FlowersInLight Photo Gallery
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Close-up Photographs of Flowers
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Whether seen from near or far the beauty of a flower is timeless. I particularly love the
complexity of colors, shapes and textures within the details of a flower blossum. Macro
photography brings these details to life with prints enlarged for us to appreciate.
My gallery offers macro photographs of flowers including close-ups of wildflowers,
domestic garden flowers, and indoor plants.
Most of these close-up flower photos were taken with a Sigma 105mm DG f/2.8 macro lens. For folks
interested in getting started in macro photography, read the
Beginner's Guide to Macro Photography.
Beautiful flowers are not the only interesting photographic subjects you'll find in your garden. Read
A Macro View of My Garden for other photo ideas.
I hope you enjoy my photographs of flowers.
Point to or click on any image for an enlargement |
Orchid #6403
There are an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 species of orchids worldwide.
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Orchid #6408
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew maintains a checklist of Orchids that contains 24,000 recognized
species with about 800 new species added each year.
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Orchid #6415
Orchids exist in almost every habitat on earth, excepting only Antarctica and the deserts. Most
orchids are found in the tropical regions, mostly in Asia, South America, and Central America.
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Orchid #6417
Some orchids grow roots into the ground that form tubers, where food or water can be stored.
However, other types of orchids do not require soil and grow attached to trees and use aerial
roots.
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Orchid #6418
Most African orchids have white flowers, while most Asian orchids are multicolored.
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Orchid #6420
One type of orchid - the Bumblebee Orchid - attracts male bees for pollination by looking and
smelling like a female bumblebee. Some orchids smell like rotting animals, which attract flies
for pollination.
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Orchid #6422
Many orchids rely upon a co-dependent fungi to provide them with nutrients.
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Orchids are the largest and most diverse plant family on Earth. Despite this,
until recently there has been a complete absence of any fossilized remains of Orchids. Consequently, there has been
extensive debate about the true age of the Orchid family on earth. Estimates have ranged widely from 26 million to
112 million years. But recently fossilized orchid pollen was discovered on the back of an extinct species of bee
found preserved in amber. Although the bee itself was estimated at 15 million to 20 million years old, scientists at
Harvard University analyzed the pollen DNA to estimate the age of the Orchid family at about 80 million years.
To put this into perspective, dinosaurs became extinct about 65 million years ago.
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Cyclamen #6372
There are twenty different species of cylamen. They are native to the Mediterranean region and the
northern part of Africa. Most cyclamen prefer partial shade.
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Cyclamen #6377
Cyclamen are commonly grown as indoor flowering plants, but the more hardy species can be grown
outdoors in mild climates.
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Indian Paintbrush #7137
This is a close-up photo of the Indian Paintbrush.
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Iris #818
The Iris has such a frilly, feminine attraction. If I were an insect, I'd make a beeline for it.
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Beach Morning Glory
The Beach Morning Glory is one of the most widely distributed beach plants throughout tropical and sub-tropical areas in
the world. It typically grows just above the high tide line in sandy soil along coastal beaches. It thereby stabilizes
the sand helping to prevent erosion.
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Sensuous Tulips
The deep rich color and sensuous curves makes this one of my favorite tulip photographs.
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Amaryllis #6320
The Amaryllis produces large, beautiful flowers in a wide variety of colors.
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Amaryllis #6324
This photo of the beautiful Amaryllis was taken at the Butterfly Conservatory in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.
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Amaryllis #6335
This is a close-up photo of the Amaryllis blossum.
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Orchid #6205a
The orchid is a favorite flower to many people. It's no surprise given their delicately sensuous curves and beautiful
range of colors.
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Iris #814
The Iris might only bloom for a short while in spring, but their blossums are very beautiful while they do.
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Trefoil
The Trefoil is a nutritious low-growing legume that often grows wild in pasteur land. It can be responsible for
improving the growth rate of cattle that browse on it.
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Other Photographers' Photos from Flickr.com
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Robert Stephens
TheWorldinLight Photographic Gallery
P.O. Box 893
Sterling Heights, MI 48311
TheWorldinLight@aol-dot-com
(use the word "photos" in subject line, no attachments)
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All photographs are the property of Robert Stephens and TheWorldinLight Photographic Gallery. Unauthorized reproduction or use is prohibited by US
copyright law. |
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