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Thursday, April 14, 2011

Some different spring flowers

I might be stretching things to call skunk cabbages a 'flower' but they do have a flower inside their spathe, and they are the very first green to appear in the spring, even before the snow drops.  It's taken me a long time to get a photo that really shows what the bottom of Vale looks like in the spring, but I think I've done it here.

All the world is grey and brown; even the bed the water covers is brown.  There are dry twigs, brush and leaves everywhere, subtle variations of grey and brown.  And rising up above it all are these lush, green plants.

The plants themselves are miracles.  They generate their own heat - they melt through icy soil and snow cover in March, to reach up into the sun.  All the leaves they will have this year are wrapped tightly into a bundle.  They'll gradually unwrap and spiral out to soak up the sun.  By then, the canopy will be in full bud, making this the strongest sun these plants will see.  Their roots actually pull the plant farther down into the mud; each year, they anchor ever more firmly.  And that flower, well I wouldn't advise picking it for a bouquet - it smells pretty bad.  Even though it hides inside the spathe, insects manage to pollinate it in April - before any other flowers are ready!

I find that amazing.

F Number3.5
Lens IDLUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length14.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 28.0 mm)
Exposure Time1/400
Exposure ProgramManual
ISO100
Exposure Compensation0
FlashOff, Did not fire

3 comments:

  1. Sound a very resilient plant and they stand out against the sticks.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The skunk cabbage is the second flower to bloom here-the snowdrops beat it every year-but it is the first wildflower. I didn't know they make their own heat!

    I think the flowers are beautiful, I will probably post some myself this week, if I don't get distracted...I was down in our swampy area taking pics yesterday.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Green amongst grey and brown ... brings hope and joy.

    ReplyDelete

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