Taking Pictures of Flowers

Snow Mountain Ranch is nestled in a beautiful mountain valley north of Berthoud Pass and Winter Park, Colorado. This many-acre resort is home to much flora and fauna, and I found much that was photo-worthy.
This trip marked one of my first photography expeditions, and I didn't think much about identification of the flowers as I was taking pictures. When I realized how much better it would be to actually label and correctly name the flowers I was taking pictures of, I realized what a monumental task I was undertaking. You can be sure in future trips, I will be paying much closer attention to the details of each flower!
The details you're looking for? Pay attention to the shape of the leaves and how they are placed on the stems--are they opposite each other or are they alternating. Also notice the exact location of your flower--is it in a marsh or on a rocky hillside? Finally, be aware of the date. Some flowers don't bloom until July or August, so if you are having trouble distinguishing between two flowers, you can possibly rule out one flower just by the date it's in bloom.

In our travels to Snow Mountain Ranch, Jack (my husband) and I traveled over the magnificent Berthoud Pass, whose summit is at 11, 307 ft. That's nearly at tree line here, so conditions can be brutally cold, even in the middle of summer. You might not expect to find wildflowers in these brutal conditions, but I found a nice variety of flowers for such a hostile environment.

My travels this summer have also included Oklahoma. No snow there! But certainly, Oklahoma is filled with it's own delightful wildflowers I couldn't resist adding to my garden collection. Here are some of my favorites.