cousin to the sensitive briar/mimosa microphylla I found out at Nash Prairie! (I surely am getting a lot of mileage out of that trip – I need to go back and see what’s up.) Here’s a photo of sensitive briar. A couple of weeks ago it was abundant in the medians of our roads. I suppose as a low grower it escapes some mowing. I do think this one’s prettier, though.
shoreacres
July 1, 2012 at 4:09 PM
The sensitive briar that we have in Austin is Mimosa roemeriana, which is similar to the species you mentioned from the Nash Prairie (happy mileage!), and which is also low and makes it under the radar of the mowers, so to speak. Unlike those two, the one in this photograph doesn’t have leaflets that fold up when touched.
Steve Schwartzman
July 1, 2012 at 11:52 PM
This one is not present in P.R. neither
Maria F.
June 17, 2014 at 8:13 PM
Correct. The Latin word borealis means ‘northern,’ though for most people in the United States Texas is a southern place.
Steve Schwartzman
June 17, 2014 at 8:23 PM
[…] fancifully as fairy duster. If you see some resemblance to the flowers of the sensitive briar and fragrant mimosa and feather dalea that have appeared in these pages, that’s because all are in the Fabaceae, […]
Fairy duster | Portraits of Wildflowers
January 11, 2015 at 5:14 AM