Day 84: Lupine the loop

A couple of weeks ago I used a lupine flower photo as my picture for the day. Having run out of other ideas, I decided to revisit the lupine patch today to see how they'd come on. And, my, how they've grown! (Hmmm - I'm sure I've said that before...) There's a nice little forest of tall lupines among the encroaching brambles. I think the species is the large-leaved lupine, which grows in damp, disturbed areas at low elevation. They're one of the first road-side flowers to bloom and add a splash of rich colour to the central reservation (or median if you're from round here). We're more used to seeing the smaller arctic lupine in subalpine meadows.

Having used a tall-looking lupine shot before, I wanted to find a different angle. I had the old camera with me (no comment) so as ever I had to play to its strengths. I tried a couple of busy lupine-filled shots, but they didn't really work on this dull overcast day. So back to macro shots it was. It helped that the lupines were quite tall so I didn't have to bend down and squint as usually happens for flower macros. Still not happy with the close-ups I had taken, I tried something I'd previously attempted a couple of years ago in Manning Park: I pointed the camera straight down from an overhead position. I made sure to get the camera positioned symmetrically over the lupine tower and took a few photos. That was more like it - you'd never guess it was a lupine :-)

Aerial lupine shot