Tricyrtis hirta, The Hairy Toad Lily

Hello! Today's post features the Tricyrtis hirta, or the hairy toad lily, which has been posted here before. The previous posts did not have much information about this beautiful flower since I could not find much about it, not even on Wikipedia. Over the weekend, I managed to find a detailed write-up of the Tricyrtis formosana that features many wonderful macro-photography views of both the dark and light forms of the formosana species. I highly recommend reading this article if you want to know more about this flower. While the photos below are of the hirta species, the two are virtually identical in appearance.

So why have I decided to give the hairy toad lily it's own post? Well, this flower nearly went by undetected last year as I was walking around my backyard last year. Given its height of approximately 1.5 feet, the 1-inch wide flowers seemed rather insignificant from a far viewing distance. Even after taking some close-up photos of the flower, it did not appear to be anything special to me. That is, until after I downloaded the photos onto my computer.

Upon closer inspection while making adjustments to the photos, I noticed that there were small, golden spheres along the length of the styles. I learned from the article that these are membranous sacs containig a sticky fluid that may be used to attract insects to help pollinate the flower. These orbs are less than 0.02 inches in diameter and virtually invisible to the naked eye. To me, they are the most beautiful part of the hairy toad lily. Why? Well, while the polka-dotted petals and sepals or the tentacle-like forked styles are the more prominent features of the flower and readily visible, these miniscule golden orbs require the observer to spend a little more time to discover them. Once I did so for myself, they soon became the focal point of my hairy toad lily photographs.

Using the information in the article mentioned above, I labeled the preceding photo (reproduced below) to identify the different structures of the hairy toad lily.

While the structures of the hairy toad lily are standard to most flowers, their arrangement and appearance give it an exotic look. Speaking of which, it is my hope that one day I will have the opportunity to photograph the Passiflora, another exotic-looking flower.

 

Since the hairy toad lily grows best in shaded areas away from direct sunlight, it can be a challenge to photograph since lighting conditions tend not to be optimal. Luckily, after spending several hours waiting for the right amount of sunlight on multiple days, fortune smiled upon me, allowing me to capture some photos. Here are some more of my keepers:

Oh, before I forget...what makes the hairy toad lily, well, "hairy"? The answer is that the entire flower is covered in short, fine hairs. The petals, stalk, and leaves are all covered as can be seen in the photo of a bud here (also note the bi-lobed spurs):

Well, this concludes my introduction of the hairy toad lily. They will continue to bloom into October so I will most likley be taking more photographs of them in the near future.

Summer's Last Hurrah!

Greetings! It's been almost two months since my last entry here so today's post will have a good number of photos for everyone's viewing pleasure. I completely skipped the month of August but what an interesting month it was. From an earthquake centered in VA that was felt all the way in New England to losing power from Hurricane Irene, there was certainly enough to keep anyone busy.

Speaking of storms, we'll begin with a photo that suggests a looming storm is inevitable. In actuality, only a few raindrops fell and the storm clouds left as fast as they arrived. The conditions interested me since the sun still managed to shine through the clouds, illuminating the trees in the middle ground.

The photo below is of a hydrangea leaf that was backlit by the setting sun. I find lighting conditions such as this fun to work with as they allow you to see things not normally visible under typical lighting conditions. Leaf structure is so intricate that one can't help but be mesmerized by it.

The next two photos are of the Night Queen flower, or Epiphyllum oxypelatum. This particular cactus rarely blooms and when it does, it happens for a single night. When I was young, I would always know when one of these beautiful flowers bloomed because it gives off a strong, pleasant fragrance. Given this small window of opportunity, I picked this flower and pinned it so that I could photograph it. This might just be my favorite flower!

The next half-dozen photos below are of various flowers including clematis, sunflower, lily, and hydrangea. Some have been posted here before while some have not.

Clematis

I'm not sure what this particular flower is. It is very small, roughly 0.25" to 0.375" at its widest and grows in clusters close to the ground. From a non-magnified view, they can be easily missed! 

Sunflower

Lily

Hydrangea (and a really big fly!)

I've posted photos of these little white flowers below and have yet to find out exactly what they are. If anyone knows, then please educate me! =) 

Here we have a series of photos featuring the blossoms of the Chinese chive. Not only are these flowers pretty but they can also be eaten! They have to be harvested before the blossoms open though and can be stir-fried or used in soups. My family's been growing Chinese chive for over 25 years in our garden and regularly use them in dumpling, soup, scrambled eggs, and stir-fry.

There were many insects feeding on the blossoms and they provided me with an abundance of photographic subjects. Below is a photo of the largest hoverfly I've ever seen. They're usually about 0.375" long but this one was over 0.5"!

