Prairie Dock Leaf with Frost (2)
About a year ago this time I posted some photos of the dried-up leaves of prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum) dressed up with touches of frost. I couldn’t resist taking the camera for a workout on a recent frosty morning and attempting a few more lacey-looking images. Prairie dock leaves are so interesting to me. They are large and thick as well as coarse, gritty and brittle. At this time of the year the dried leaves curl and contort into such interesting shapes with the added attraction of obvious topography. Especially when wearing patches of frost, the twisted leaves with their clearly visible networks of venation remind me of some aerial views of the earth taken by satellite photography. You see patterns of mountains and valleys with little streams flowing into bigger streams and eventually into rivers. The frost accentuates the topography and makes those tiny mountains and rivers even more evident. It’s a bit like looking at a topographic map and yearning to explore some newfound territory. But alas, it’s just a dried up, crumpled leaf poised to take on its next journey into the nutrient cycle. But for now, it’s worth a pause and a photograph because that’s what we do.
Photo taken in my yard. Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana.
Prairie Dock Leaf with Frost (2)
About a year ago this time I posted some photos of the dried-up leaves of prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum) dressed up with touches of frost. I couldn’t resist taking the camera for a workout on a recent frosty morning and attempting a few more lacey-looking images. Prairie dock leaves are so interesting to me. They are large and thick as well as coarse, gritty and brittle. At this time of the year the dried leaves curl and contort into such interesting shapes with the added attraction of obvious topography. Especially when wearing patches of frost, the twisted leaves with their clearly visible networks of venation remind me of some aerial views of the earth taken by satellite photography. You see patterns of mountains and valleys with little streams flowing into bigger streams and eventually into rivers. The frost accentuates the topography and makes those tiny mountains and rivers even more evident. It’s a bit like looking at a topographic map and yearning to explore some newfound territory. But alas, it’s just a dried up, crumpled leaf poised to take on its next journey into the nutrient cycle. But for now, it’s worth a pause and a photograph because that’s what we do.
Photo taken in my yard. Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana.