Karla R's photoblog
New England Aster, bracts
Posted by karla (Omaha, United States) on 25 October 2011 in Plant & Nature and Portfolio.
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (Aster novae-angliae)
The bracts are the green extensions that are below the flower rays (petals). I am learning some biology here! ;) Several clumps of this perennial native forb live in and around my yard. In the previous post, you can see two clumps along the fence and one just beyond the gate. The color there is of the open flowers in daylight. This image todayshows a hint of magenta, but with more blue tones due to the lighting (at 6 p.m. a couple of weeks ago) and the camera angle. The New England aster has long stems which grow between 2.5 and 6 feet, depending on locale and rainfall. In my yard, they are taller than ever this year, a bit taller than 4 feet, due to the early season rainfall. The bees and butterflies love this plant, which blooms from late August into October, a time when other flowers are losing their oomph or are completely finished, the bees are collecting nectar for winter stores an the butterflies are preparing for migration or hibernation.
Thank you for visiting! Your comments and suggestions are very much appreciated.
All my images are owned/copyrighted by me and no one is allowed to use them in any form or format unless I have been contacted first to give written permission for a specific use.
@Arnd: Thanks, Arnd. That makes two of us loving that purple! I appreciate your visits and comments.
@Calusarus: Thanks!!! And thank you for your visit here.
@Steve Rice: Thanks, Steve! Tried something a bit different here.
@Nathanael: Merci! Practice, practice!!! :)
@Rick: Thanks, Rick. Thanks for stopping and commenting!
@Tamara: Thanks, Tamara!! nice surprise to see you here... I appreciate it very much. :)
@Curly: Thank you, Curly! I must say, it surprised me while I was preparing it for posting. The purple and green combination has been a favorite since playing with childhood blocks of various colors. That was of course several previous lifetimes ago. ;)
@franz: I'll post more of these, a closer look. :) Thanks for your comments!
@mimicy: Thanks! Thanks for your visit and comment. I appreciate that very much.
@john4jack: Thanks, Jack! Appreciate the comment and your stopping by. :)
@Albert: Thanks, Albert! I tried hard on detail...took a couple of images and this was the best of the bunch.
@Jason Politte: Thank you very much, Jason!
@Maria: Thank you, Maria! It is very nice of you to stop by and leave a comment. I appreciate it greatly.
@klausZ: Thanks, Klaus! Thanks for stopping by and leaving your nice note.
@Marleen: Thanks, Marleen, for your visit and comment!
@Denny Jump Photo: Thanks, Denny! Thanks for your visit here and your very nice comments. I do appreciate hearing specifics of the goods and the bads of the images. And your are welcome in turn! :) I found your images and the commentary very thought-provoking and interesting.
@Julie L. Brown: Thanks Julie! I appreciate the comment. I think it was the color at first that caught me, too, then those bracts!
@Anina Botes: Thanks, Anina!! The composition was a bit of an experiment for me.
@Othersideblue: Thank you, Kerman. Nice to see you here, thanks for the visit and the very lovely comment, very much appreciated!
@Don: There will be more images of this plant, eventually. It has proved very sturdy and reliable in my yard. The bees and butterflies love it, too.
@Marcie: Thanks, Marcie!! I personally love greens and purples together. The colors worked out surprisingly well in this image.
@Nilla´s photo shoots: Those white spots do look like frost. I was surprised by them, also. It is, I suspect, the way the light was striking the somewhat hairy surface of the bracts that created those intense highlights. :)
@DULCIE: Thank you so much, Dulcie! I am pleased you like this one. The off-center was a bit of experiment for me. I was raised with the idea of symmetry, but I am learning! ;)
@Anita: Thanks!
Nikon D300
1/500 second
F/5.0
ISO 200
157 mm (35mm equiv.)
The bracts are the green extensions that are below the flower rays (petals). I am learning some biology here! ;) Several clumps of this perennial native forb live in and around my yard. In the previous post, you can see two clumps along the fence and one just beyond the gate. The color there is of the open flowers in daylight. This image todayshows a hint of magenta, but with more blue tones due to the lighting (at 6 p.m. a couple of weeks ago) and the camera angle. The New England aster has long stems which grow between 2.5 and 6 feet, depending on locale and rainfall. In my yard, they are taller than ever this year, a bit taller than 4 feet, due to the early season rainfall. The bees and butterflies love this plant, which blooms from late August into October, a time when other flowers are losing their oomph or are completely finished, the bees are collecting nectar for winter stores an the butterflies are preparing for migration or hibernation.[/b]){kind=small}
