Tag: Patterns

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Winter’s Decorations

Dried-up fern makes curly patterns

The bright city lights have little appeal for me this year. Nature leaves out decorations for those who look – and the human imagination has all the tools needed to play along.

A dried-up fern provides row after row of Christmas trees, viewed one way; party streamers or garlands of tinsel, another.  I could contend that the plant had just taken a deep breath and puffed out a whole load of party blowers, captured here at peak toot, but you don’t need me to labour the point.

I’ll just share one more picture, with your blessing…
Continue reading “Winter’s Decorations”

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Footprints in the Snow

Bird prints in the snow

We had a scattering of snow on Friday, so around lunchtime I wrapped up and went out to see if there was any fun to be had.

One of the pleasures of a fresh covering of snow is the chance to lay down a trail of footprints, and to follow other people’s. (Unless that’s just me being childish!) Finding this bird print pattern in a quiet part of town was a small treat. Two or perhaps three visitors had left their traces on the pavement before me. Continue reading “Footprints in the Snow”

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Assessing The Beauty Of Hellebore Hybrids

A plant breeder has the unenviable task of deciding which hybrids to keep and which to discard. The nearest a photographer comes to that experience is when we are in a garden exploring a collection of hybrid plants, deciding which forms to capture.

Pink hellebore with an attractive covering of spots

The nodding habit of most hellebore hybrids forces us to bend and balance as we make our deliberations, lifting each flower head and looking inside. As a general rule, the more regular a pattern, the more photogenic the flower if we are aiming for a fresh look rather than artistic decay, but there are exceptions. Continue reading “Assessing The Beauty Of Hellebore Hybrids”