Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: parachute

(+ 1 inset!) This is just a quick post so I can participate in this weekly event! About this Picture This image was taken at the third stop of our trip last season. There is a wonderful hike I went on every morning and I walked past a utility building surrounded by a cyclone fence. There were bunches of flowers in the grass and I got some really lucky shots including this dandelion fluff! (I have also included another inset with a lovely clover in full bloom at the same location!) Have a lovely day and stay safe! Explored on 1/25/29; highest placement #1.

This morning as Steve and I were waiting for riders to arrive, I spent every moment taking pictures! I saw this dandelion head and thought, "Oh heck, I'll give it another try." I always see such AMAZING pictures of these seed heads but I never seem to capture the magic I've been hoping for. Maybe I got lucky today...it is by far my best attempt yet! :) By the way, I didn't do any clarity on this image at all, only a very minor Levels alteration, cropping, and a frame.

Just as I was about to enter the forest on the hillside, I found a thistle plant with seeds about to fly away. I got many nice pictures, but this was is my favorite, showing a parachute catching the wind to carry the seed away! BON VOYAGE! :D Explored on November 27, 2013. Highest placement, page 4...

I liked the way this pair was about the fly away, only stuck at the top! Behind in bokeh you can see the remaining half of a pod that's already opened and released its seeds.

3 images above in a note! I found these Milkweed seeds bursting out of their pod and just about to fly away. I thought it would be fun to share these two pictures with you so you can see what happens after the flowers fade! :)

Here you can see the seed head where the achenes are seated. When the seeds are ripe, the seed head will stretch downwards, loosening the hold of the achenes and allowing them to be carried away by the wind. If you would like to see a microscopic view of dandilions and the achenes, seeds, and more, please visit this wonderful and fascinating page! A Close-up View of the Wildflower "Dandelion"

These glowing, golden parachutes (pappus) are specially modified parts of a flower called "sepals." They are able to catch the lightest breeze and lift up into the air, carrying the seed as far as a mile or more away from the parent plant! No wonder we find dandilions (and goatsbeard) everywhere! :D Explored on June 28. Highest position, page 2 (#50).

Here you can see the stalk of a goatsbeard parachute. The thick, barbed area is called an "achene" and inside is where you will find the actual seed. Did you know that strawberry "seeds" are actually achenes? The seeds are inside this outer husk! To find out more about achenes, Wiki has a very good page here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achene

Goatsbeard flowers look quite different than dandilions, but they create the same "parachute balls", except that they are much larger and can be 3" or more in diameter! The seeds form inside an "achene" on a stalk which has the "parachute" or "pappus" at the top. The parachutes catch the wind and can be carried for miles before dropping to the ground!

4 more pictures can be found in notes above! :) You can also find me on Facebook ! Doing a 365 Project has been one of the most rewarding challenges I've ever attempted, but it has its frustrating points too. For instance, I can only pick ONE main picture for each day (collages aren't the same thing!), and sometimes I'm very lucky and manage to get several star-performers. It can be really maddening, and though I can choose to share those pictures that day also, the Picture of the Day will always diminish the other images. ARGH! :D Today is my Goatsbeard Seed exhibit, with my Picture of the Day and FOUR star performers from another day. ( This is the picture that made the pick that day and it included a series of its own! ) I decided that in order to get these pictures the attention they deserve, I would find another goatsbeard for my Picture of the Day and show all my pictures then. And so, I present to you, Goatsbeard Seed Day! :D I hope you enjoy them! :) (There are 4 other pictures following this one!) Joseph Addison (1 May 1672 – 17 June 1719) was an English essayist, poet, playwright and politician. He was the eldest son of reverend Lancelot Addison. His name is usually remembered alongside that of his long-standing friend, Richard Steele, with whom he founded The Spectator magazine. Wikipedia: Joseph Addison Explored on June 28. Highest position, page 2 (#36).