Velvet gaura backlit
Velvet gaura (Oenothera curtiflora) is indeed velvety, and never is that more noticeable than when the plant is backlit by a sun not far above the horizon. So stood the sun and even lower stood I at 7:16 in the morning on September 3rd. The location was the Blackland Prairie just east of Lake Pflugerville.
© 2019 Steven Schwartzman
Portraits of Wildflowers 
And a bug, too.
melissabluefineart
September 16, 2019 at 8:07 AM
You may or may not be surprised to hear that I didn’t notice the bug until I processed the images, so focused [oh, the pun] had I been on maximizing the backlighting at the time I took the pictures.
Steve Schwartzman
September 16, 2019 at 9:57 AM
I suspected as much. Insects are often a happy surprise for me too.
melissabluefineart
September 17, 2019 at 9:13 AM
It’s hit and miss: sometimes I see the little critters and other times I don’t.
Steve Schwartzman
September 17, 2019 at 9:20 AM
R. Same here.
melissabluefineart
September 18, 2019 at 10:32 AM
A simple plant often overlooked by most people turns into a piece of art in this early morning light. Well done, Steve!
Peter Klopp
September 16, 2019 at 9:10 AM
And when not overlooked, scorned by some with the name velvetweed. I moved around among several plants looking for the best backlighting to emphasize all those downy hairs.
Steve Schwartzman
September 16, 2019 at 10:04 AM
Photo design par excellence.
Michael Scandling
September 16, 2019 at 10:13 AM
And par Étienne.
Steve Schwartzman
September 16, 2019 at 10:18 AM
This is quite a different view from my “surf’s up” photo of the velvet gaura’s curvaceous bloom stalk. It’s interesting how many plants — even grasses — are fuzzier than I’ve realized. What really makes this one special is the translucent quality of the leaves. There’s just enough color to add richness to the image.
shoreacres
September 17, 2019 at 3:55 PM
You can call it two for the price of one: the same backlighting that delineates the soft hairs on the stems transluces the leaves. And yes, as interesting as we’ve both found the curving flower stalks of this species, other parts of the plant cast their photographic spell as well.
Steve Schwartzman
September 17, 2019 at 9:27 PM
The backlight is really emphasizing all the fine hairs and leaf venation. Great shot, Steve.
Steve Gingold
September 18, 2019 at 1:33 AM
I’d stopped to photograph something else. As I walked around, these plants outlined by backlighting grabbed my attention.
Steve Schwartzman
September 18, 2019 at 7:14 AM
The fuzz is so weirdly uniform; I suppose like velvet.
tonytomeo
September 24, 2019 at 12:57 PM
The uniformity worked in my favor as a photographer.
Steve Schwartzman
September 24, 2019 at 3:06 PM