‘Blue Beauty’ Water Lily

'Blue Beauty' Tropical Water Lily

‘Blue Beauty’ Water Lily

The ‘Blue Beauty’ Water Lily is one of the more popular water lilies. It is a hybrid developed in 1896 when hybrid studies were just being undertaken. Originally called ‘Nymphaea pulcherrima’, a pseudo-Latin name translated as “beautiful water-lily,” its name was changed to ‘Blue Beauty’ in the 1930s.

I love the bluish-lilac color, but even more I love the blue-gray, two-toned shadows of the two lilies. This is one of those photographs where I think the shadow as interesting as the subject. The lilies that stand above the water — this one grows 6″ to 8″ above the surface of the pond — seem to cast rather impressionistic, moody shadows on the barely rippling pond surface.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. While at the Chicago Botanic Garden Art Festival, she paid a morning visit to the tropical water-lily ponds. What a wonderful collection!


Weekend Show – Seeded Earth Studio at Chicago Botanic Garden Art Festival

Tall Stem Poppy

Tall Stem Poppy © 2011 Bo Mackison

Here is one more photo of this gorgeously pink poppy, my favorite flower from this spring.  The soft pink colors combined with a hint of purple, and the bonus raindrops, made this a flower any botanical photographer would love to study and photograph. And I did both.

This weekend I will be at the 1st Annual Chicago Botanic Garden Art Festival in Glencoe, Illinois, an art show organized by Amdur Productions of Highland Park in association with the Botanic Garden. This photograph will be one of the many flower and garden photos in the Seeded Earth Studio booth.

I can think of no better place to display my garden photo gallery than in this magnificent botanical garden.

The art fair will be held on the Esplanade from Friday July 1 through Sunday July 3 — 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The 80 artists in the Chicago Botanic Garden Art Fair will exhibit art that is in some way related to a botanical theme. This promises to be a one of a kind summer art fair.

If you visit the art festival, please come visit my booth, #24. I will be presenting a booth chat about photography at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 2. Hope to see you there.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is looking forward to this weekend’s art fair set in the midst of the Chicago Botanic Gardens–a tiny piece of heaven on earth.

‘Loraine Sunshine’

'Loraine Sunshine' False Sunflower

‘Loraine Sunshine’ False Sunflower © 2011 Bo Mackison

I always thought this flower in my garden was a sunflower. Now I find out, while doing a bit of research for blog writing, that it is not a true sunflower, but a false sunflower. It is a good thing a flower’s beauty is not in its name, but in its looks. Botanically speaking, a sunflower has green leaves, while this flower has green and white variegated leaves. Hence the false label.

'Loraine Sunshine' Variegated Foliage

Variegated © 2011 Bo Mackison

It is a ‘Loraine Sunshine’ heliopsis and when I was in the nursery picking out replacement stock for a few spaces in my garden, one of the reasons I chose this flower was because of its deep yellow color. A second reason was because of its unusual foliage.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is enjoying the backyard garden this year, especially since plentiful rains are keeping everything green and growing.

Exploring Kitt Peak

Kitt Peak

Roadside View of Kitt Peak © 2011 Bo Mackison

My younger daughter flew in for a weekend visit just before it was time for me to leave Tucson. She loves science, any kind of science, and so we drove to Kitt Peak to see the National Observatories.

The white domed observatories on top of the 6,875 foot summit aren’t the only an amazing sight on the 50 mile trip west of Tucson. There is also plenty of breath taking desert and mountain scenery on the drive. We drove the  first 45 miles  on paved roads through the Tohono O’odham Reservation and the Sonoran Desert. The last 12 miles were on a maintained mountain road with patches of snow — from a mid-April storm a few days before we visited — and spectacular views of the desert floor and snow spattered, adjacent mountain ranges. (Next post!)

Kitt Peak Welcome Sign

Kitt Peak Welcome Sign © 2011 Bo Mackison

Kitt Peak National Observatory is operated by an association of universities throughout the country (including the University of Wisconsin at Madison) in cooperation with the National Science Foundation. We even saw a Bucky Badger decal on one of the scientists lab stands. My daughter is an alum of UW, so she was pleased to see the Wisconsin mascot on duty at one of the observatories.

