A pastel take on Clematis drummondii
Of the three native species of Clematis in Austin, by far the most common is Clematis drummondii, which also happens to put on the best fibrous display of the lot when its fertilized female flowers mature. Here from July 10th along Rain Creek Parkway is a pastel take on those partly silky and partly feathery fibers.
© 2020 Steven Schwartzman
Great job in the display of the pastel colours of this amazing wildflower, Steve!
Peter Klopp
July 17, 2020 at 7:51 AM
Thank you. This has remained one of my favorite plants to photograph, and it’s a good reason to look forward to this time of year.
Steve Schwartzman
July 17, 2020 at 8:05 AM
wow…very nice work
MichaelStephenWills
July 17, 2020 at 8:12 AM
Thanks. For a plant I’ve so often photographed, I was happy to get a new take on it.
Steve Schwartzman
July 17, 2020 at 8:27 AM
First thought when I saw this image was “wispy”! I love the soft color.
Littlesundog
July 17, 2020 at 8:29 AM
I’ll gladly transfer wispy from clouds to Clematis.
Steve Schwartzman
July 17, 2020 at 8:32 AM
This is a lovely take on a favorite plant from you. A vertical format, along with the gracefully curving filaments give this a nice movement and of course, that color is gorgeous.
melissabluefineart
July 17, 2020 at 9:28 AM
A favorite plant, indeed. What would a summer be if I didn’t show you one of these? I cropped in a little on the sides to remove uninteresting or distracting details and emphasize the verticality.
Steve Schwartzman
July 17, 2020 at 11:59 AM
It is very effective.
melissabluefineart
July 17, 2020 at 10:15 PM
Better effective than defective.
Steve Schwartzman
July 18, 2020 at 1:59 AM
The photo has such nice movement and flow. It’s graceful and somehow (maybe because I just came back indoors, to the AC, after being out all morning), refreshing!
Tina
July 17, 2020 at 10:46 AM
I’ll go with the flow, which is to say your comment about the flow. When it comes to refreshing, however, I assure you I came back pretty hot and tired after a couple of hours taking pictures here in July.
Steve Schwartzman
July 17, 2020 at 1:01 PM
No doubt. That’s pretty much what July and August are good for.
Tina
July 17, 2020 at 2:39 PM
The summer has so far been good for pictures, if not for my physical comfort.
Steve Schwartzman
July 17, 2020 at 5:35 PM
This is really a sweet shot, delicate and dreamy. I really like the close crop.
krikitarts
July 17, 2020 at 5:28 PM
“Delicate and dreamy” captures it well. This portrait differs from my many previous ones, so uniqueness added to the intrinsic appeal.
Steve Schwartzman
July 17, 2020 at 5:33 PM
Beautiful closeup, Steve – such a pretty and sensuously flowing seed head.
Eliza Waters
July 17, 2020 at 6:35 PM
Thanks. I like the way you put it: sensuously flowing. These sed heads make great subjects for portraits.
Steve Schwartzman
July 17, 2020 at 6:45 PM
Beautiful pastel pink!!
norasphotos4u
July 17, 2020 at 8:38 PM
It goes well with the pale green.
Steve Schwartzman
July 17, 2020 at 9:49 PM
Really lovely. Such delicate intricacy.
Johnny Crabcakes
July 17, 2020 at 10:00 PM
When it comes to intricacy, Clematis drummondii is a leader. This was a new take on a familiar subject.
Steve Schwartzman
July 17, 2020 at 10:12 PM
The colors are lovely. It reminds me of Prairie Smoke.
circadianreflections
July 17, 2020 at 10:48 PM
In Illinois four years ago I got to see prairie smoke for the first time. In a post back then I commented about how similar the late stage of its flowers looks to the same stage in Clematis drummondii, even though the two plants aren’t even in the same botanical family:
https://portraitsofwildflowers.wordpress.com/2016/07/18/why-is-it-called-prairie-smoke/
It’s a good example of what biologists call convergent evolution.
Steve Schwartzman
July 18, 2020 at 2:06 AM
That native clematis is quite beautiful, Steve!
Lavinia Ross
July 18, 2020 at 9:43 AM
It is, and fortunately stands of it grow right in my neighborhood., with the nearest just half a mile away. I’ve never gotten tired of photographing this species, and occasionally, as here, I’ve found new ways to do so.
Steve Schwartzman
July 18, 2020 at 9:46 AM
I love the way the light just catches the pink filaments – so delicate and pretty!
Ann Mackay
July 18, 2020 at 4:46 PM
Me too. This specimen was pinker than usual, and that made all the difference.
Steve Schwartzman
July 18, 2020 at 4:49 PM
I’ve never seen a pink one here – just a silvery white.
Ann Mackay
July 18, 2020 at 5:02 PM
That’s what I’m used to, too. There’s normally red in the nexus from which a bundle of fibers emerges, as also shown in this photograph. A faint amount of that red seems to have traveled out into the fibers and made them pink.
Steve Schwartzman
July 18, 2020 at 5:49 PM
I’ve never seen such a pink glow to the filaments. I had no idea that they could be pink — do you see the color on a regular basis? I like the vertical cropping, which emphasizes the flow, and the almost-abstract nature of the image. It’s really beautiful.
shoreacres
July 18, 2020 at 7:45 PM
No, I don’t believe I’d ever encountered a specimen with this much pink in the filaments. I double checked the file in Adobe Camera Raw to see if I’d pushed the green-violet tint slider in the direction of violet: I hadn’t. The rarity in the coloration became my delight as a photographer. The vertical cropping, of course, I did do intentionally to accentuate the flow of the filaments.
Steve Schwartzman
July 18, 2020 at 9:54 PM
Love it … light and lively!
denisebushphoto
July 20, 2020 at 11:10 AM
You just reminded me that my mother used to buy Light n’ Lively lowfat milk. I’m pretty sure she didn’t know about Clematis drummondii.
Steve Schwartzman
July 20, 2020 at 3:54 PM
Ah…. isn’t she gorgeous!!!!!!!!!
marina kanavaki
July 20, 2020 at 1:02 PM
Yes, and it’s interesting how you said she, which is botanically correct.
Steve Schwartzman
July 20, 2020 at 3:55 PM
😊😉
marina kanavaki
July 21, 2020 at 3:09 AM
Fine feathery finery. Lovely looking lines.
Steve Gingold
July 23, 2020 at 2:46 AM
FFF. LLL. Well-wielded words.
Steve Schwartzman
July 23, 2020 at 5:08 AM
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