Dutchman’s Breeches | Clifty Falls State Park

It’s time to share a few more images and info from one my hikes.  I really enjoy capturing and sharing the beauty of the Native Wildflowers that grace the canyons that line the Ohio River here in Southern Indiana especially from my favorite places to shoot Clifty Falls Sate Park!!

Clifty Falls has one the most prolific blooms that I have come across, and believe me I have witnessed some great places for wildflowers,  the park ranks right up there with anyplace in the Midwest and it’s always a joy walking the trails and photographing the incredible display of wildflowers that the park provides !!

So there is a brief description and now here a couple images of this wonderful little wildflower. Hope you enjoy the info and pics and thanks for stopping by and taking a look !!

 

 

Madison Indiana Photography

Been quite a long time since I posted last,  not from lack of images, but from lack of time. The portrait part of my photography has really kept me busy and I still try to get out and photograph nature and other images that I really enjoy capturing.

I am going to have a few weeks  between weddings and the start of Senior Pics so I am hoping to get caught up with some blogging here and share a few images of things I have been able to capture.  And since the last time I posted I have taken a couple of trips to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and spent some time photographing the beautiful wildflowers found at Clifty Falls State Park here in Madison Indiana.

First I will share some wildflowers I shot at Clifty Falls starting with Dutchman’s Breaches, Virginia Bluebells, and finally Sessile Trillium. Hope you enjoy the pics as much as I did capturing them and I hope you have a great 4th of July weekend as well !!

                                                                                                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                                                                                   

“Dutchman’s Breeches”

Here is another wildflower image from earlier this spring, with no time to get outside and shoot nature images now I will have to rely on older shots that I haven’t had a chance to edit till now. I shot these little wildflowers at Clifty Falls State Park near Madison Indiana earlier this spring, Dutchman’s Breeches are one of the coolest wildflowers in the woods, and one of my favorite to photograph.

Here is a short official description of this flower that I pulled from the US Forest Service site, authored by Alma Hanson, I am too lazy to write tonight, more editing of course…

Dicentra cucullaria (Dutchman’s breeches) is an herbaceous perennial of the Fumariaceae family. This species has many common names depending on which part of the country you come from. One of its common names, Little Blue Staggers, is derived from its ability to induce drunken staggering if cattle graze on it, due to narcotic and toxic substances in the poppy-related genus. Bleeding heart is another common name.

This native wildflower is common throughout the eastern United States though rarer in the Pacific Northwest. The western populations of Dicentra cucullaria appear to have been separated from the eastern ones for at least one thousand years according to the Flora of North America. The western plants are somewhat coarser in appearance but generally indistinguishable from their eastern counterparts. In Idaho, the species often grows along stream corridors in gravely banks well above the waterline. It is also occurs in Washington and Oregon.

Dutchman’s Breeches blooms in the early spring from March to April. Flowers are white to pink and resemble a pair of pantaloons hanging upside down. The flowers wilt almost immediately upon picking so they should not be collected in the wild. The one or more finely compound leaves make the plant appear fern-like. This perennial species has rice-like seed bulbs and is an attractive addition to any garden in moist shady areas.

Thanks Alma for your wonderful and insightful writing hopefully that will keep me out of trouble !!

So there you have it the lovely and unique Dutchman’s Breeches, hope you enjoy and once again click on the image for best viewing.

“Clifty Falls Wildflowers”

Clifty Falls State Park located near Madison Indiana, is best known for it’s beautiful Waterfalls and tree lined canyons,  but a little known secret lies beneath the woodland canopy. Every spring an immense variety of wildflowers grace it’s woods and canyons with a beautiful display of of color and shape.

From the early season Bloodroot to the late arriving Wild Columbine a diverse number of flowers will make your hike thru the park a pleasurable outing, the flowers could be located in an isolated cluster or a patch the size of house. The color palette will range from white to blue to red and every shade of green you could imagine.

Many flowers will take on intricate shapes and textures.  The Dutchman’s Breeches (pictured here) resemble a pair of upside down trousers hence the name, and Squirrel Corn has an odd likeness to a kernel of corn, but I have no idea where the squirrel comes in.  Trout Lily has a pattern on it’s leaves that resemble the patterns on a trout and of course bluebells have an uncanny likeness to bells.

There are too many more for me to list here but as I gather more images I will keep sharing a little more of my outings in the park and surrounding areas to give you somewhat of an idea as to what a beautiful area I live in. Thanks for stopping by and taking a look !!

“Spring Has Sprung in Madison Indiana”

Finally after a long cold winter spring is finally gracing us with it’s presence. Have not been blogging much lately, the long winter and work have kept me from posting or visiting other blogs, I always say I am going to to try to do better in that regard but always seem to come up short, so once again I will try too do better now !!

I have been able to go out and get some wildflower shots this past week, the hills and canyons that surround my hometown of Madison are bursting with vibrant colors and it looks to be a great flower season this year. My only disappointment so far has been with the Bloodroot which have had spotted and falling petals which has diminished the beauty of this little early wildflower.

The Hepatica, Spring Beauties  and Rue Anemone have all been quite plentiful this year along with an abundance of Virginia Bluebells  has got me hiking the deeply shadowed gorges and cliff lines in search of the perfect specimens to fill my card with.  It has been a little cold and windy but so far the weather hasn’t put too much of a damper on my excursions into the woods.

I think I will try and post an image every day or so just to give you an idea of the beauty that surrounds my area, I will start with this closeup of a Virginia Bluebell that I shot at Clifty Falls State Park yesterday morning, like I said earlier this year seems to have an abundance of Bluebells more than I have seen in years past, I shot this with a Macro Lens so I could show you the intricate details and color in this flower.

As the week and season progresses I will share more of my images with you and hopefully be able to fully illustrate the beauty that can be found close to home along with the wonderful scenes that you can witnesses on a short hike or drive from your own home. I hope you enjoy my images and I hope you have a great day as well !!