A Study in Contrasts

September 5th, 2014

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Contrasts in shape, color and texture at the Chihuly exhibition in the Denver Botanic Gardens. This installation features the art glass of Dale Chihuly in the 24-acre gardens. Can’t wait for the after-dark special evenings in October and November.

Red Columbine

August 29th, 2014

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While the Colorado Blue Columbine (Aquilegia caerulea) is the official flower of the State of Colorado, I have a special affection for the Western Red Columbine (Aquilegia elegantula). With their bright red color and distinctive shape, they are like Christmas ornaments growing in the moist coniferous forests or along streams. More than 15 years ago, I found a small patch of them growing along a 4WD road near Crested Butte. They were a bit away from the road and thus not as affected by dust from passing four-wheelers. I returned several times over the years to photograph them. This summer, after a prolonged absence, I revisited the patch hoping it was still there. To my delight, not only were the flowers still there, the patch had expanded and there were now clumps of red columbine scattered in the woods on both sides of the road. We were able to photograph red columbine in this area several times over a two-week period.

 

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Shooting Stars

August 22nd, 2014

Shooting Star

Shooting stars (also known as american cowslip or birdbills) are one of my favorite early-season wildflowers. Even though they are tiny, these colorful, whimsical flowers readily attract your attention. They are usually found along stream banks, in grassy or sub-alpine meadows and photographing them often means getting your feet and knees wet. At lower altitudes, the stems can be a couple of feet tall, but in the Crested Butte area, they are usually much shorter — around 4 inches. At one time, shooting stars would carpet grassy meadows in the west. Now, we feel lucky to find a few growing along a stream.