End of the year , mad posting binge

Yep. here it is. December 30, 2009. I am going through my images to find new ones to post on the blog in the dead of winter. My wildflower garden is still under about 8 inches of snow, down from the 22 inches from last week, so I wanted to see some flowers and color. So, here are some images taken May 24th and 25th, 2009. Enjoy.

This wildflower is a White Campion (Silene latifolia), and is a member of the Carnation family. It is also called White Cockle.

This wildflower is suspected to be a Herb Robert Geranium (Geranium robertianum). Thanks to Bob Zuberbuhler for the identification.

This wildflower is known as Small Flowered Phacelia (Phacelia dubia)


This wildflower is a Cut-Leaved Geranium (Geranium dissectum)


This is Yellow Foxglove (Digitalis grandiflora).



This is Blue Spruce (Sedum pinifolium)

An Image from the Wildflower Garden - 9/19/09

This image is from my wildflower garden. It is a New England Aster that I bought from a wildflower sale by the Blue Ridge Wildflower Society. It has done well in the garden, and produced some beautiful blooms. Here is one.

This wildflower is a New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae).

Images from the Roanoke River Greenway - 9/15/09

I decided to take a bit of a walk carrying my fast camera bag (relatively lightweight - ~25 lbs.) I figured the Roanoke River Greenway between Rivers Edge Park and Wasena Park would be a nice walk, and I would see what wildflowers were growing along the way. Well, there were not a large number of flowers, but there were enough to attract my attention along the way. I think it would be an inexpensive project for the city to scatter some wildflower seeds along some of the overgrown areas along the greenway to add some color and interest to the Greenway project. Not everyone wants to zombie walk the greenway with their iPods stuffed in their ears, and their minds "who knows where".
I hope you like the images.

This wildflower is a Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus strumosis), and is a member of the Aster family.

This is an Everlasting Pea (Lathyrus latifolius), and is a member of the bean family.

This wildflower appears to be some type of Hawkweed (Hieracium), but I am not sure of the species.

This wildflower is a Bouncing Bet, or Soapwort. (Saponaria officinalis), and is a member of the Carnation family.

A pair of Bouncing Bet (Saponaria officinalis).

This wildflower is Common Wood Sorrel, or Sour Grass. (Oxalis stricta). This Sorrel found a nice, shady, damp spot near one of the low water bridges.

This wildflower is New York Ironweed. (Vernonia noveboracensis), and is a member of the Aster family. What is different about this image is that these flowers were about 20 feet away, and I used a supertelephoto macro system to be able to shoot this close up image from that distance.

More Catching Up on Images

Here we go. It is a cold, rainy, fall evening, and I have worked up some more images that I had shot a while back. These images were shot on September 5, 2009, and were taken along Colonial Avenue in SW Roanoke County, at the Roanoke Valley Garden Club grounds, and around my house, where wildflowers have seemed to bloom in abundance this year. Some I planted, but most I did not plant, and have just grown wild, knowing that I would photograph them. Smart little buggers, those wildflowers. Most of these images were taken with a bit of a wind blowing. Thank goodness for fast shutter speeds. Also, I manually focus and manually set the exposures on all of my images. There is never any autofocus and auto exposure going on when I shoot wildflowers.

This wildflower is a Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), and is a member of the Aster family.

This wildflower is a Oxeye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare), and is also a member of the Aster family.

A few more Oxeye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare).

This wildflower is known as Chicory (Cichorium intybus), and is very easy to find in this area towards the fall. It is a member of the Aster family, and I really liked the soft pastel blue color of this bloom.

This wildflower is also Chicory (Cichorium intybus), but this bloom is colored more like the majority of these blooms. These are really beautiful flowers.

This wildflower is Sweet Goldenrod (Solidago odora). If you look closely at the honeybee, it is holding on to the flower for dear life. The wind was blowing hard, and stopping the action was a real test of my ability.

This wildflower is called Hairy Beardtongue (Penstemon hirsutus). Very different looking, and a member of the Figwort family.

This wildflower is known as Woodland Phlox, Wild Blue Phlox, or Wild Sweet William
(Phlox divaricata). A big thanks to Nick Leitch and his wife for helping me identify this wildflower.

