Two takes on goldeneye
After I saw frost on my neighbor’s roof the morning of November 13th I hied me down to Great Hills Park hoping for some pictures of frost-bedecked native plants. Though I found no frost at all there, some of the plants I photographed did have water droplets on them. One was the goldeneye (Viguiera dentata) you see above. And look how a spider had folded the ray florets of another goldeneye flower head:
Now it’s three weeks later and some goldeneye flowers are still making their presence known in Austin.
Today’s pictures continue the “golden yellow” theme of recent posts
about New Mexico. That state will be back next time.
© 2022 Steven Schwartzman
Portraits of Wildflowers 
The 2nd shot looks like the flower has wrapped its petal around itself for a frosty morning.
Robert Parker
December 6, 2022 at 8:13 AM
For the sake of photographs I’d have welcomed frost in the park, and yet none greeted me there.
Your “frosty morning” reminded me of the “glorious morning” in this sonnet by Shakespeare:
Full many a glorious morning have I seen
Flatter the mountain-tops with sovereign eye,
Kissing with golden face the meadows green,
Gilding pale streams with heavenly alchemy;
Anon permit the basest clouds to ride
With ugly rack on his celestial face
And from the forlorn world his visage hide,
Stealing unseen to west with this disgrace.
Even so my sun one early morn did shine
With all-triumphant splendour on my brow;
But out, alack! he was but one hour mine;
The region cloud hath mask’d him from me now.
Yet him for this my love no whit disdaineth;
Suns of the world may stain when heaven’s sun staineth.
Steve Schwartzman
December 6, 2022 at 8:21 AM
That’s a nice sonnet, Steve. I don’t remember ever reading it before.
I guess Milwaukee is definitely a cloud-mask’d region. It’s not overcast as often as the Finger Lakes I guess, but it sure seems to be a base for the basest clouds.
Robert Parker
December 6, 2022 at 8:48 AM
Somehow when I think back on my six months living in the Finger Lakes region I don’t remember the skies being particularly overcast. You have a much longer base than half a year on which to make an appraisal of “the basest clouds.” At the moment Austin is in the doldrums, with day after day of overcast, and as many more forecast as have already descended on us. Fortunately the sunny streak before the current string of cloudy days gave me the chance to play off good fall foliage against a bright blue background.
Steve Schwartzman
December 6, 2022 at 9:06 AM
Now I’m thinking of the spot where these flowers cover the roadside near my hill country friend’s home. They’re enthusiastic bloomers, that’s for sure. The triangular shape of the bloom in the second photo seems unique. The folded rays suggest a combination of bloom and origami: florigami!
shoreacres
December 6, 2022 at 8:23 AM
I started to write that you should hurry up and trademark the name Florigami. Then I figured I’d better check, and sure enough, that name’s already in use:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/FlorigamiShop.
A pun with an extra o also exists:
https://floorigami.com/
And coming back to botany, what’s not to like in the unique triangle of the goldeneye in the second picture?
Steve Schwartzman
December 6, 2022 at 8:33 AM
Lovely photos of the goldeneye, the second one with the folded petals is special..
Alessandra Chaves
December 7, 2022 at 7:13 AM
Special, and yet it’s not unusual for me to come across folded-up flowers when I wander in nature, which is home to a whole lot of spiders.
Steve Schwartzman
December 7, 2022 at 7:38 AM
The bottom goldeneye looks like it just said something naughty.
Tina
December 8, 2022 at 1:30 PM
Honi soit qui mal y pense.
Steve Schwartzman
December 8, 2022 at 8:42 PM
Golden Color Flower very eye catching and Heart touching which I can connect with the image. Lovely
Financial Freedom
December 8, 2022 at 7:43 PM
Thanks. These flowers are an autumnal delight here.
Steve Schwartzman
December 8, 2022 at 8:43 PM
Flowers with personality – great!
Ann Mackay
December 12, 2022 at 5:23 AM
Hey, don’t forget the photographer.
Steve Schwartzman
December 12, 2022 at 6:57 AM
Hehe!
Ann Mackay
December 12, 2022 at 9:18 AM