A botanical hodgepodge

It's been a busy summer - aren't they all - and it's tough for me to post as often as I would like. But many, many years after starting this blog, it's still going strong and this is my 2,146th post.

I've been smitten with botanical photography for a long time, and am still, more so than ever. One might think that plant photography would be easy - certainly easier than swallows in flight, say - but it is tricky business to do well. And I'm not saying I do it well, but the following catalog will let you judge for yourself. This weekend marks the 17th annual Midwest Native Plant Conference, of which I am a founder and committee member. This year, I put together a revolving carousel of plant images to run between speakers in the big auditorium. Since I already had pulled out all those images from the archive, I thought I would share a few here.

Before we get on with the images, I am giving a photography workshop at Dawes Arboretum on September 20th, and another on October 17th for the Marion County Master Gardeners in Indianapolis, Indiana (calendar yet to be updated with this presentation). Both feature an illustrated PowerPoint presentation on the nuances of plant photography, and the Dawes session will also have an outdoor component after the presentation. Both will require registration, and I'd love to see you there.

And now, to the plants...

American Elm (Ulmus americana). Pickaway County, Ohio.

An American Goldfinch eagerly awaits the ripening of Compass-plant (Silphium laciniatum) seeds. Knox County, Ohio.

Appendaged Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum appendiculatum). Clark County, Ohio

A Comon Yellowthroat tees up on a Compass-plant (Silphium laciniatum) before taking a fat caterpillar to nearby nestlings.

Devil's-bit (Chamaelirium luteum), Sciot County, Ohio.

Downy Skullcap (Scutellaria incana), with stiltbug. Scioto County, Ohio.

Fringed Milkwort (Polygala paucifolia), Presque Isle County, Michigan.

Maryland Golden-aster (Chrysopsis mariana), Scioto County, Ohio.

Small Purple Fringed Orchid (Platanthera psycodes), Champaign County, Ohio.

Shale-barren Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium), Adams County, Ohio.

Starry Campion (Silene stellata), Vinton County, Ohio.

Stiff-leaved Aster (Ionactis linariifolius), Scioto County, Ohio.

Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata), Adams County, Ohio.