Prairie Color in Asters © 2012 Bo Mackison
“What is seen by the eye is transformed and colored by the vision of the mind.” ~ Robert Wade
These asters are my favorite of all the asters. Not delicate and petite, but rather “in your face” and frazzled, full of the spirit that they require as one of the last flowering prairie plants of the autumn. They can manage a bit of stress, too. They can survive a mild frost easy enough, though once a hard frost hits, the prairie fades from golden and russet to deeper shades of brown. The flowers’ pale, shrivel, and drop upon the prairie earth.
So when I walk in the prairie as the season turns (officially) from summer to autumn, I always check on how the spirited, aromatic asters are doing. I smile at the bits of color left in the prairie, those blossoms of bright purple.
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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. Walking in the prairie is a walk for the senses and a balm for the depleted soul.
About Bo Mackison
Lovely colors–purple against the yellows. I also like your unusual point of view, one I seldom try. Lovely photo and lovely Asters.
These flowers were just begging for a portrait! 🙂
Very nice.
Very true!
Love these old-fashioned,”New England” asters. That’s what my mom calls them anyway. Here, they always bloom in October and are always, foreverly covered in butterflies of all manner. Monarchs, Gulf Fritillaries, Sulphurs and more – even bees and preying mantis. Oh, how I miss them and how I love this image. Takes me back to my lake. Thanks, Bo. Beautiful image…
These asters are bushier and less well behaved than the New England Aster. The prairie has both, and several other varieties, too. Always a good thing, since by this time of the year, asters are one of the last flowers in bloom.
Preying mantis, hmmm? Always thought they were called “praying” mantises, always wondered why…:-)
Wow, those are very pretty, and such a deep color!
Together with the many varieties of goldenrods, they make a grand color scheme.
Very pretty, Bo. The asters here are doing well this year. I think they liked the drought and hot weather.
The early flowers suffered here, but we had rain in August, so the late seasonal flowers are in full bloom.