Arboretum Wildflower Walk

Members of the Arboretum Photography Committee and the Johnson County Camera Club had the privilege yesterday to go on a guided wildflower walk and photoshoot at the Overland Park Arboretum. Our guides were native plant expert Ken O'Dell and the Arboretum Volunteer Coordinator Phyllis Merrick. Phyllis said the wildflower display at the Arboretum is the largest collection of wildflowers in a six-state area. I will spend some time later this week identifying all of the flowers below. Ken identified the flowers as we walked through the grounds but, we photographers were too busy finding the next flower to photograph to take notes!

It was a perfect day for the photography since the sky was cloudy and there was no wind. A sunny, day would have created too much contrast between lights and darks in the forest. Wind would have made the images of the flowers blurry since they would have been moving while the shutter was open. All in all, it was a great day, a learning experience and a fun subject to photograph.


















I couldn't resist taking some other photos today with my macro lens. This is a clematis in my sister's front yard. It was a beautiful specimen.



The next three were taken in the entry to the Arboretum grounds. The tulips were as beautiful as I've ever seen and they were in perfect bloom. The first photo is a pine bush in the planter with the tulips.

In the flower photography class I teach, I talk about the interplay of colors. This photo is a good example. I liked the red behind the tulips and the contrast it made with the yellow and green.



Again, playing with the depth of field.



More of an abstract macro shot.



Enjoy!