Portraits of Wildflowers

Perspectives on Nature Photography

Texas groundsel with phlox

with 41 comments

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From March 6th along TX 71 east of Bastrop, here’s a closer look at some Texas groundsel (Senecio ampullaceus) in a mixed colony with phlox (probably Phlox drummondii). The scattered bits of blue are bluebonnets (Lupinus sp.).

© 2020 Steven Schwartzman

Written by Steve Schwartzman

March 17, 2020 at 4:45 AM

41 Responses

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  1. This is even lovelier than your previous post showing the flowers. Some of these color combinations rival the effect of combined bluebonnets and paintbrushes. I found groundsel beginning to bloom at the Brazoria refuge on Saturday. They only had dried grasses as their background, but they were just as cheerful.

    shoreacres

    March 17, 2020 at 7:04 AM

    • The other picture was what I think of as a scene-setter. In this take I was playing around with near versus far, wanting the background to be as far out of focus as I could get it while still keeping all of the closest groundsel in focus.

      Happy cheerful groundsel to you in Brazoria. Over here, two local huisaches have finally started putting out a few flowers.

      Steve Schwartzman

      March 17, 2020 at 8:42 AM

  2. You captured another floral carpet. A real joy to view, Steve!

    Peter Klopp

    March 17, 2020 at 7:45 AM

  3. A magic carpet indeed. I like how you set off the senecio against the pointillist colors.

    melissabluefineart

    March 17, 2020 at 9:46 AM

    • I aimed (literally and figuratively) to make the background flowers as amorphous as possible to contrast with the details of the groundsel in the foreground.

      Steve Schwartzman

      March 17, 2020 at 10:51 AM

      • I have tried to get a photo to be just like the background, without anything in sharp focus, but I lack the skills. Really I’m thinking it is time to let go of the crutch and just paint outdoors.

        melissabluefineart

        March 17, 2020 at 10:54 AM

        • Painting en plein air:
          We hope to find you there.

          Steve Schwartzman

          March 17, 2020 at 11:36 AM

        • If you have a camera (not a cell phone) that allows manual focusing, you can throw a picture way out of focus to create the effect you’re after.

          Steve Schwartzman

          March 17, 2020 at 11:38 AM

          • Ah, ok I’ll try that. I confess I’ve let the battery go dead on my poor neglected digital camera. Time to dust if off and see what it can do.

            melissabluefineart

            March 17, 2020 at 5:42 PM

  4. Beautiful balance of near and far. And an explosion of color.

    Michael Scandling

    March 17, 2020 at 11:45 AM

  5. That looks like a full field in bloom there! We’re not seeing any flowers in bloom yet. It snowed last night so I woke up to a gorgeous winter landscape in my backyard.

    circadianreflections

    March 17, 2020 at 1:36 PM

    • Enjoy the snow while you can. I took this picture not in a field but along the edge of a highway. The Department of Transportation may have seeded the area, or the flowers may have sprung up on their own, as they did for aeons before there were any highways.

      Steve Schwartzman

      March 17, 2020 at 2:35 PM

  6. Zounds! That’s a beautiful landscape bouquet.

    Steve Gingold

    March 17, 2020 at 4:48 PM

  7. Sure looks like a magic carpet! Fabulous image Steve 🙂

    Julie@frogpondfarm

    March 24, 2020 at 2:57 AM


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