Yucca high, yucca low
Inks Lake State Park; May 6; Yucca sp. How about those lines and shadows?
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Portraits of Wildflowers 
I was struck by the attractive cross-hatching created by the horizontal leaves and the vertical shadows in the second photo.
Yucca buds and flowers of all sorts appeal to me. I wished I’d had blue skies like yours to complement one I found this weekend, but it seems we’re in for a week of gray, grayer, and washed-out skies. I did smile at the bit of fluff caught on your bud. They certainly are great fluff-catchers.
shoreacres
May 17, 2021 at 6:59 AM
It was the interplay of the leaves and the shadows that endeared this picture to me. Speaking of which, hardly any native English speakers realize that the hatch in cross-hatching is the same word as hash. For more about that, check out hatch3 at https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=hatch and follow the link to hash1.
I’ve seen some yucca flowers around Austin, so far only on obviously exotic species. I’m hoping the rain that you mentioned, which is in our forecast here too, will bring on a good flowering of some native species.
Steve Schwartzman
May 17, 2021 at 8:21 AM
The shadows that plants and flowers cast are a fascinating subject for the photographer. Well done, Steve!
Peter Klopp
May 17, 2021 at 8:29 AM
Yes, yes, yes, shadows have fascinated the photographer in me for decades. Thanks for your vote of confidence.
Steve Schwartzman
May 17, 2021 at 8:43 AM
I enjoyed the lines and shadows created by the yucca, Nice catch!
Lavinia Ross
May 17, 2021 at 11:25 AM
Thanks. At the time I took the picture I didn’t realize how effective it would be.
Steve Schwartzman
May 17, 2021 at 6:31 PM
Of the few species of Yucca that live there, that seems to be either Yucca arkansana or Yucca constricta. (Yucca pallida, rupicola, torreyi and treculeana also live there.) I believe that I have a specimen of Yucca arkansana here, but I am not certain. I found it in Cleveland County in Oklahoma. It looks like the Yucca in your picture, but is not so well foliated. Of course, Yucca constrica can look like this also, but is often adorned with more foliar filaments.
tonytomeo
May 17, 2021 at 11:50 AM
I think you’ve done well in narrowing it down to the two likely species of Yucca. I haven’t learned how to tell the species apart except for Yucca rupicola, which is common in my part of town and has distinctively twisty leaves.
Steve Schwartzman
May 17, 2021 at 6:38 PM
Some of them are difficult to distinguish!
tonytomeo
May 17, 2021 at 7:13 PM
I believe it.
Steve Schwartzman
May 17, 2021 at 7:54 PM
Those two shots pretty much capture the highs and lows of yuccas. I really like the shadows cast on the rock by the yucca straps, nice movement in that shot!
Tina
May 17, 2021 at 2:39 PM
When I took the picture I didn’t realize how distinct the shadows would turn out to be. As far as I’m concerned, they make the picture, especially as a foil for the leaves themselves.
Steve Schwartzman
May 17, 2021 at 6:40 PM
Those are some nice lines and shadows and the first seems to have a sad face.
Steve Gingold
May 17, 2021 at 4:07 PM
You’ve got a good imagination. I never would have seen a face in the first picture, much less a sad one, but now that you’ve put the idea out there I can kind of see it.
Steve Schwartzman
May 17, 2021 at 6:41 PM
good eating in some quarters
MichaelStephenWills
May 19, 2021 at 3:09 PM
So I’ve read.
Steve Schwartzman
May 19, 2021 at 3:10 PM
I’ve learned first hand, Superstition Wilderness of Arizona.
MichaelStephenWills
May 20, 2021 at 7:56 AM
So you proved it’s not just a superstition.
Steve Schwartzman
May 20, 2021 at 8:04 AM