Day 183: Playing with fire(weed)

This morning I fancied cycling along the beach. The water was a flat calm, and though cloudy, the temperature was very mild. (That would change later in the day to torrential rain...) On the hill up to the university, I noticed a patch of fireweed with its leaves turning an autumnal red and most of its seed pods split and empty. One or two plants were still releasing their seeds, and I ventured in closer to get some detail shots. I spied one set of seeds I particularly wanted to photograph and moved a still-closed pod out of the way. That pod immediately cracked open, the long arms of the pod splitting apart and curling back like the petals on an opening flower, revealing the beautifully stored seeds lying flat along the stem. The fine filaments of the seeds caught the air, and a few began to spill out, helped by me as I investigated them more closely. I was mesmerized by the delicate beauty and intricate layout of the seeds and took a dozen or more photos, hoping that one would work out. This was definitely tripod work as it was hard to keep still enough to ensure the target was in focus in macro mode. I was very happy to find one that worked well enough for today's photo, but I have to admit I would love to go back and try again with the SLR.

On an unrelated note, this post and yesterday's mark the half-way point in the journey around the sun. Here's to the first six months and I hope I can keep this going to complete the circuit.

Fluffy fireweed seeds