1703_0179 Ice-coated Flax Seed Pod
In keeping with the season - and the brutal -39°C temperature this morning (for my American friends, it's about the same in °F) - here is a winter macro shot. I suspect those living north of California don't think of winter as a time for macro photography. No flowers, no bugs. But the world close up is fascinating in any season.
I have isolated patches of flax growing along my driveway and in my garden. It self-seeds, and provides me with gorgeous, tiny blue flowers all summer; it can get a little weedy looking but never takes over an area like some weeds do, so I am happy to let it come back, year after year.
This is agricultural flax, not to be confused with the two species of wild flax found in the prairies and pasture lands in my area (one is pale blue, the other pale yellow). Flax seeds are edible, a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids; the oil from them is refined as linseed oil; the fibres from the plant are used in textiles. The ancient Egyptians used flax linens to wrap their mummies. Earliest confirmed human usage of flax dates back 30,000 years.
Photographed in my backyard in Val Marie, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2017 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
1703_0179 Ice-coated Flax Seed Pod
In keeping with the season - and the brutal -39°C temperature this morning (for my American friends, it's about the same in °F) - here is a winter macro shot. I suspect those living north of California don't think of winter as a time for macro photography. No flowers, no bugs. But the world close up is fascinating in any season.
I have isolated patches of flax growing along my driveway and in my garden. It self-seeds, and provides me with gorgeous, tiny blue flowers all summer; it can get a little weedy looking but never takes over an area like some weeds do, so I am happy to let it come back, year after year.
This is agricultural flax, not to be confused with the two species of wild flax found in the prairies and pasture lands in my area (one is pale blue, the other pale yellow). Flax seeds are edible, a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids; the oil from them is refined as linseed oil; the fibres from the plant are used in textiles. The ancient Egyptians used flax linens to wrap their mummies. Earliest confirmed human usage of flax dates back 30,000 years.
Photographed in my backyard in Val Marie, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2017 James R. Page - all rights reserved.