Indian mallow bud beginning to open
Click for better clarity.
Here’s an opening bud of a native wildflower you haven’t seen in these pages before, Indian mallow, which is in the genus Abutilon. Three species have been reported in Travis County, but I can’t tell which one this is. What I can tell you is that this bud was small, less than half an inch long. In the background you’ll see a flower you’ve grown familiar with here this spring, Gaillardia pulchella, known as firewheel and Indian blanket, so you have two Indian-somethings together. The hazy patches of purple are from prairie verbenas, which have also been plentiful this spring.
I took this May 14th photograph in the fringe of Great Hills Park that’s accessible via Taylor-Draper Lane.
If you’re interested in photography as a craft, you’ll find that points 1, 18, and the seldom-mentioned 10 in About My Techniques are relevant to this photograph.
© 2013 Steven Schwartzman
Beautiful!
Alex Autin
June 17, 2013 at 7:21 AM
Yes, small spaces can be as intriguing as outer space.
Steve Schwartzman
June 17, 2013 at 7:44 AM
You captured the artistry of this wildflower patch very well!
Dallas Garden Buzz
June 17, 2013 at 9:10 AM
Thanks. There were quite a few wildflowers of various kinds in the vicinity, and I took advantage of that to play one off against another (or others).
Steve Schwartzman
June 17, 2013 at 1:27 PM
Superbly gorgeous shot Steve! I really love the mix of colors in the background!
Michael Glover
June 17, 2013 at 10:27 PM
Thanks, Michael. As a photographer you can appreciate the abstract nature of the image and the mix of colors in the background.
Steve Schwartzman
June 17, 2013 at 11:11 PM
I love the color of that!
montucky
June 18, 2013 at 12:20 AM
Another photographer in a position to appreciate how the colors played together.
Steve Schwartzman
June 18, 2013 at 6:19 AM
[…] now, after the bud in the previous photograph, you get to see a fully open Indian mallow flower, which grows to about 3/8 of an inch (1 cm) […]
Indian mallow flower | Portraits of Wildflowers
June 18, 2013 at 6:16 AM
What a refreshing color – it reminds me of orange sherbet. I don’t remember seeing such a delicate, pure orange before. And the detail of the leaf in the lower left is such a nice contrast to the soft colors.
shoreacres
June 18, 2013 at 5:56 PM
Now there’s a synchronicity. When I was answering your comment on the next post (which I got to first), I looked at the color of the flower and thought I could describe it as a pale orange sherbet. I was also pleased with the softness and angular edge of the leaf as counterbalances to the rest of the photograph.
Steve Schwartzman
June 18, 2013 at 9:24 PM