Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: bachelor buttons

1 clickable image in a note above! This is a picture I took the other day. These are such beautiful little flowers, the blue is so bright! Here's some information from Wikipedia about this pretty flower! Bachelor's Buttons (Centaurea cyanus), also known as Cornflower, Bluebottle, Boutonniere flower, Hurtsickle, Cyani flower, is a small annual flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to Europe. "Cornflower" is also used for chicory, and a few other Centaurea species; to distinguish C. cyanus from these it is sometimes called Common Cornflower. It may also be referred to as basketflower, though the term also refers to the Plectocephalus group of Centaurea, which is probably a distinct genus. It is an annual plant growing to 16-35 inches tall, with grey-green branched stems. The leaves are lanceolate, 1–4 cm long. The flowers are most commonly an intense blue colour, produced in flowerheads (capitula) 1.5–3 cm diameter, with a ring of a few large, spreading ray florets surrounding a central cluster of disc florets. The blue pigment is protocyanin, which in roses is red. In the past it often grew as a weed in crop fields, hence its name (fields growing grains such as wheat, barley, rye, or oats are sometimes known as corn fields in the UK). It is now endangered in its native habitat by agricultural intensification, particularly over-use of herbicides, destroying its habitat; in the United Kingdom it has declined from 264 sites to just 3 sites in the last 50 years. In reaction to this, the conservation charity Plantlife named it as one of 101 species it would actively work to bring 'Back from the Brink'. It is also, however, through introduction as an ornamental plant in gardens and a seed contaminant in crop seeds, now naturalised in many other parts of the world, including North America and parts of Australia.

This is the flower I was planning to feature a couple of days ago when the hoverfly zoomed in and demanded center stage! :D These are called Bachelor Buttons or Cornflowers. Did you know this is the national flower of Estonia, France and Germany?! It's known as a "Bachelor's Button" because at one time, young men would wear this flower to show they were in love. However, this flower is also worn as a symbol in different countries for many reasons including honoring veterans and showing political favoritism. This flower is considered a "beneficial weed" because it's edible and is used in tea and sometimes in salads! If you'd like to know more about this beautiful, popular flower, Wiki has a great page here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornflower The reason I chose today's quote is because the composition in my opinion is off...I really wanted to get that flower on a third but to do that, I'd have to crop out important elements in the background. I think that this image has good balance but that flower in front...is so centered! Marc Jacobs (born April 9, 1963) is an American fashion designer. He is the head designer for Marc Jacobs, as well as Marc by Marc Jacobs, a diffusion line, with over 200 retail stores in 80 countries.He has been the creative director of the French design house Louis Vuitton since 1997. Jacobs was on Time magazine's "2010 Time 100" list of the 100 most influential people in the world, and ranked number 14 on Out magazine's 2012 list of "50 Most Powerful Gay Men and Women in America". Wikipedia: Marc Jacobs Explored on July 14, 2013. Highest placement: page 2 (#43).