Observatories on Kitt Peak

Observatories on Kitt Peak © 2011 Bo Mackison

This is the largest collection of optical telescopes in the world. It’s a rather amazing display of scientific buildings, all clustered on the very top of a desert mountain.

The tallest telescope in the photo is the Mayall 4 meter (158 inch), one of the world’s largest telescopes. It resides in an 18-story building. There is an elevator that provides access to the 10th-floor observation deck and panoramic views of southern Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico, but this particular telescope was closed the day we were there.

Just one more reason for me to return to Kitt Peak at a later date. I’d also love to stay for the night show and see the stars using one of the observatory’s telescopes.

McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope

McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope © 2011 Bo Mackison

This is one of the more unusual buildings on the peak. It is the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope which produces a 30-inch image of the sun by using mirrors in a slanted 500-foot corridor. Only 200 feet of the tunnel are visible, the other 300 feet are below ground level. You can go inside the building and check out the long chamber and view the mirrors. Not only is this telescope a scientific wonder, it is also an architectural wonder. It even won an architectural award in 1962, rather an unusual accomplishment for an observatory.

1.3 Meter Telescope on Kitt Peak

1.3 Meter Telescope on Kitt Peak

This is one of the smaller telescopes, and one used by visitors during the nightly viewing tours. The larger telescopes are reserved for professional and student astronomers, though even they have to play a form of astronomy-roulette. They sign up for a viewing time months or years in advance and if their chosen evening’s view is obstructed by clouds, they have to sign up on the list again. Luckily there are only a few cloudy evenings  each year in this part of the Sonoran Desert.

Open 2.1 m Telescope

Open 2.1 m Telescope © 2011 Bo Mackison

The 2.1-meter (84 inch) telescope was the first large instrument on Kitt Peak for night-time observing. We were able to go inside for a close-up view of the inner workings, plus view an educational exhibit on the telescope. Astronomers use this scope to observe distant stars and galaxies in both the visible and infrared spectra.

On the day we were there, we watched as the telescope opened and closed several times.

Observatory Complex, Kitt Peak Arizona

Observatory Complex, Kitt Peak Arizona © 2011 Bo Mackison

One last photograph, proving that, yes, it does snow on the peaks of desert mountains. I thought I had escaped winter’s snow by coming to Tucson, but my daughter was delighted to see the snow, and stomp in it, and make a few snowballs to throw at me.

Seems she thinks the desert is too hot and prefers Wisconsin winters to Tucson winters. Amazing!

Reminder: I am having a drawing for one of my photographs or a set of photo art note cards in appreciation of all the support my blog readers gave me while I was on my Tucson adventure.  To enter the drawing, leave a comment on the April 13 post — check out the drawing information and directions on how to enter.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She has been living in Tucson for the last ten weeks, exploring Arizona and living life “solo.” she is now on her way back to Wisconsin, but will be posting photographs from a few more Arizona destinations.

Seeded Earth Studio at UW Parkside Arts Festival on Sat. Jun 26

Seeded Earth Studio will exhibiting at the UW Parkside Arts and Crafts Festival on the UW Parkside’s campus in Kenosha, Wisconsin this weekend.  My photography will be available, in matted and framed photographs, large canvas photos, and in matted only versions. I also have a great selection of cards and card gift sets available.

Seeded Earth Studio Features Photography at UW Parkside June 26

Seeded Earth Studio on the Road © 2010 Bo Mackison

Show hours on Saturday June 26 are from 10 am – 4 pm. Both Sherpa and I will be at booth 171.

Directions to the University of Wisconsin – Parkside campus and the Festival can be found on this map.

Bellflowers at Univrsity of British Columbia Arboretum in Vancouver

Rainbow Bells © 2010 Bo Mackison

This is one of my newest botanical photographs, a delicate set of multicolored flowers. I photographed them in the culinary gardens at the University of British Columbia Arboretum in Vancouver while on my recent trip to the Pacific coast. This is one mighty fine arboretum and includes a historical Japanese garden as well as that beloved canopy walk on suspension bridges in the tops of the trees.

This will be one of many new photos available for the first time on Saturday.

I’d love to see you at the show if you’re in the area!