Fringed Polygala (Theme)

Gallery: FloraPosted July 4, 201039 views8 comments

I mistakenly came across this little gem of the woods while looking for Hepatica last spring. Fringed Polygala also known as "Gaywings" or "Flowering Wintergreen" belong to the genus known as Milkwort because it is thought that if eaten by nursing mothers or fed to cows it would increase milk flow. It is is low growing plant reaching the height of 3 to 7 inches (though any I have seen only get 2 to 3 inches from the ground). The flower itself only gets 3/4 of an inch long. The colorful "wings" are not the petals but the sepals. The petals are united into a tube and tipped with a bushy fringe. A second set of flowers are never seen as they grow underground and are self pollinating. The leaves are oval and get 3/4 to 1.5 inches long. Fringed Polygala bloom in May and June in the woodlands of Canada and northeastern U.S. More can be found here: http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/polygala_paucifolia.shtml
For this photo here the flower was growing on a hillside so I was able to get underneath it for a more unique composition and POV.
Manual exposure, 1/125 sec, F4.5, ISO 100, Canon 100mm macro, Hand held, cropped to horizontal.
I will include another photo below to show more of a candid shot of the way they would bee seen in the woods.

Comments

8 comments

Comment posted by John Kerr on July 4, 2010 at 12:51 PM

At times Fringed Polygala's will grow as twins as seen in this photo here. (Sorry I can't remember what field guide I read that info in). In this photo you you can get a better perspective of thier size when compared to the dead leaf and the base of the tree they are growing against. Thanks for looking.

Registered on October 28, 2009, 111 Posts, 1070 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Fach on July 4, 2010 at 1:59 PM

John: This is a great capture and some terrific info. Including the environmental shot really increases my appreciation of the original post. Wonderful lighting and DOF and excellent sharpness at this mag and hand held. Many kudos.

>=))>

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1805 Posts, 26981 Comments

Comment posted by John&Patty Benway on July 4, 2010 at 5:09 PM

Very nice John, beautiful composition and color along with some interesting information. Well done
John

Registered on May 12, 2006, 626 Posts, 8700 Comments

Comment posted by Mike Gallo on July 4, 2010 at 5:29 PM

Perfect pof and very interesting information John, well seen and captured

Registered on September 14, 2005, 182 Posts, 1471 Comments

Comment posted by Pat Sampson on July 4, 2010 at 9:43 PM

Excellent image and commentary John. Your pov really makes the image for my tastes. However, all the image elements come together and work well together. I also liked seeing it from above in the second image. Beautiful and interesting to boot. Can't ask for much more.

Pat

Registered on May 19, 2007, 953 Posts, 15989 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on July 4, 2010 at 9:59 PM

I really like the shallow dof here as well as your pov. Nicely done!

Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Yeoh on July 5, 2010 at 1:08 AM

Hi John:
Thanks for the botanical commentaries to go along with these images. The flowers sure look small and you have captured them nicely.

Registered on September 1, 2009, 588 Posts, 8184 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Jones on July 6, 2010 at 11:24 PM

John,
Great info and supporting photos -- including both detail and wider shots is a great idea. One of my favorite little flowers -- I look forward to seeing them in the woods in my backyard every May. It's amazing how many people just don't notice them, but they are real beauties.

Registered on April 18, 2007, 953 Posts, 6435 Comments