Freezing fog visited the Boulder Valley briefly this past Saturday night, which made for many delightful crystalline discoveries during the family's Sunday stroll.
This is my first attempt at focus stacking (3 images), and I can attest that it was challenging given that I did not bring a tripod on this particular walk. I will certainly bring one next time!
Tags: snow macro crystal close-up bokeh winter Boulder Boulder Open Space Marshall Mesa Colorado
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Autumn Crocus blooms in a neighbor's yard just before a cold, wet weather event came through Boulder. I liked how the shadows of the pistils were caught on the petal behind.
Tags: macro flower pistil crocus autumn crocus bokeh petals autumn Boulder Colorado
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The title is not the name of the plant, though I half wish it were: these are Yellow Coralroot orchids (Corallorhiza trifida), growing in the montane-zone foothills of the Colorado Rockies at about 7500 ft. As I was hiking by, the complete lack of chlorophyll, indicating a parasitic lifestyle, really jumped out of the surrounding browns and greens. This particular group of orchid species actually parasitizes specific types of fungi that live in the soil and themselves get their carbon via mutualistic relationships with other plants (mycorrhizal fungi). It's a fascinating world underground!
Tags: orchid coralroot orchid Colorado Boulder County Boulder Open Space yellow flowers parasites flowers blooming flowers macro bokeh parasite
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My oldest son is all about planting flowers, so I gave him a large planter to do with what he pleased, and he filled it with little transient golden poppy moments. This particular species (Eschscholzia californica) is also the official state flower of California.
Tags: poppy California Poppy Cup of Gold Eschscholzia californica macro flower bokeh petals
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Tentacle-like stigma of the Tufted Evening Primrose (Oenothera caespitosa) grope for pollen in the late afternoon shade of a small creek near Ruby Mountain, Colorado.
Tags: macro flower pistil anthers stigma bokeh Colorado primrose Tufted Evening Primrose Oenothera caespitosa
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