Macro Photography

castilleja angustifolia var. flavescens

This flower's name is castilleja angustifolia var. flavescens but I call it the Lizzie Flower. I found this flower on the remote East Braley Peaks at 9,200'. I knew that this was some type of paintbrush but was having trouble determining the particular variation. After collaborating with several fantastic botanists I either got the answer "some sort of paintbrush" or "I'm really not certain". One of my friends suggested that I contact iNaturalist and ask one of their botanists what variety this was. They were able to determine the variety and to my surprise, this gem was well out of it's normal area of existence. The botanist who identified the flower has asked me to take them to the top of that mountain which is only attainable by ATV or hiking, to make a verified identification so they can record the new location. What an honor.

Sweet Gum Balls

1st Place Blue Ribbon winner Reno Photo Club Mar 2019 Nature A Div This photo was taken of two small tree seeds on the street in Downtown Reno. These seeds had so much detail that I had to capture this macro shot and was thrilled when they one the first place ribbon of the Reno Photo Club

Painted Lady on Purple Daisy

Taken in the White Mountains of California near Big Pine, I surprisingly found myself in the Painted Lady migration. Thousands of these lovely butterflies swarmed the valley I was driving through on my way to the Methuselah Forest.

Snow Plant at Thomas Creek 01

One of the last snow plants of the season and barely holding on to the last few days of winter.

Snow Plant at Thomas Creek 02

The tip of a snow plant at the end of a long winter season. These lovely flowers don't use photosynthesis and survive instead from the nutrients in the dirt alone. They are a striking flower against the white of the snow. This was taken late in the season and all the snow was already gone.

California Goldfields 01

Lasthenia California is a part of the daisy family. I love the close up of these flowers because of all the tiny details. sometimes you can get lucky and find a family of aphids living within

California Goldfields 02

Lasthenia California is a part of the daisy family. I love the close up of these flowers because of all the tiny details. sometimes you can get lucky and find a family of aphids living within like this tiny red aphid.

Prickly Poppy 01

I know that the Prickly Poppy is a common flower that grows along and in roadways. Their delicate white petals dance in the wind and I often wonder how they survive in the bright and hot desert sun. The magic of this lovely flower is the colorful blueish stigma on the pistil and the yellow stamen that can number up to 200! Weed or not, I love this flower and the challenge of photographing them in a breeze.

Checker Mallow on Peavine Mountain

I love the Checkermallow and I always feel lucky to spot one. They are rather finicky and grow more often in sandy slopes and flat or dry areas with sagebrush. They don't usually cover a hillside but instead just appear out of nowhere. They are delicate and are interesting the way they share their blooms. The flower closest to the roots will bloom and then the next bloom on the stem and on and on till all the blooms along the stem have opened. This flower is very interesting, if you visit this flower throughout it's maturity you will see changes, here the fluffy male parts are apparent but later if I revisited this flower I'd see the scarlet threads of the female emerge from the column tip.

Boisduval's Blue on Peavine Mountain

It's difficult to differentiate the blue butterflies but to do so you must make note of the flowers around the area. The larvae of the Boisduval's Blue appear on lupine which were abundant in this area. I felt very lucky to be able to get this close to this male specimen. The females are very purple and I wish I could have found one.

Silvery Blue Female on Lupine

I hope you enjoy this female Silvery Blue I found on Peavine Mountain. It's not surprising that I found this butterfly on a mountain named after one of the plants that it likes to lay it's larvae on. She is beautiful

Silvery Blue on Mountain Dandelion

I love this grouping of 3 male Silvery Blue on the left and 1 female Silvery Blue on the right. If I could zoom out for you, you could see that there were about 50 butterflies in this small area of dandelions. I hope you enjoy this peaceful moment in nature.

California Ditch Sierra Buttes

In California, this is considered a patch of ditch weed. I believe it is beautiful! The yellow flowers are California poppies, the state flower and the lavender/pink flowers are called Jepson's Pea which is a vine.

California Poppies and Peas

I found these flowers against a power pole in a ditch. They grow wild in California and I love them. The yellow flowers are California poppies, the state flower and the lavender/pink flowers are called Jepson's Pea which is a vine.

Jepson's Pea

Taken at the base of the Sierra Buttes in California, these lavender/pink flowers are called Jepson's Pea which is a vine.

Jepson's Pea and Dandelion Seed

Taken at the base of the Sierra Buttes in a ditch this lavender/pink flower is called Jepson's Pea which is a vine.

Fisherman's Wharf Locks

A team of workers was stapling this string of chain link with locks pre-attached. I wonder where the fence had been relocated from and who had put such an interesting lock on the fence and when.

Gourd to Death

Piles of gourds at a pumpkin patch in Nebraska

Sunflower 01

I like to use this image as the screen saver on my computer. This sunflower was part of a bouquet given to me by a dear friend. When someone gives me flowers I take photos to preserve them forever. Since I was named Lizzie Flower after the sunflower, I consider it my spirit flower.

Sunflower 02

I like to grab the back of the flower sometimes. This sunflower came alive with the back light and I loved the effect and light.