GGW Picture This :: Sipping Swallowtails

The first I heard of this type of photograph/scanograph(?) was about 5 days ago. Where have I been? The idea of it sparked such curiosity and imagination.

This is my entry for Gardening Gone Wild's 'Picture This' photo contest. The theme for October is 'Fall on a Flatbed Scanner'.

In my photo I've used Zinnias, Coleus leaves, Yarrow leaves, Blackberry lily pods and Christia Obcordata 'Swallot tail' leaves that appear to be sipping nectar from the Zinnias.

This was simple and fun and (unlike my normal self) I tried not to over analyze it and just had fun playing with it.

If it strikes an interest in you, you should give it a go. Click here to check out the contest and get to scanning!

It's that simple.


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These were the other two I kind-of liked. The bottom one had a purple tinge I couldn't seem to rectify. Maybe it was the Purple Muhly grass which I think has a cool background effect.

Thanks to the team at Gardening Gone Wild for always coming up with new and fun challenges.
Meems

Picture This: Sea Oats at Sunset

Sea Oats, Uniola paniculata, Longboat Key Beach, FL *click to enlarge*

Sea oats minus their summer spikelets of seed heads silhouetted against a breathtaking January sunset.

The good folks over at Gardening Gone Wild are the generous hosts for the monthly 'Picture This' Photo contest. This is my entry for September.

I guess I'm counting on this statement in the description of what Nan Ondra, this month's judge, will be looking for: "Anything from the grass family counts, so sedges, rushes, and true grasses are all fair game."

Good luck to everyone participating. Thank you to Nan and Gardening Gone Wild.

Scroll down for more on ornamental and tall grasses...

Morning Light and New Life

A Swallowtail butterfly as it emerged in the early morning light and hung in utter stillness in my veggie garden. Its home while transforming was under the blade of an 18" high purple queen plant.

This is my entry for Gardening Gone Wild's August photo contest. The theme was "down on your knees".

Good luck to everyone participating.

Southern Crabapple Tree

One afternoon this spring, on an especially beautiful day, it was my nose that detected this tree originally. Walking through the butterfly garden at Rainbow Springs State Park in Dunellon, Florida, a distinctly heady and yet most deliciously light fragrance was wafting through the warm air. My eyes were as pleased as my nose when I caught sight of this loosely bloom-laden tree.

My senses were joyously filled up by the splendor of this small, erect, native tree. The smooth, silvery-greyish bark subtly visible, the 5 petaled open, showy pink flowers blooming profusely, the oval, scalloped edged, alternating green leaves all easily creating a perfect specimen tree.
Southern Crabapple, Malus angustifolia

The first photo is my entry into the Gardening Gone Wild Picture This Photo Contest for July. The subject this month is flowering trees.

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The photo below is a bonus for readers who, like me, want a closer view of those fragrant and unique flowers that were making me wish I lived just a little farther north in order to grow one of these successfully in my garden.

Resurrection Fern: Native Plant Photo Contest

Polypodium polypodioides, Resurrection fern, Pleopeltis polypodioides (syn.)

The folks over at Gardening Gone Wild are having a photo contest. The theme is to show a native plant or a plant indigenous to your region.

While this particular entry isn't a blooming flower the three natives shown are all favorites of mine. In my garden so much of the understory is supported by the dramatic, erect fans of Serenoa repens, saw palmettos serving as foundational plants. I adore the epiphyte resurrection fern thriving on the native Quercus geminata, sand live oak trees.

What makes resurrection fern so unique is that when dry it is gray, scaly and curled up and rolled inward like a fiddle head, but when moisture returns the fronds resurrect becoming soft and green and unfurling to regain the original shape.

If blooms are what you're hankering for check out my blog header for my native Echinacea.

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This photo might just be a sneak peek into tomorrow's post... "The Six Plants I Can't Live Without". Be sure to check back Monday. Hoe and Shovel has been invited to join blogs from around this great country for my humble opinion of "The Six Plants I Can't Live Without."

There will be many zones represented with posts from Alabama, California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.

Go to Southern Livings' The Grumpy Gardener for more information.

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Update on Photo Contest at GGW: April 27. The winner of the photo contest has been chosen. And a deserving winner indeed. Check here to view Pam Penick's (of Digging) native coneflower photo. I've always admired her photography and this one is no exception.

Hoe and Shovel is happy to be awarded First Runner Up in the contest. This was a fun contest and I really appreciated Saxon Holt's critique (can be read in the comment section of this post.) Thanks GGW!