In this photo, I believe we have a shield bug and this is the first time I've ever seen one. I'm not sure which species it belongs to but it looks a lot like other shield bugs I've seen in photographs online. This little guy was quite the adventurer, climbing over and under leaves like it was nothing.

Last but not least, there were also bees getting their share of pollen and nectar. There were some rather large ones flying around sometimes bullying the other much smaller critters in the neighborhood. These guys moved really fast and it was hard getting a sharp focus on them given the dim light available at the time.

Finally, we have several photos of the hairy toad lily. The first of these flowers started blooming a couple of weeks ago but this is the first time this season that I've had the opportunity to photograph them. Several buds are currently maturing so I expect some more chances to capture them in pixel form.

Some photos of the hairy toad lily were posted last year but I think this year's results are much better since I have the close-up lens to give me a magnification boost. What intrigues me the most about these flowers are the little golden orgs that hang in the central "arms". These little guys bloom at a time when nearly all of the other flowers have given their show and will continue to bloom into October. 

Well, this wraps up today's post. With the Autumnal Equinox less than two weeks away, there will be an ever-decreasing selection of subjects to photograph in my yards. Next up will be more hairy toad lilies, dried hydrangea flowers, and the fall foliage, so stay tuned!

Catch Up Time!

Hello! As the title of today's post suggests, it's catch up time! It's been almost a month since the last post and I've accrued a good number of new photos. Photo opportunities are in abundance this year and I hope everyone is enjoying these photos!

We'll start off with a batch of photos of little critters. I'm really glad to have a close-up lens at my disposal as it really helps. Below, we have a fly, unknown insect, daddy longlegs, bee, and wasp perched atop hydrangea leaves, rose petals, and morning glory flowers.

Here's a good transition point away from our little critters. This particular morning, the sun illuminated this morning glory flower that was facing away from me. In the background are some pink wildflowers. There are also pink morning glories in the backyard a little ways away.

Here's a close-up view of the pink wildflowers with a plump hoverfly perched atop on of the flowers.

The clematis all bloomed in late Spring but there were a few stragglers such as the one below, which is of a different color than the ones that bloomed earlier.

Sunny and cloudless days are great for hanging out and enjoying the great outdoors but rain can also make for nice photos. Below is a hydrangea leaf with water droplets that are resting on its waterproof surface.

  

While I can match up most plants growing in my front and backyards to a name, some remain nameless, such as the one below. There's a couple of pots with this plant growing in them and if anyone know what they are, do tell!

In addition to flowers, there are edible plants growing, including cucumbers, tomatoes, gourds, and blueberries. Even before these tasty berries were ripe for picking, sneaky little birds already began making frequent trips for a feast of their own!

With nearly all of the other flowers having had their time in the spotlight, it's now the lily's turn. While other lilies have bloomed already, the most colorful of them all (that we have growing) has appeared. Below are photos of the Stargazer and Easter lilies.

Finally, we'll finish up today's entry with hydrangea flowers, which are still in bloom. As mentioned in a previous post, there are several types of hydrangea growing in my yards. The distinction can be seen not in the color of the flower petals but in the shape and arrangement of the petals. With the first photo below, I was trying to capture an "arch" of hydrangea clusters.

  

Summer's going by fast and the flowers are popping up left and right. Most of them have made their appearance but there's still a couple of them left to bloom. When they do, you'll be sure that a photo of them will be here!

Of Hairy Toad Lilies

Greetings! My last post was over half a year ago here on my fledgling blog...not sure what happened. I think it might have been a lack of time and I eventually forgot about posting. In any event, here I am again.

Today, I'd like to share some photos of Tricyrtis hirta, also known as the "hairy toad lily." This year was the first time I saw this flower in my backyard and at first glance, it reminded me of squid (which by the way, are so very delicious!). Here's a photo of a Hawaiian bobtail squid that I found online:

Photo by: William Ormerod/courtesy Margaret McFall-Ngai
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Now here's a photo of the hairy toad lily ("hairy" because nearly all parts of the plant is covered with little hairs):

Pretty close, huh? The squid I had in mind actually had more purplish dots but I didn't know which species of squid of was. Anyway, back to the flower. 

I had taken a good number of photographs of it but had no idea what it was called. Finally, after unsuccessful research by myself (can't wait for the day we can enter a photo as a search parameter!), I posted in the always-informative forums at DP Review and in no time, got an answer. I'm actually still slightly unsure if it is hirta species and not another one like the chinensis. Whichever one it is, I found the flower somewhat mesmerizing. Here are a couple of more photos:

Since this past April, I've taken over 15,000 photographs of various flowers in my backyard with my trusty Panasonic DMC-ZS3. I'll be presenting these photos in future posts so stay tuned!