Mountain Laurel (Kalmia Latifolia)

Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia)

Mountain Laurel (Kalmia Latifolia) is Connecticut's State Flower. It is unlawful to pick it or take a cutting when it is along side a road or highway. It is growing at my son, Joe and Donna's house in S. Windsor, CT.

Purple Pansies

Pansies

I try to visit my family in Connecticut a couple times a year. When I do go, I usually stay at my son and daughter-in-law's house in S. Windsor.

Their home is just beautiful and their yard is amazing. There are small garden's all over the yard in different places. These pansies are growing in pots on the back porch just outside the breezeway. They have all the colors and color combinations.

Purple is one of my favorite colors, so I chose to show you all these this time. Aren't they just gorgeous?

Sunflower

Sunflower

I thought I'd step away from the architecture stuff and post something different. This sunflower was so tall, it was above my head. You can see how I had to shoot up at it. It was also about the size of my face. I love the brown in the petals closer to the center.

It was photographed in Rockport, MA in one of the side gardens while we walked around the Bearskin Neck area. I think there's some kind of ordinance that everyone must have and maintain a side garden, because there were these gardens on every single house we came upon. Not that I'm complaining.

 It was also unusual to see so many flowers in bloom in late September. That's unheard of for the area. As a matter of fact, there were very few flowers still in bloom except for fall flowers in CT, which is south of Rockport.

Flowers From a Side Garden

Flowers from a side garden

I love these flowers that I found in a side garden at one of the houses in Rockport, MA in the Bearskin Neck region. I can recognize the Poppies, but those curly looking flowers have me puzzled. Do any of you readers/followers have any idea what they are?

Dahlia

Dahlia

This was taken at my son and daughter-in-law's house in their back garden. They have many different gardens on their property, each with its own theme. Visiting them and walking around the yard is like walking around botanical gardens. This one was one of my favorites.

There are 42 species of Dahlias, along with many hybrids. This particular species is called, Dahlia (Dahlia rosea) because of its red color. Some are round, some flat, they come in different sizes, shapes and colors. They are native to Mexico and have been used as a source of food. Their hollow stems were used to make water pipes, and they've been used as medicine, specifically to treat Epilepsy.

I especially like this particular variety because of its pom-pom shape.

Salvia

Row of Salvia

While driving around in South Windsor, my son and I spotted this row of Salvia on the side of a farm house. I love the color and that splash of pink in the tree in the background.

Dahlia Bud

Back side of Dahlia Bud

This photo was shot two days before it came in as a full bloom. I like the colors of the backside and the freshness and firmness of the bud. There are about 20 different types or species of Dahlia. This particular species when in full bloom are deep pink in color, like the outer petals around the edges, and round like a pom-pom. They are stunning flowers.

This image was captured at my son and daughter-in-law's home in South Windsor, CT.

Let me know in the comments what you think of it.

Brown-eyed Susan

Brown-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

It's been a long time since I posted on my blog. I've been away from the blog and photography in general. Taking care of my elderly Aunt and working part-time took up most of my time. I had given up my photography clubs and generally wasn't taking any pictures. I don't feel safe walking around alone in the city or the woods, so I just didn't go out. I've joined a couple of groups and plan to try to get out at least a few times a month. Come back here and look for my posts. I do apologize to all my followers for being away for so long.

I bought a new camera, a Canon 6D and a new lens (Tamron 28-300mm EF VC) and went on vacation to my son and daughter-in-law's home in CT. Not being used to the camera or the lens, it was a little difficult finding settings and getting used to the weight. 

We had planned a day trip to Rockport, Massachusetts and I knew I had to get used to the camera fast. So, I walked around my son's yard and found a few flowers still in bloom in Donna's gardens. The one pictured is a Brown-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta). 

Brown-eyed Susans are known by several different names, Black-eyed Susan, Brown Betty, Gloriosa Daisy, Golden Jerusalem and Yellow Daisy. It depends what part of the country you are from. These flowers are in the Asteraceae family. They bloom in late summer and most of them had already passed. I was lucky to find this one in decent shape. Another day or two and I'd have missed it.

The foliage still hadn't begun, which was a bit disappointing, but the trip to Rockport made up for me missing the Fall leaves.

Southern Magnolia

Southern Magnolia

Southern Magnolias (Magnolia grandiflora) are not only beautiful flowers that smell magnificent, but they are also very interesting. Their stamen are like little flowers in themselves. Unfortunately, Magnolias only bloom for one day, leaving brown, dry petals, which are not quite as pretty as the petals were the day before.

However, the stamen stay to become beautiful soft, red cones which last a very long time. I've never picked up one to see if they are fragrant which makes me wonder why I've never thought to do that before.

Blue Mist Flower

This Blue Mist Flower, found in Sawgrass Lake Park, took some research to figure out what it was. It took four books until I finally found it. I didn't expect to find it in a Gardening book, since I assumed it was just a wildflower.

It's scientific name is Caryopteris clandonensis. It is in the Verbenaceae family. According to the "Southern Living Garden Book", it is an Asian native and is valued for their contribution of cool blue color to flower borders from mid-summer to frost.

I was attracted to its delicateness and the blue color. As many times as I've been in Sawgrass Lake Park, I don't remember ever seeing it before. It must've been planted by the birds.

Lantana

There are many varieties of Lantana, but this one is my favorite. I love the soft pastel pink and yellow combination. I have the solid colored lavender ones in my yard and wish I had some of these as well.

This variety is called Lantana Camara and can be found growing wild anywhere in Florida. Butterflies love them and they're a great addition to any garden--especially if you want to attract butterflies. They certainly can do the job.

I found these growing wild at Sawgrass Lake Park in St Petersburg, Florida. Sawgrass lake is one of my favorite places to go when I want to get out and shoot nature. There are boardwalks throughout the park and a few walking trails. I've never gone there and failed to see an Alligator or two and Armadillos. I've also seen many varieties of snakes and birds as well.

This park is small, safe and free. The free part is the best part of it because it's one of the few places left in Florida that you can visit and not spend a dime. It's great for budget minded people.

Lantana

Of all the "butterfly plants", Lantana is my favorite. For one thing, it is native to Florida, so it will not become invasive, but mostly for its delicate little flowers and its range of colors.

In my yard, I have the all lavender variety, but this multicolor variety was found at Sawgrass Lake Park in St Petersburg, FL. I'm fortunate to live about 1/2 mile from Sawgrass Lake, and it's one of the most popular nature parks in the area. Being so close, I can visit it every day. It's also free to get in, so there is no reason to stay away.

This park has lots of American Alligators, and I think of all the times over the years I've visited Sawgrass, I've seen Alligators in every visit but one or two. There are many native plants, many species of birds and plenty of wildlife to be seen. All one has to do is walk through the boardwalks being quiet and aware of sounds on the trails. There's also a beautiful overlook where one can see many shore birds as well as 'gators and turtles. There are also two separate butterfly gardens, which is where I made this image.

Settings for this image is as follows: I used ISO 400 because of the heavy canopy in this park. I was trying out my new 90mm Macro lens on this floral cluster shooting hand held at 1/25 second (pretty slow for this focal length) at F11 for good depth of field. I used partial metering and aperture priority which I use for about 90% of my shooting.