Silver and gold on a block on the west side of Mopac

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Mopac is the name of an increasingly clogged expressway that runs north-south on the west side of Austin. In most places there’s a parallel access road, including a stretch near North Hills Drive whose margin happens to be home to some native plants. I spent a little time there on October 19 and managed to get two for the price of one, so to speak. The obvious subject, and one that I never seem to tire of, is Clematis drummondii, this time partly in a late phase in which some of the vine’s feathery, seed-bearing strands were already coming undone from the core that had held them. The yellow-orange in the background is from a wildflower that has also made its appearance here several times, Viguiera dentata, known because of its color as goldeneye.

For those of you who are interested in nature photography as a craft, points 1, 2, 5, 6, 15 and 16 in About My Techniques are relevant to this photograph.

© 2012 Steven Schwartzman