Farther beyond sleek
Click for greater clarity.
The last photograph was a close view of a Clematis drummondii seed core, with each seed attached to a feathery strand. At the same July 18th session that produced that picture, I took this one of a more advanced stage in the plant’s development. Here you see that the seeds in the core have turned more brown than red, a sign that they’ve matured and partly dried out. Some of them have already fallen or been blown away; a few have come loose but are still present; seven or so are still attached to the core, though not for long.
As a tribute to imagination, I’ll add that Eve saw the arrangement of these strands as a stylized heart.
© 2012 Steven Schwartzman
Portraits of Wildflowers 
So wunderschön und sogar ein Herz!!
Mathilda
August 6, 2012 at 6:48 AM
Ja, das ist, was meine Frau gesagt hat.
So you, too, see this as a heart, the way my wife did.
Steve Schwartzman
August 6, 2012 at 6:56 AM
Wow, the difference is so interesting (and so beautifully photographed, as always). BTW, a little thank you to you is over my way . . .
Susan Scheid
August 6, 2012 at 11:00 AM
Thanks for the kind words here and over your way, Susan. The way plant species change as they develop has fascinated me for a long time, and I’ve spent a lot of time photographing the different stages of some of the native species in central Texas (Clematis drummondii is a particular favorite). That said, I confess that plants come in a poor second to insects, whose adult forms can be so different from their larvae; the classic example is caterpillars and butterflies. Still, I don’t know that I could originally have predicted today’s picture after seeing the species’ bud and flower.
Steve Schwartzman
August 6, 2012 at 11:34 AM
Have you perhaps just disproved your hypothesis about insects vs. plants (OK, I know, the exception proves the rule). Bottom line: the metamorphosis of the Clematis is extraordinary.
Susan Scheid
August 6, 2012 at 7:27 PM
Perhaps. Still, as wonderful as the development of the Clematis is, I don’t think I can convince myself that it’s as dramatic as the change from a caterpillar to a moth or butterfly. But I won’t quibble about hierarchies of miracles: I’ll take them all!
Steve Schwartzman
August 6, 2012 at 8:03 PM
Félicitations pour votre infatigable régularité à exprimer votre passion. Cette photo est très réussie. I follow !
Pedro de la Punta
August 6, 2012 at 3:10 PM
Merci d’avoir suivi ce blog, Pedro. Vouz avez raison de dire que j’exprime avec régularité ma passion, mais j’avoue qu’il y a pas mal de moments où l’infatigable devient le fatigué!
Steve Schwartzman
August 6, 2012 at 3:25 PM
Le contenu que vous publiez exprime moins la fatigue que la passion. Et pour le peu que j’en aie vu, vous êtes dans une phase qualitative.
Pedro de la Punta
August 6, 2012 at 3:33 PM
Merci encore une fois.
Steve Schwartzman
August 6, 2012 at 4:36 PM
We don’t seem to have that species of Clematis here, but the one we do have acts similarly. It took me quite awhile before I realized that was the clematis in seed.
montucky
August 6, 2012 at 11:49 PM
I was happy to learn that there are similar species in other parts of the country, including in the East as well, so that lots of the rest of you can get to enjoy sights like this. You’re right that this late stage is hard to recognize from the flowers that precede it.
Steve Schwartzman
August 7, 2012 at 6:04 AM
Wonderful shot, perfect lighting!
composerinthegarden
August 8, 2012 at 7:22 AM
This is one of those cases where I used flash even in broad daylight. Without the flash, the the plant in the foreground would have come out dark in comparison to the brightness of the sky.
Steve Schwartzman
August 8, 2012 at 9:31 AM
A beautiful juxtaposition of cloud and flower-feathers. The balance is perfect – both are ethereal, and both love to fly!
shoreacres
August 8, 2012 at 9:09 PM
And so my imagination took flight. I like your phrase “flower-feathers.”
Steve Schwartzman
August 8, 2012 at 10:30 PM
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