Except When I Do
May 28, 2019
Many of you know that I don’t photograph flowers—except when I do. Two photographs of flowers play bookends here to the rest of my haul from walking in Schoepfle Garden a week ago Saturday. In between are lichens on a low retaining wall and some favorite trees along the Vermilion River. Elsewhere in the park, I wasn’t surprised to see this stump; the tree had been visibly ailing. But I was surprised that someone had painted the edges of the stump with orange paint. Drawing closer, however, I saw that it wasn’t orange paint but a bright-orange fungus. None of my photographs of the fungus up close came out. I wonder if the brightness could have thrown off my camera’s focussing ability. Had I done more chimping, I might have noticed that the fungus was not in focus. Maybe I would even have thought to try manual focus. At least the section of the stump that is spalted turned out. The next photograph is in monotone because it was too confusing in color. Moving in, thus cutting down on the number of elements in the frame, the subject could handle color. I found some Leptothrix discophora along the river, but we’ve had so much rain that it was quite young (previous films having been washed down toward Lake Erie) and probably is all gone by now. Even though this film is very young, you know you’re looking at L. discophora when the water reflects the surrounding foliage so brilliantly. The opening flower photograph is of dogwood, but I don’t know the name of the closing flower. Maybe one or more of you do. The last image is a crop of the previous one. Click on it to see it larger.
Romancing Reality 
Fine set Linda! Love the weird trunk and the green-juice-one.. 🙂
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May 28, 2019 at 2:50 PM
Thanks, Harrie. I had to look at the photos again to figure out which one was the green-juice one. Ha ha.
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May 28, 2019 at 4:18 PM
😃✋
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May 28, 2019 at 7:36 PM
You made me laugh too, Harrie!
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May 28, 2019 at 7:29 PM
I agree with Harri, a fine set of images, including the dogwood. I have a soft spot in my heart for the dogwood as it was one of the first trees I planted in the backyard of our first house. Also, your flower shots are so nice you needn’t feel bad about posting them at all. I think most people (and most photographers) relate well to them.
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May 28, 2019 at 4:20 PM
Thanks, Ken. It’s just that I’ve seen so many photographs—other than yours!—of flowers or birds that are just photographs of flowers or birds with no art to them. I don’t want to be associated with them, but I guess I’m really revealing my own snobbishness.
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May 28, 2019 at 4:50 PM
No matter what the subject, your photography has a stamp that uniquely you. I admire the fact that you have such a distinct voice as a photographer, and I admire the voice itself. This work is beautiful.
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May 28, 2019 at 4:38 PM
Oh, my, Michael. That’s most generous of you. Thank you!
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May 28, 2019 at 4:52 PM
It’s true.
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May 28, 2019 at 6:54 PM
🙂
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May 28, 2019 at 7:15 PM
It’s a pleasure to read your text and scroll through these images, Linda. I like the way the dogwood blossoms fade into the distance. Following them with the lichen, which mimics their color and shape – that was brilliant. I love the composition in #3 and #4; it’s nice to have two views of that very graceful tree. I’ve been seeing another bright orange fungus here lately, but it tends to cling to little tiny twigs and such. #7 looks like you found the secret map to the universe….and the yellow flowers are lovely – I remember seeing them back east, but not what they are. A butterweed (Senecio)? I almost forgot – the Leptothrix – gorgeous!!! The whole post is a treat.
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May 28, 2019 at 7:45 PM
I also had the idea that the yellow flowers at the end might be a kind of Senecio
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May 28, 2019 at 8:42 PM
You’re not alone, Steve. See below.
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May 30, 2019 at 7:00 PM
Thank you, Lynn. I’m so pleased you got my dogwood-to-lichen transition. Other versions of the trees in the fourth and fifth photographs are here: https://lindagrashoff.wordpress.com/2018/04/10/remnants-of-winter-harbingers-of-spring-13/. You may be right about the secret map of the universe, but a friend thought a semi-buried lobster-like sea creature. Several people—including Steve Schwartzman (above), husband David, and friend Janice—think the flower is a Senecio. One of them gave it the common name of golden ragwort.
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May 30, 2019 at 6:52 PM
P.S. The dogwood blossoms’ fading into the distance is something I tried because of all the shallow-depth-of-field photographs I like so much on your blog.
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May 30, 2019 at 7:05 PM
Your title brought a smile! And admiration for all that went between the flowers.
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May 28, 2019 at 9:41 PM
Thanks, Gunta. Happy to make you smile.
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May 30, 2019 at 6:54 PM
Love the penultimate image – the light and shade, and the path entering the trees
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May 29, 2019 at 3:39 AM
Thanks, Sue. This was one of those photographs that sought me rather than the other way around. I was walking past them on my left, looking straight ahead when they called and made me turn my head.
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May 30, 2019 at 6:57 PM
Don’t you just love it when that happens!!
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May 31, 2019 at 3:36 AM
Yes, good pictures >>> and I’m with Sue, I particularly like the penultimate shot. A 🙂
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May 30, 2019 at 6:28 AM
Thank you, Adrian. I think the penultimate photograph is my favorite from that day’s shoot.
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May 30, 2019 at 6:59 PM
Linda, wow…nice photo set, loved the branches overhanging the water, but makes me dizzy. The ellow flower at the end looks like butterweed, Packera glabella, although I am never certain. Seems like right habitat.
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May 30, 2019 at 11:01 PM
I’m so happy that your Packera glabella is the new name for Senecio glabellus, though it took me a while to find that out. (Love the Internet all over again.) That way folks responding to my query can agree with each other. So now we just have to hope everyone is right. I’ve now looked at a slew of online photos called Packera glabella, and they sure look like what I saw. Yay!
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May 31, 2019 at 3:41 PM
Linda, question for you. Around Jupiter FL this week in the muddy marshes there have been lovely pseudo-oil-slick floating bacterial rainbows. Look just like Leptothrix, as shown in your photos. All good, but what worries me is on fossil-shell marly soil with a substantial organic layer. That habitat ok for Leptothrix? I’d be amazed if there’s any iron. What would sustain them chemoautotrophically? Or maybe not Leptothrix, and instead posers enjoying the organic soup? But they look right. I need expert advice!
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May 30, 2019 at 11:33 PM
Did you take photos of the film? If you did, please send me what you have? L. discophora also works on a few other elements, including manganese and arsenic. Could one or both of those be present? I will ask my mentor what she thinks.
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May 31, 2019 at 4:24 PM
You know (I’m thinking more about this), “muddy marshes” sounds a bit like “bogs,” which can contain bog iron, so maybe you do have iron there. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bog_iron.
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May 31, 2019 at 4:39 PM
OK, here’s what Norrie Robbins, my mentor, says:
“1) I noted that the Everglades don’t have an iron cycle. I always thought that maybe the periphery might; after all, there are red iron-rich soils upgradient in Alabama.
“2) The test for L. discophora remains: breaking the film (with stick or finger and see if it stays broken).
“3) The only other film issue has to do with spring—so many plants are giving off oils, that in the spring sometimes it is hard to see that the L. discophora film actually broke under the oils.
“4) An organic layer could be the source of reduced iron Fe(II).”
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May 31, 2019 at 9:36 PM
Most excellent. Thanks!!!! I will send you some photos. Had not thought about plant oils. Went to the site tonight and brought some rainbow in a jar home to peep under microscope, although I can scarcely imagine success at that! Would require a microscopic miracle. Tomorrow or when possible soon will revisit and poke with stick to see if breaks like bacteria or hangs together like oils.
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June 1, 2019 at 8:46 PM