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Author Topic: Cactus Flowers  (Read 2837 times)

jharr

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Cactus Flowers
« on: November 24, 2014, 05:38:20 PM »

portra-diptych by James Harrs Photos, on Flickr
Portra 160
Yashica Mat 124G
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Ed Wenn

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Re: Cactus Flowers
« Reply #1 on: November 24, 2014, 07:40:33 PM »
Nicely done  :) I used to love wasting time and film on flowers & plants. Haven't done it for a while unfrotunately, but it IS a ton of fun. Did you have a lot of wind (sorry....I didn't mean it like THAT!), but seriously, a bit of a breeze adds some challenges to proceedings when your DOF is really shallow.
« Last Edit: November 24, 2014, 07:46:07 PM by Ed Wenn »
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Bryan

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Re: Cactus Flowers
« Reply #2 on: November 24, 2014, 08:15:02 PM »
Nice Jharr, looks like some type of Yucca maybe?  Here's a cactus (prickly pear) and a flower.  The tiny flower is in front of the cactus, I don't think it is part of the same plant.  Rolleiflex Automat TLR with Kodak Ektar 100

Cactus by bac1967, on Flickr
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jharr

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Re: Cactus Flowers
« Reply #3 on: November 24, 2014, 10:35:11 PM »
Thanks.

Ed,
I don't remember there being any wind. These are in a sort of sheltered place where I work. I like the spiral shape of the flowers before they unfurl. Probably a Fibonacci in there somewhere if you look hard enough. I wander around the grounds of my office building during lunch and look for new things or new light. This of course was just in the shade, so nothing special about that.

Bryan,
I think these are in the aloe family. I think the flower of the prickly pear grows on the top of the plant and then makes a red bulbous fruit. Some of the native cultures here in the SW make a sort of prickly pear preserve out of them.
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Francois

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Re: Cactus Flowers
« Reply #4 on: November 24, 2014, 10:41:01 PM »
There's definitely a Fibonacci spiral in there as it's pretty much the only way plants know how to spiral.

And for those who don't know what a Fibonacci spiral, just check Vi Hart's awesome video on the subject.
Doodling in Math: Spirals, Fibonacci, and Being a Plant [1 of 3]

BTW, the hardest plant to photograph is usually a bean stalk... there's always a lot of wind associated with them ;)
(OK, this is kindergarten level humor...)
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Francois

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jharr

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Re: Cactus Flowers
« Reply #5 on: November 24, 2014, 10:53:07 PM »
Nice video. After watching, I had to go back to the full res scan and count. Yep... 8 and 13.
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astrobeck

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Re: Cactus Flowers
« Reply #6 on: November 25, 2014, 03:04:22 PM »
My aloe vera is blooming now too, so I may have to join this thread with a few pix later!
Love cactus!  My favorite family of plants!!!
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Urban Hafner

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Re: Cactus Flowers
« Reply #7 on: November 25, 2014, 07:34:52 PM »
Nice one jharr! And I'm a fan of succulents, too. So much so, that I have to point out that while the Aloe is a succulent, it isn't a cactus. :P Sorry, I couldn't help myself. :)
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Francois

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Re: Cactus Flowers
« Reply #8 on: November 25, 2014, 08:59:47 PM »
But still, they're both low maintenance and that's perfect for me as I tend to have little success with houseplants that are too picky.
I do have some Christmas Cacti (which are not in the cactus family BTW) that are in full bloom.
In the summer, I have a ton of Sedum in the flowerbed. And inside I have two cacti which I have grown from seed. This is a really fun thing to do.
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Francois

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Urban Hafner

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Re: Cactus Flowers
« Reply #9 on: November 26, 2014, 01:09:59 PM »
At my best time I had about 50 different cactuses. Now, I only have time for photography, and even that barely. :)

BTW, Francois, the christmas cactus IS in the cactus family ;D http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schlumbergera
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Francois

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Re: Cactus Flowers
« Reply #10 on: November 26, 2014, 03:54:00 PM »
Well, I'm surprised as I was always told they weren't!
It looks like Wikipedia is once again to the rescue (and I'll go to bed tonight a bit more knowledgeable)

Thanks :)
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Francois

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jharr

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Re: Cactus Flowers
« Reply #11 on: November 26, 2014, 05:44:16 PM »
Quote from: Urban Hafner on November 25, 2014, 07:34:52 PM
Nice one jharr! And I'm a fan of succulents, too. So much so, that I have to point out that while the Aloe is a succulent, it isn't a cactus. :P Sorry, I couldn't help myself. :)
Yes Urban, but "Succulent Flower" sounds more like a food thread title, so I went with the more romantic Cactus. Being here in the SW, I get to see lots of succulents, cacti, palms and yuccas in bloom. In the Spring, the roadside beds of ice plant burst into magenta carpets. It is quite spectacular. I hope people will keep sharing.

James
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Francois

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Re: Cactus Flowers
« Reply #12 on: November 26, 2014, 09:12:01 PM »
Did that flower at least smell good?
I once had a cactus that decided to bloom, something that made me very happy until I got a whiff of the smell!
It turns out that the flower imitates the smell of rotting flesh in order to attract flies for pollination... yuck.
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Francois

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Urban Hafner

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Re: Cactus Flowers
« Reply #13 on: November 27, 2014, 06:42:21 AM »
Ah those! ;D I had two different kinds. One with rather small flowers (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbea_variegata) and one with crazy big ones (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stapelia_gigantea). Both smelled horribly, just like they should. :P

Man, this thread is really not helpful for me. Luckily, it's winter now and I can't just start buying succulents, again. Phew!
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