More spring wildflowers
Blue curls (Phacelia congesta) along Great Northern Blvd. on February 16. Not blue, say I.
© 2016 Steven Schwartzman
Portraits of Wildflowers
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Portraits of Wildflowers 
Violet-blue curls, and trios ALWAYS look good.
Heyjude
February 19, 2016 at 5:37 AM
So for you trios make it through the triage to emerge number one.
Steve Schwartzman
February 19, 2016 at 6:05 AM
My recently emerged phacelia send greetings to yours. Mine are not congesta, although they do live in a congested environment.
Gallivanta
February 19, 2016 at 6:45 AM
Then we both have a facility for Phacelia. What non-congested-but-in-a-congested-environment species do you have? (I see online that there are some 200 species in the genus.)
Steve Schwartzman
February 19, 2016 at 6:54 AM
I don’t know! I bought a packet of seed, broadcasted the seed, and threw out the packet. 😦
Gallivanta
February 19, 2016 at 5:22 PM
Botanists have been longing for device that they can touch a plant with to get an identification.
Steve Schwartzman
February 19, 2016 at 5:56 PM
That would be a device I would like.
Gallivanta
February 19, 2016 at 6:08 PM
I’m especially fond of the way the light makes the center buds the center of attention. It turns the photo into not only a celebration of the flowers that are, but also of those yet to come.
shoreacres
February 19, 2016 at 8:18 AM
The end of your comment reminds me of the end of Yeats’s “Sailing to Byzantium”:
https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/sailing-byzantium
Serendipity is what I’ll have to call those lit-up center buds. In contrast, the green band running the length of the background was intentional: I lay on the ground and contorted myself into a position from which the flowers lined up with that horizontal strip of color. In the crop shown here I reduced the top but left plenty of space at the left and right to emphasize the horizontality of the image.
Steve Schwartzman
February 19, 2016 at 8:32 AM
Blue Curls! Love these 🙂
melissabluefineart
February 19, 2016 at 9:35 AM
If it’s the case that you love those,
Perhaps it’s ’cause they curl your toes.
But if in dread you stop and stare,
Perhaps it’s ’cause they curl your hair.
Steve Schwartzman
February 19, 2016 at 9:57 AM
Wonderful, Steve. I’m meeting a botanist friend of mine for lunch today so I’ll tell this to her 🙂
melissabluefineart
February 19, 2016 at 10:14 AM
Bon appétit.
Steve Schwartzman
February 19, 2016 at 10:32 AM
Not blue? Then what, ask I?
krikitarts
February 19, 2016 at 10:10 PM
I see the color as violet.
Steve Schwartzman
February 20, 2016 at 5:52 AM
Hey Steve … I love phacelia such a wonderful plant to have in the garden. The bees also love it! I have used it as a cover crop before
Julie@frogpondfarm
February 20, 2016 at 6:09 PM
I’ve learned that there are about 200 species in the genus Phacelia. Do you know which species you’ve planted?
Steve Schwartzman
February 20, 2016 at 6:40 PM
I’ll have to grab the seed pack Steve 😀
Julie@frogpondfarm
February 20, 2016 at 10:18 PM
I like the banded background with the nice soft green as a contrast to the purple blue flowers.
Steve Gingold
February 24, 2016 at 3:48 AM
Yeah, that band of vegetation conveniently far enough away to be well out of focus served me well here, and I cropped a little to emphasize the horizontality that the band inherently conveyed.
Steve Schwartzman
February 24, 2016 at 7:14 AM
Lovely blooms and a beautiful composition.
theresagreen
February 26, 2016 at 12:41 PM
Thanks. The composition against that horizontal band was something new for me with this species.
Steve Schwartzman
February 26, 2016 at 1:35 PM
It’s so pretty! It reminds me of the Fiddlenecks the way it grows and curls.
circadianreflections
April 26, 2023 at 10:21 AM
“Fiddlenecks” is an appropriate comparison. Another vernacular name is “caterpillars.”
Steve Schwartzman
April 26, 2023 at 10:49 AM
I can see that! 😀
circadianreflections
April 26, 2023 at 10:50 AM
Yes, especially given the way caterpillars can curl up.
Steve Schwartzman
April 26, 2023 at 11:05 AM
🐛😀
circadianreflections
April 26, 2023 at 11:06 AM