Cusp Blazing Star

I took this photo of a Cusp Blazing Star (Liatris mucronata) four years ago, when it was much wetter.

The plant is also known as a Texas Gayfeather. I looked it up at the Wildflower Center and there are many different kinds. From the appearance, I pinned it down to a Cusp Blazing Star, but I could be wrong. It's a member of the Aster family and is a perennial.

The plants were near the house, inside the fence. I've never seen them anywhere else on our property, or anywhere else, for that matter. The Wildflower Center doesn't mention that they're particularly rare, though.

They don't need much water, so hopefully they survived this terrible drought. I know roughly where they were and every time I walk by, I look for them.

These specimens were about 2 feet tall and I don't know if they're a single or multiple plants. They attract butterflies and are certainly very pretty. They would make a great addition to any garden.

My Naturescapes 2011 Photographs

The Naturescapes Exhibition opened at the San Marcos Activity Center last weekend. It runs through November 4th, so please be sure to go by and enjoy the beautiful photographs.

Two of my images were selected by the contest Juror, Amanda Smith, for the exhibition and she picked one of them for an Award of Merit.

Here's the first one, "Mexican Plum Cluster".

Mexican Plum Cluster

It was taken last spring, on the north end of our property, along an old rock wall. The small Mexican Plum (Prunus mexicana) tree was covered in white flowers. I meant to make it back later in the spring to see if any plums had developed, but I never did.

I took many shots, but this is the one I thought was best. I like the triangular arrangement of the white blossoms, the simple, bright colors, and the limited depth-of-field makes them fade nicely into the background.
The drought this year meant no flowers and definitely no plums. I'll check it again next spring. I think there are still many good photos left here.

The second one, "Black-eyed Susans", won an Award of Merit.

Black-eyed Susans

This too was taken last spring, when we were still getting signficant amounts of rain. The Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta) were all over our property, it seemed. This little meadow was also on the north end of our property, along the rock wall.

I got down on my stomach to get a better vantage. I wanted it to look like the flowers went on forever.

7th Annual Naturescapes Awards Reception

We held the Naturescapes Awards Reception last night at the San Marcos Activity Center.

It was a nice evening with music provided by the band "Friends of Music" and over 100 people attended. The reception opens the Naturescapes Exhibition at the Walkers' Gallery at the Activity Center. This year's Naturescapes is the 100th exhibition at the Activity Center and marks a significant milestone for the Gallery and it's curator, Linda Kelsey-Jones. Congratulations to Linda and many thanks for all her hard work in support of the arts!

I was fortunate to have two photographs selected for the Exhibition by the Contest Juror, Amanda Smith. One of them even won an Award of Merit.

Here's the complete list of Award Winners.

Awards of Merit

• "Lost in Lavender" - Lisa Kay
• "The World is Turning Upside Down" - Abby Linam
• "Full Moon" - Winifred Simon
• "Black-eyed Susans" - Art Arizpe

Awards of Excellence

• "White-Crowned Sparrow - Zonotrichia leucophrys" - Stephen Ramirez
• "Dragonfly Landshark" - Lynny Moore
• "Bee and the Candlestick" - Carolyn Whiteside
• "Water Strider" - Winifred Simon

Best Youth

• "Life Through the Lense" - Hannah Whisenant

Best Natural Habitat

• "Dragonfly Reflection" - Carolyn Whiteside

Best in Show

• "Sculpture by Cypress" - Herb Smith

The Naturescapes Exhbition will be in the Walkers' Gallery until November 4th. Be sure to see it!

I'll post my photos next week and also post a link to all the photographs in the Exhibition when we put them up on the web. Something to look forward to!

A Sunset From Happier Times

I've noticed that with the current drought, the sunsets are not as dramatic as they sometimes are. There is little moisture in the air and that means fewer clouds and fewer opportunities for great sunsets.

I took this photo over three years ago, in March 2008, and just came across it while reviewing my old photos for the blog. The view is from the road out of our development. I was struck by it's beauty and stopped by the side of the road to take a few shots. Sunsets can be overdone, but it's obvious why.

The road, in the lower left, drops off just in front of my vantage point and I like the way the two trees frame the picture. I've adjusted the shadows a bit to bring out a little detail, but not too much. In the original photo, the foreground is completely black. The sun has just dropped below the horizon and the streak of clouds adds a dramatic touch.

It's now September and there's a cool front coming through which will drop the daily highs from around 105 to the low 90s. It's still hot, but I'll take a 10 degree drop.

The trees are continuing to drop their leaves and it looks like an early fall. The amount of daylight is the main cue to trees that the days are getting shorter and fall and winter are approaching. This year the trees are dropping their leaves sooner than normal due to the drought. Hopefully, cooler weather will bring some rain.