Clematis and Liatris
Another thing I found in, and even on, the blazing-star, Liatris mucronata, in the field at the corner of Metric Blvd. and Howard Ln. on October 9 was our old friend Clematis drummondii. I still think its strands at this stage look like plastic-coated copper wires. Okay, the strands may not be metallic, but during a good part of the year they’re current and I always get a charge out of them. Positively.
If you’re interested in photography as a craft, you’ll find that points 1, 2, 9 and 15 in About My Techniques are relevant to this photograph. If you’re interested in wordplay, you’ll get your share of it on this site.
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I’m out of town for a few days, so please forbear if it takes me a while to answer comments.
© 2013 Steven Schwartzman
Portraits of Wildflowers 
The swirls are as beautiful as the blooms. Lovely textures.
georgettesullins
November 9, 2013 at 6:10 AM
The combination of swirls and flowers did it for me, too.
Steve Schwartzman
November 9, 2013 at 8:21 AM
There’s nothing static about this image! I’m curious about all those pods scattered about. They must be part of the Liatris, but I’ve never seen any evidence of such a thing. Do they fall away, leaving only the fluff? If so, I was too late to collect any seed from the ones I saw, even if I’d remembered I intended to do so.
Thanks for such a delightful photograph, and the great word play.
shoreacres
November 9, 2013 at 6:44 AM
Nothing static indeed.
What might appear to be slender green pods are actually the narrow leaves of the plant you suspected they belong to, the Liatris. Because this genus is in the sunflower family, there aren’t any pods. There are still some seeds amid the fluff of the Liatris mucronata in Austin, so you might be able to collect a few from the species of Liatris in your area.
You’re welcome to the photography and for the wordplay.
Steve Schwartzman
November 9, 2013 at 8:27 AM
By the way, I should’ve added that biologists have borrowed the Latin word mucro (with stem mucron-) to designate ‘a pointed part of an organ,’ especially ‘a pointy tip,’ so this species is named Liatris mucronata because of the points at the tips of the narrow leaves. The leaves are stiff enough that their points can feel sharp against human skin, as I can attest.
Steve Schwartzman
November 10, 2013 at 7:00 AM
Beautifully shot!
hey is anyone else not liking this this new wordpress reader? I don’t think it shows anyone’s blogs as well as the “old” reader did!
SmallHouseBigGarden
November 9, 2013 at 7:01 AM
I find they open into a small window and then you have to open it in full – quite annoying. (or is that just me?) I just wish they’d stop changing things all the time!
Heyjude
November 9, 2013 at 8:08 AM
I don’t think there’s any chance of WordPress not frequently changing things, alas.
Steve Schwartzman
November 9, 2013 at 8:29 AM
I get different results depending on which machine and browser I use! But they all share that annoying pop-up first…then sometimes I can click and the full post opens…other times only an excerpt. I’m sure if I spent the time I could figure out why this happens, but frankly I don’t have the time!
SmallHouseBigGarden
November 9, 2013 at 9:34 AM
You’re right that so much depends on the browser and computer operating system you’re using. Luckily I’m not experiencing the annoying pop-ups you mentioned; let’s hope it stays that way, and that you find a way to avoid the annoyance.
Steve Schwartzman
November 9, 2013 at 5:12 PM
Nature is magical–lovely capture.
lensandpensbysally
November 9, 2013 at 7:30 AM
Thanks, Sally.
Steve Schwartzman
November 9, 2013 at 8:30 AM
That’s a very eye-catching photo. It has such a mixture of qualities. I agree about the plastic coated look.
Jim in IA
November 9, 2013 at 7:49 AM
Thanks, Jim. With the technical bent that you have, I suspect you’ve handled your share of speaker wire.
Steve Schwartzman
November 9, 2013 at 8:32 AM
You are right about that.
Jim in IA
November 9, 2013 at 9:24 AM
Reminds me of the candyfloss we were making last weekend 🙂
Heyjude
November 9, 2013 at 8:06 AM
Candyfloss: that’s something I’ve never heard of. I hope yours turned out well.
Steve Schwartzman
November 9, 2013 at 8:33 AM
It’s disgusting pink stuff made entirely out of sugar – was making it for a fireworks night at a local rugby club. I tried to keep out of the way as spun sugar escaped into the night; erving toffee apples was more my thing.
Heyjude
November 9, 2013 at 9:30 AM
Ah, we call that cotton candy.
Steve Schwartzman
November 9, 2013 at 12:56 PM
Love it. A great lesson in composition for me.
afrenchgarden
November 9, 2013 at 11:08 AM
Ah, composure.
Steve Schwartzman
November 9, 2013 at 12:51 PM
🙂
afrenchgarden
November 9, 2013 at 12:51 PM
Only you would go from gorgeous photo of a clematis to plastic-coated copper wire to charge and current in not much more than a breath. But that’s what keeps us reading, as well as admiring the photos–to see what, on both counts, you’ll come up with next.
Susan Scheid
November 9, 2013 at 5:51 PM
Thanks for the vote of confidence, from one S.S. to another. Some of the idiosyncrasies that used to come out in my teaching now come out in these posts.
Steve Schwartzman
November 9, 2013 at 7:51 PM
Wonderful colors and texture
norasphotos4u
November 9, 2013 at 8:10 PM
Those colors and textures did it for me, too, Nora.
Steve Schwartzman
November 10, 2013 at 6:50 AM
La beauté du fouillis
lancoliebleue
November 10, 2013 at 8:34 AM
J’aime bien cette description. Ça pourrait être le titre d’une exposition d’art.
Steve Schwartzman
November 11, 2013 at 9:35 AM