Madison Indiana Landmarks

 

Broadway Fountain

Madison Sunset

Lanier Mansion

Shrewsbury-Windle House

Here are a few pics from my hometown of Madison Indiana. There are so many beautiful places to photograph here you could walk the downtown district for days and not run out of things to photograph !!

Not only are there great architectural subjects to capture but the natural diversity that we are so blessed to live in is second to none. My biggest problem is spending so much time working the natural aspect of our area I tend to forget all the other historic places that Madison is famous for.

This is definitely the place to come and explore for a weekend or a long vacation you won’t be sorry you did !!

Madison in Bloom

Not only are the great wildflowers that grow thru out are natural area in bloom but the wonderful trees and flowers that line the streets and historic homes in Madison Indiana are starting to put on a show as well.

Madison has an amazing riverfront lined with many blooming trees especially the lovely cherry trees donated by Arvin Sango. The Lanier Mansion has wonderful blooming trees as well and other flowers that are now beginning to bloom.

So if you are looking for a weekend getaway to get outdoors and see some beautiful scenery give Madison a visit you won’t be disappointed.

Black-Eyed Susan

Continuing with my series of shots from my back yard here is a image I captured of a Black-Eyed Susan that I photographed one evening not too long ago. I was able to isolate the blooms against a new privacy fence my neighbors up the street constructed, the fence was made out of a warm wood and  with  the setting sun i couldn’t have asked for a better background for my subject.

I like to keep my backgrounds as soft and clutter free as possible and with the distance between the fence and my subject it worked out perfectly. The late evening light was just an added bonus to my final image the warmth in the flower and the soft warm evening light played off each other nicely and helped contribute to this strong image.

Never been a huge fan of Black-Eyed Susan’s but I felt this image was the best one of this lovely perennial that I have ever attempted. It has been a great year for flowers here in Madison Indiana, the weather has been perfect and with all the great subjects I am getting some really nice work for my portfolio, thanks for stopping by and taking a look at my photography!!

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                              

 

 

 

BackYard Flowers…Forget-Me-Knot

I spend hour after hour and travel many miles to bring you my photographs of the array of wonderful wildflowers that I capture, but now I think I will just sit back and share the easy ones, the ones from my yard.

I am not the worlds best gardener and I don’t have the time to treat them like I should but I do have a pretty good assortment of flowers that I am growing in my yard just for the days when I can just slide out the back yard and knock of a couple of images and slide right back into the comfort of my own home for a change !!

I try to stick to perennials like coneflower, black-eyed Susan and bee-balm. But this year I also went with a cool little annual I found at the nursery and I love the profusion of blooms these little jewels produce. Forget-Me-Knots seem to be an easy flower to care for and they produce vivid blue colors in their bloom that make for incredible images.

So if you are looking for a great flower for your garden and or as a photography subject  you might try this great little plant I think you will be glad you did. Thanks for stopping by and taking a look !!

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                  

 

                                                                                                                                                                            

 

Virginia Meadow Beauty

I spent some time at Big Oaks National Wildlife Refugee over the weekend working with the annual butterfly count  they host.  If you have never been to Big Oaks you are truly missing out on a unique experience, the refugee offers a diversity of life that has few rivals in the Midwest.

I pulled this from their site…

Big Oaks Refuge contains the largest unfragmented forested block in southeastern Indiana and some of the largest grassland areas found within the region. The refuge provides habitat for 120 species of breeding birds, the Federally endangered Indiana bat, and 41 species of fish. The refuge also is home to white-tailed deer, wild turkey, river otters, and coyotes. Over 25 State-listed animal species and over 46 State-listed plant species have been discovered to date on the refuge. Many bird species of management concern are also found here, including Henslow’s sparrows and cerulean warblers. Over 800 singing male Henslow’s sparrows use the large grasslands on the refuge. Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge has been designated as a Globally Important Bird Area because of its value to Henslow’s sparrows and other migratory birds.

While working with the count I refugee volunteer told me about a rare wildflower thta grows in the area and told me of the location and I was able to get back and photograph this truly unique little wildflower.

Virginia Meadow Beauty is the flower and it is a really cool addition to the many other wildflowers I have been able to share with you over the years.  According to the Illinois wildflower website….The Meadow Beauty is considered not common. This native perennial wildflower is ½–2½’ tall and largely unbranched, except near the apex where some lateral stems with flowers are usually produced. Short plants are erect, while tall plants sometimes sprawl across the ground. The central stem is light green to purplish green, sharply 4-angled, narrowly winged, and sparsely to moderately covered with glandular hairs. Pairs of opposite leaves occur along the central stem; they are up to 3″ long and 1¼” across, medium green, sharply toothed and ciliate along their margins, hairless to slightly hairy across their upper and lower surfaces, and sessile. The central stem and upper lateral stems (if present) terminate in short cymes of showy flowers. The branches of each cyme are usually glandular-hairy. Each flower is 1–1½” across, consisting of 4 widely spreading petals that are pink to deep rose-pink, a tubular calyx with 4 widely spreading triangular teeth, 8 stamens with bright yellow to orange-yellow anthers, and a 4-celled ovary with a single long style. The tubular calyx is shaped like a vase with a constricted neck; it is covered with long bristly hairs. The long slender anthers are curved like a sickle; the pollen of each anther is released through a small pore at one end. The blooming period occurs from mid-summer to early fall and lasts about 1-2 months. Each flower is replaced by a seed capsule that remains hidden within the persistent calyx; the calyx becomes red to purplish red after the petals fall off the flower. Each seed capsule contains numerous tiny seeds that are less than 1 mm. in length. The root system is fibrous; some fibrous roots have tuberous swellings. This wildflower reproduces by reseeding itself.

And here a few examples of this awesome little flower and the wonderful structure they posses, hope you enjoy the post and info and if you are ever out hunting wildflowers maybe you will be able to come across this great piece of nature !!