Flowers and Nature

Japanese Beautyberries

The Japanese Beautyberry is a plant in the mint family, It's scientific name is Callicarpa japonica, commonly known as east Asian beautyberry. It is a deciduous shrub that explodes with small purple berries in the fall. I photographed these beautyberries at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, Virginia on an early fall evening.

Red Mexican Sunflower

Mexican Sunflowers are annuals that display fiery red, orange or yellow petals, all with a yellow center. Their botanical name is Tithonia rotundifolia; and they are drought tolerant, growing to a height of 3 to 8 feet. Mexican Sunflowers bloom from summer to fall. After several summer visits to Historic Tuckahoe, I finally found and photographed a Mexican Sunflower displaying its lovely curves

Summer Dahlia

Dahlia flowers are colorful flowers that bloom from late summer into fall. Dahlias grow from tubers that are planted in late spring. I photographed this one dahlia at Historic Tuckahoe in Goochland, Virginia

Mophead Hydrangeas are the most popular hydrangea in the United States. The Mophead Hydrangea has large green leaves with large flower heads that come in purple, blue and pink. This type of hydrangea are shrubs . I photographed this pink hydrangea while the light highlighted the flowers, yet created a black background.

Maiden Ornamental Grass

Maiden Ornamental Grass is a perennial that adds a visual interest to empty landscape spaces. I photographed this ornamental grass with my Lensbaby Velvet 56 lens that created this abstract blur.

Pink Beauty

Water Lilies are flowering plants from the Nymphaeaceae family. The water lily is a perennials that grow in aquatic bodies of water, where their leaves and the flower float on the water surface. I ventured to Kenilworth Aquatic Garden in Washington D.C., where there are acres of lotus and water lilies that display their beauty in this National Park.

Pink and Orange Tulips

Tulips are perennial spring flowers that will come back annually. Pink Tulips are often an expression of friendship and caring. Orange tulips are a symbol of friendship or happiness. I photograph these pink and orange tulips at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden's display of "A Million Blooms", Richmond, Virignia

Star Magnolia

The Star Magnolia tree has one of the smallest blooms of the magnolias with soft, snowy white petals. The Star Magnolia blooms in early spring. Every spring I find these blooms at an abandoned location, where I can admire their beauty. This image was shot with a macro lens, showing the details of the center of the flower.

Lilac Double Flowered Tulip

Double flowered tulips have several petals, which creates a fluffy look, similar to a peony flower. The extra petals of this lilac colored tulip created not only beauty, but extra depth. We planted a variety of two hundred tulips, and the double-flower tulips have lasted the longest, and they make excellent cut flowers.

Pink Dogwood Blooms

Pink dogwoods or cornus florida creates a nice floral show for two to four weeks in the spring. What appears to be four petals are actually bracts on dogwoods, and the blooms are pincushion-shaped buds, that open to small flowers. The Dogwood tree is the official flower for the State of Virginia, therefore one will see a variety of pink and white dogwood blooms in Virginia. While visiting Historic Tuckahoe, I photographed these pink dogwood blooms against a white sky to achieve a translucent look

Morning Blooms

The pink lotus is from the Nelumbo family and seen as purity and devotion. On this rainy morning at Kenilworth Aquatic Garden, in Washington D.C. the lotus appeared to be glowing with raindrops.

Tulips and Buttercups

Red tulips are the one of the most poplular color flowers. Red tulips symbolize love. These red tulips were blooming among this field of buttercups at Historic Westover in Charles City, Virginia

Tulips and Daffodils

The white tulips and daffodils were a nice blend for the A Million Blooms display at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, in Richmond, Virginia. I've added a touch of Topaz Impression to enhance the softness of these flowers

Red and Pink Tulips

Red and pink tulips created a stunning display for Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens spring theme, A Million Blooms. Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is located in Richmond, Virginia

Red Sun

Red Sun is a variety of sunflower that produces vibrant red petals with a dark brown center. The Red Sun sunflower is an annual that grows from seed up to 6 feet tall.

Pink Cloud Tulip

I spent a morning at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, Virginia before the garden closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. While visiting the conservatory the tulips were in full bloom. On this day I carried one lens my Lensbaby Velvet 56. My goal was to concentrate on shapes of the flowers. The outside light cast a glow through the petals of the Pink Cloud Tulips.

Spring Calla Lilies

Yellow flowers represent gratitude. During this pandemic, we've found ourselves trying different photography. Although I am a flower lover and I enjoyed shooting these yellow calla lilies on my led light panel and adding a texture to enhance their beauty.

Blooming Daffodil

Daffodils are perennials that bloom year after year. Daffodils are deer resistant, and are cheerful flowers. I found this double bloom daffodil the had not fully opened at Maymont Park, and I used my Lensbaby Velvet 56 to achieve this soft look. I've added a texture to this image.

Red and Pink Rose

Roses come in various shades of red and pink. This rose had petals of red and pink. I was surprised to see these two different colors on this one rose bush in the gardens at Tuckahoe Plantation. Perhaps this is a hybrid rose. I used my Lensbaby Velvet 56 lens to give this image a dreamy soft, blurred look.

Enlish Lavender

English Lavender is often associated with the famous purple fields of Provence. It is not native to England, but to the Mediterranean. During the pandemic I decided to plant some Lavender. It was beautiful and had a lovely scent, before I planted it. This was not a successful venture. I still have 2 lavender plants with hopes that they will come back in the spring. I'm glad that I decided to photograph the the stems before I planted it in my garden.

Keep Your Head to The Sky

Sunflowers ooz happiness and smiles. Sunflowers houses thousands of tiny florets in their massive blooms. Sunflowers continously face the sun during the day. I found this one sunflower in a small field in Chesterfield, Virginia after a rain storm.

The Color of Fall

Orange and yellow leaves are a true sign that autumn has arrived. The leaves on this tree were soaking up the afternoon sun around the lake at Moorefield Park in Chesterfield County, Virginia

Purple Columbine

Columbine flowers bloom in many bold color with exquisite shapes. The Columbine flower is in the same famly as the buttercup. They are bell shapped and have distinct spurred petals, and they grow 1-2 ft in height. I captured this purple Columbine on a late evening while roaming the gardens at Tuckahoe Plantation. I used my Lensbaby Velvet 56 lens for a soft glow effect.

Dry Peony

Peonies are long-lived perennials that range in a variety of shades from white to the deepest rich burgundy. This was another venture of allowing my flowers to dry, and still keep their petals intact along with this peony's rich burgundy color.

Dried Pink Peony

We love fluffy peonies. I left a few of my peonies in a vase for a few months. The peony retained some of its color and I found the results still beautiful. I photographed this peony on a a led light panel to bring out the color and texture.

Dry Dahlia

Dahlia flowers bloom from late summer to early fall and they reach a height of 4 feet, with a diameter of 12 inches. Here is a dahlia that as dried and still intact with its curls and petals. I've added a texture and made this image black and white.

Dry Pink Tulips

These deep pink tulips have seen their last days, just before their petals fall away. I shot these dry tulips on a led light panet and added a texture to enhance their beauty