June/July Monthly Topic 'Wildflowers'

For June/July we want to see some of the wildflower shots from our Rocky Mountain States.


RichieV

I shot some claret cup flowers on a trip to Utah in May. I'll get around to renewing my membership someday, but here's a link...

http://www.gcollier.com/Claret-Cup-Flowers.html

I just finished processing this image, taken on a float trip down the San Juan River last month, and thought it might provide some variety to the lush green mountain meadows that everyone here will soon be enjoying.

After exploring the ruins and petroglyphs in Chinle Wash we found a route to the top of the plateau and discovered these delightful little wildflower gardens. The cryptobiotic soils, which fill waterpockets in the Navajo Sandstone, provide an oasis in this land of endless slickrock.

The jagged peak on the horizon is The Mule's Ear, on Comb Ridge. The drainage in the middle distance is Chinle Wash. It was a wonderful day of sunshine mixed with brief hailstorms.

Might possibly be the best wildflower fields I'll see in my lifetime. Acres and acres of fireweed. I just wished I had better light and my 4x5 with me. It was hazy from forest fires in the area and dreary at the same time.

Thanks Bill and Dean. The fireweed creates a beautiful foreground.

Bill Brennan

Wow Dean! That's a crazy field of Fireweeds! Great find.

Dramatic field of Fireweed, Dean! This looks like northwestern Montana?

Don, this is along the northeastern border of Yellowstone National Park and the border of the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness. Thanks for taking a look.

Heres one from Friday, north of Last Chance.

A slightly older image of mine but still a favorite. Fireweed and the Maroon Bells. Late July, Maroon Lake Scenic Loop Trail.

I don't know if I'll ever get around to renewing the old NPN membership.
Anyway, here's a link to some canyon country wildflowers that I took over Memorial weekend just north of Gateway.

Great images so far y'all. I'm sure this thread is going to get loaded by the end of July.

The first Fairy Slipper I've seen in person. Medicine Bow NF from about three weeks ago.

The sandpaper mule ears were blooming in the sands on the Paria Plateau during the second weekend of June.

Dean, hopefully you were/are able to return to that expansive field of fireweed.
Josh, I can see why it is a favorite.

Here's one from last year.

Stunning shot Morris!

Wow, Dean -- amazing Fireweed! Great shots so far, everyone!

Will a "wild bush" suffice?

This was taken near Superior, AZ... and just growing right out of a rock, amazing. I did add Darwin Wiggett's Orton action to it, then faded it back about half. It looks much better at a larger size (I sound like a broken record!).

I really don't do flower portraits, but here's one from yesterday (6-27) in the Wasatch Mts.

I can't get enough of shooting Columbine. Good thing they're somewhat easy to find. I tend to gravitate to flower portraits more than expanses

One of my favorites...

A family portrait. Nice of them to stand still for me!

A rare find (for me), all purple ...

Of course, wild Iris are nice too.

That's enough for me. I was going to include some recent poppies but they're not 'Rocky Mountain' wildflowers

Great work from everyone! Love that shot, Morris!

Thanks, Kalin. Everyone is rocking this topic! Kalin, what a remarkable set of images! The first one may be the best portrait of a columbine I have ever seen.

Thanks Morris, I appreciate that coming from you.

Found lots of Columbine on Mt Herman on Saturday...

Roxborough Sat morning

Good stuff so far. Hopefully by the end of the month we'll be seeing a great collection here.

I'll contribute with a view from Blue Lake.

A blend of Lupine and Tickseed from the Sneffels Wilderness

A simple medley from the collegiate peaks wilderness.

Riverbend Ponds today afternoon

Wow, more great additions to this thread! Keep them coming! I loves me some wildflowers.
Here is a Pasque flower from this spring.

A Penstemmon, also.

More Spiderwort.

And a Paintbrush.

Has anyone shot in the Crested Butte area recently? I am heading down there on Friday and wanted to see which area's are the best. How about the higher areas where you need 4x4 like Paradise Divide, Lost Lake, etc? How about the water fall close to Lake Irwin?

Thanks,

Tim

Morris, that Paintbrush photo is one of the best of the best to come across the wire recently, IMHO. Great work!

Love that last one, Morris!!! Here's one I shot last week.

A trio of columbines near Trout Lake.

Really nice work with the shallow dof, Jack!
I remember this from last year(?), John. Still love it!

Ok! My Fave Topic Fo SHo!
Yuccashttp://naturephotographynaturall.smugmug.com/Nature/Nature-Photography/Flora-1/5137637_yQQUF#563869518_pbkzo-L-LB
Columbineshttp://naturephotographynaturall.smugmug.com/Nature/Nature-Photography/Flora-1/5137637_yQQUF#310567446_jBD79-L-LB
Chiming Bellshttp://naturephotographynaturall.smugmug.com/Nature/Nature-Photography/Flora-1/5137637_yQQUF#310566960_4JBJs-L-LB
Prickly Poppyhttp://naturephotographynaturall.smugmug.com/Nature/Nature-Photography/Flora-1/5137637_yQQUF#563915459_WiKUv-L-LB
Lupines & More http://naturephotographynaturall.smugmug.com/Nature/Nature-Photography/Colorado-Landscapes-III-1/5466487_KAnCv#338944394_GNiFz-L-LB

I hope these all hold up to the very sweet images I have seen posted before mine! I love Wildflower portraiture and macro work, it's like diving in to a while new world! I know I need to renew my membership soon too!

Columbines in Yankee Boy Basin.

June lupines in Pot Creek valley, just outside Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado's far northwestern corner.

Here's one from ...where else? YBB

I'm going to have to go back a year or three for some good wildflowers...

And one more from the archives.

Here is my columbine addition

Some really really fine specimens!

Alpine forget me not

4X5 E100G, Fujinon 125 -NW, 1:1, 250mm extension

Portrait of a Columbine

4X5 Provia 100f, Schneider 150 f5.6 Symmar -S @ f22