The four wildflowers above are color variants of the Lance-leaved Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata). It is also known as Tickseed, but I don't think that name does this beautiful wildflower justice.

This wildflower is called Bushy Aster (Aster dumosus). It is distinguished by long, slender, lance-like leaves.

I do not know what this wildflower is. Any help would be appreciated.

Catching up. Images taken on August 23, 2009

Well, here I go as I sort through the thousands on wildflower images I have taken recently. I know I should be posting these as I go, but other parts of my busy life always seem to jump in and demand my attention. Okay, my excuse is out there, and I am sticking to it. These images were taken either at the Mill Mountain Wildflower Garden or along the Blue Ridge Parkway. I hope you like them, and feel free to leave a comment about any image you wish.

This wildflower is an Asiatic Dayflower (Commelina communis), and is a member of the Spiderwort family.

Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

Wild Phlox (Phlox divaricata)

This Wildflower is called the Obedient Plant, of False Dragonhead (Physostegia virginiana). Thanks to Skye Lark for this identification.

This is a Tiger Swallowtail butterfly on a Bull Thistle (Cirsium vulgare). This Bull Thistle must have been mighty good, because this butterfly did not care where I was, nor what I did.

Another shot of the Tiger Swallowtail butterfly on a Bull Thistle (Cirsium vulgare).

Been shooting, but not posting

Hey Folks,

My apologies for the lack of recent posts. I have been shooting quite a bit, but I have not had the time to post. Now that the major part of the wildflower blooming season is over, I will try to get to posting some pics. I have about 2000 images to go through and identify. So keep checking back here for some more pics coming soon.

At the Mill Mountain Wildflower Garden again...

Yep. I just cannot stay away from this place. The Mill Mountain Wildflower Garden is one of the most underrated tourist destinations in the Roanoke area. This place is a wonder just about all year long, and you can come up every couple of weeks and it seems to change with each visit. If you have not walked through this wonderland of wildflowers, you should do so soon. I find my troubles seem to melt away when I walk through and visit. Try it sometime, and see some of the flowers I have photographed below.

This wildflower is Joe-Pye Weed, (Eupatorium purpureum).

This wildflower is known as Blazing Star, or Snakeroot, (Liatris spicata).

This wildflower is a Thread-Leaved Coreopsis, (Coreopsis verticillata).

This flower is Bouncing Bet, or Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis) The roots, when soaked in water, provided a soapy alternative used by pioneers to wash silks and woolens.

This wildflower is a Purple Coneflower, (Echinacea purpurea).

This wildflower is a Blackberry Lily, (Belamcanda chinensis).

This flower is known as Heal-All or Self-Heal (Prunella vulgaris).
It is a member of the Mint family.

This wildflower is known as Tall Hawkweed, (Hieracium piloselloides). This plant is much less common than its smaller cousin, Mouse-Eared Hawkweed.

This wildflower is a Golden Star, (Chrysogonum virginianum).

This wildflower is also a Golden Star, but with a slightly different petal variation.
(Chrysogonum virginianum).

Summer Wildflowers on the Blue Ridge Parkway

I have been spending a bit of free time photographing the summer wildflowers on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The shows are sometimes sparse, but occasionally full and dramatic. Here are some images, and there descriptions, if I have them.

This flower is a Wild Morning Glory, (Ipomoea purpurea). You can see the reddish vine wrapped around the stem of another plant.

This wildflower is a Lance-leaved Coreopsis, (Coreopsis lanceolata).

This wildflower is known as Wild Basil (Clinopodium vulgare).

This wildflower is known as Yarrow, or Milfoil (Achillea millefolium).

This wildflower is Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). These are stunning blooms when observed close up.

These flowers are a young group of Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus).

This odd shaped wildflower is known as Everlasting Pea (Lathyrus latifolius).

This flower is Alpine Pink (Dianthus alpinus).

This flower is also a member of the Dianthus family, but I do not know what species.

This is Yellow Wood Sorrel (Oxalis stricta). It has clover-like leaves that aid in identification.

This wildflower is Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus carota). It is also known as Wild Carrot.

This wildflower is Tall Meadow Rue (Thalictrum pubescens). This wildflower has no petals. It is made up of stamens. It is popular with bees and butterflies.

This flower is Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus). They are rather easy to find on the Blue Ridge Parkway right now.