Well, I am back to flowers again. I guess it's because the weather is getting colder (by Texas standards, anyway) and they're getting more scarce out there. My ankle is improving, so I might be able to go on a "photo shoot" in a couple of weeks.
I took this photo of a Texas Paintbrush last April while on a business trip to Del Rio, TX. There are more rural roads in that part of the state than city roads, and I happened to have a pocket point-and-shoot camera with me that day. I came to a spot with quite a few different wildflowers that had struggled up from the dry gravelly soil on the right-of-way, and on a whim I stopped and took some shots. If I could do it over, I would definitely change the angle of the shot! Otherwise, I did the best I could with the equipment on hand.
As with the butterflies, I had to do some research to find out what kind of flower this was. That for me is part of the fun of taking these kinds of photos. As usual, Google was my best friend, and I visited several sites and emailed several webmasters before I got an answer back. Thanks to Jo Spencer and his website Weeds and Wildflowers for help with the ID. Here is a link to Jo's webpage on Paintbrushes and here is part of his email to me re the picture above. Congratulations Jo, on your seventh year with the website!
"Well you have a Paintbrush. They come in many colors but I have never seen a pink one. Sometimes a camera can be fooled. Anyway, pink or orange or yellow or white, it's a Paintbrush."
As best I can remember, the color of the flower is very close to what the camera captured. In fact, the pink color is what attracted me to take the photo. So I believe that the color is pretty accurate. I hope to go back to the area this spring with my new camera and I will try to find those spots again. Maybe I can find another example. In the meantime, here's one more photo of the roadside flowers:
Well that's all for this time. I hope your day is great and all your photo's are keepsakes!
PS Dan Lineberger from the Aggie Horticulture Network and the Department of Horticultural Sciences
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX replied to my email asking about the name of the flower in the top photo. Here's what he said, "That would be a pink variant of Indian paintbrush." So now it is confirmed. The horticulture website is pretty cool. You should check it out!
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