From Ann Pratt's "Wild Flowers":
How pleasant are the woodlands during April and May, with the gentle waving of the young leaves, the song of joyous birds, and the sweet odours of violets, primroses, and other spring flowers! Then the Blue-bell waves to every breath of wind, and the Celandine glistens like gold, and the delicate Stitchwort bends so low as the wind passes over it, that we can hardly believe it will be left unharmed by the breeze.
But not one of these blossoms is more beautiful than that of our Wood Anemone, the Wind-flower of the older writers, and which is still called by this poetical name in some parts of our country. Whether it was named thus because it grows in the mountainous woods where the wildest winds blow, as well as in the sheltered valley; or whether because its petals are so light and delicate that the wind soon ruffles them, we know not. In many woods it is very plentiful, its light seed being wafted by the spring winds, and its tough roots creeping extensively underneath the surface of the soil.
I returned on Sunday, chilly and windy, to find the blossoms pulled in.
Pratt, Ann. Wild Flowers. London, 1852. 27. Web. Google Book Search. 9 May 2011.
What a little beauty! It is a different species to the ones that grow here-our are A.nemerosa with longer petals but both are lovely.
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting extract and I was convinced it was an English writer before I got to the reference at the end-it is a very accurate description of a woodland flowering association for mid spring. I was reading that anemones are of the buttercup family. This beautiful little one of yours seems to have that cup-like flower, especially where it has pulled its petals together in the cool breeze.
This one is still on my "to find list", along with "dutchman's britches". Now that I know the anemones are blossoming down your way, I shall have to keep my eyes glued to the ground for them up this way in the next few weeks. Lovely photos- looks like you may have used your circular flash for the bottom 2 photos?
ReplyDelete~ gretchen
You know Judith, I pull a good deal of quotes from London publishers. These little flowers are still doing well. Noticed them this evening as I drove up my road. There are two patches, a few feet in diameter.
ReplyDeleteYup Gretchen, you called them! White without the sunlight yellow, or perhaps just a tad to the blue. Color shift comes about as I hold back on exposure to let out the detail and texture of white. Tricky business!
ReplyDeleteWhat I'm using is not exactly a ringlight--more like two flash heads cabled to a computer box. It is Canon's Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX unit.