Notes from the field, essays, and observations.
A homely buttercup that forms carpets of blooms. This one was coming up in a bed of wild onion, with other buttercups in the background:
A high magnification view of the stamens of a dandelion:
I love the way magnification transforms ordinary things – a dandelion turns into a strange forest. And you can count the pollen grains.
It’s still too early for spring wildflowers like bloodroot – but the crocuses are up:
Back to rosegold willow catkins – here’s a high magnification image of a single anther that’s just about to burst with yellow pollen. In the background are anthers already yellow:
This is a crop of frame taken at around 5x with the MP-E65 lens. This is what the red things in the previous image look like as they begin to turn gold…
From the Cascade Trail ravine in the Mt Tamalpais area, Marin County, California:
I’ve been in this spot before, but the amount of flow is always different, and there is always something different about the light.This visit was in the afternoon. The ravine was in shadow – very calm. I wish you could hear the sound of the water…
Here’s what the catkin looks like as it begins to flower:
The anthers are briefly red, when they open and expose pollen they torn yellow (gold). Of the left side you can see a hint of color, some other anthers about to burst out of the fur.
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