A close look at poverty weed’s tufts
Here you have a closeup of the last and most appealing stage in the perennial cycle of a poverty weed bush. Notice the receptacles that are left behind: those “stars” are a clue that Baccharis neglecta is a member of the Asteraceae, the family that includes asters and sunflowers and daisies but also many plants with flowers that look quite different.
I photographed this poverty weed along an edge of Morado Circle in my northwestern Austin neighborhood on November 13th.
© 2013 Steven Schwartzman
So. If you fish around long enough, you can find some stars – a nice substitute for imaginary starfish. This is such a terrific photo – so unusual. The dark background sets it off beautifully. I think I remember that using the flash will create such an effect. Is that right?
shoreacres
November 17, 2013 at 7:41 AM
Ah, a fisher of stars. Thanks for finding this image not only unusual but also terrific. When I looked through the camera’s viewfinder, the silky tufts made me think I was seeing tiny comets.
Using a flash can give a bright-against-dark effect, but the jolt of light can be garish and produce harsh shadows, so I hesitate to use flash unless I really need more light than is available. No, in this case I didn’t resort to flash, but I photographed the sunlit sprig of poverty weed at such an angle that what was behind it lay in natural shadows and therefore was rendered black, in contrast to (literally) the relatively bright tufts in the foreground. The photographer aspires to be as enlightened as the subject.
Steve Schwartzman
November 17, 2013 at 8:01 AM
So fluffy! il n’y a pas de mot en français qui définit aussi bien ces graines.. j’adore.
Bien vu ton commentaire sous les marches, oui en effet une sacrée démarche ;lol;
chatou11
November 17, 2013 at 8:12 AM
Traductions de fluffy dans mon dictionnaire: duveteux, molletonné, pelucheux, floconneux.
Steve Schwartzman
November 17, 2013 at 9:07 AM
I see some stars.
Jim in IA
November 17, 2013 at 9:16 AM
And now you’ve reminded me of Don McLean’s song that begins “Starry starry night….”
Steve Schwartzman
November 17, 2013 at 9:49 AM
That’s a good one.
Jim in IA
November 17, 2013 at 11:33 AM
Terrific photo – the tufts resemble the tails of the African wild dog (or painted dog):
Jude xx
Heyjude
November 17, 2013 at 9:30 AM
Now that’s an association I never would have made. Good for your imagination.
Steve Schwartzman
November 17, 2013 at 12:32 PM
This is gorgeous, and the first time I hear of the term “tufts” as applied to slender, feathery or fluffy blooming flowers, it is very dramatic indeed.
M. Firpi
November 17, 2013 at 11:48 AM
Thanks for appreciating the photograph, Maria. The first definition in the American Heritage Dictionary makes me think that tuft is the right word: ‘A short cluster of elongated strands, as of yarn, hair, or grass, attached at the base or growing close together.’
Steve Schwartzman
November 17, 2013 at 12:19 PM
I do love a good tuft! There are varieties of Clematis that produce lovely tufts.
mrsdaffodil
November 17, 2013 at 11:55 AM
Yes there are, and the Clematis drummondii that grows natively in Austin is among my favorite things to photograph. A few views I’ve shown that include its tufts are:
https://portraitsofwildflowers.wordpress.com/2012/07/12/sleek/
https://portraitsofwildflowers.wordpress.com/2013/08/11/a-metallic-sheen-where-theres-no-metal/
https://portraitsofwildflowers.wordpress.com/2012/11/18/silver-and-gold-on-a-block-on-the-west-side-of-mopac/
Steve Schwartzman
November 17, 2013 at 12:24 PM
More gleaming silk-floss filaments! Hurray!
kathryningrid
November 18, 2013 at 2:05 PM
My sentiments exactly. The poverty weed here is still fluffing, and I’m still photographing it.
Steve Schwartzman
November 18, 2013 at 4:22 PM
Absolutely stunning- such clarity, with subtle colours on a black background.
Mary Mageau
November 19, 2013 at 12:13 AM
I sometimes say that I developed clarity during my years as a math teacher. I’ll agree with you that the dark background was effective here.
Steve Schwartzman
November 19, 2013 at 6:52 AM
Your Poverty Weed and this bug I saw this morning have something in common! Yes? 😀
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2509259/Nymph-insect-iridescent-tuft-hair-discovered-South-America.html
Lynda
November 23, 2013 at 11:41 AM
An excellent association: now if I could only find a poverty weed tuft decorated with orange dots and stripes…
Steve Schwartzman
November 23, 2013 at 11:48 AM