Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: Rudbeckia

What a magnificent flower to have in a garden. Easy to grow, these plants will reward you with dozens of stunning blossoms over 2-3 months! They are a fantastic photography subject from bud to after they have dried up! And because they are large, they make fine practice subjects for photographers of all levels. Being large with a shape that isn't hard to capture, they are forgiving for newer photographers. For those who are adept at macro photography, the macro details offered by this flower abound! Hairy sepals, leaves and stems, velvety-looking centers, and as this flower matures, the brown area you see erupts into tiny yellow florets! Black-eyed Susans are MAGNIFICENT!! :) (I photographed this beauty in my raised-bed garden a few years ago, and had fun adding a texture to the background. :D)

2 more pictures in notes above! I've been doing a lot of thinking about gratitude lately. I have so much to be thankful for, and today I want to say THANK YOU , delivered with a warm hug to each and every one of you. I want you all to know how much it means to me that you visit and leave comments and favorites. But most of all, I want you to know how thankful I am for your friendship, and for the camaraderie we share here at ipernity. You have all made me feel welcome here in my new home. I have made so many new and wonderful friends. I am so grateful for those of you who have joined me here from Flickr, and for those of you who have made a special effort to give ipernity another try, and have found that you just needed to put in a bit more effort to discover how special ipernity really is. Thank you all for making me feel that I have some talent as a photographer and writer, and thank you for sharing your feelings with me. I am grateful for the opportunity to see the world through your eyes, and for the virtual adventures I go on around the world through your wonderful photography. Because of every one of you, I am a better photographer, and a better person too. I learn so much from what I read about your pictures and from the stories and articles that you write. The time I spend visiting your photo streams and reading the comments that you leave for me fill me with so many emotions--joy, happiness, laughter (and often howling cackles of mirth), fascination, wonder, and sometimes sorrow and regret. It's all important though, and I am very thankful that I am allowed to know you a little bit more every day. So...thank you everyone!! I am so happy here and I am so grateful to be surrounded by such a fabulous community and ever-growing group of friends. You mean the world to me. *big hugs to all of you* Henry Ward Beecher (June 24, 1813 – March 8, 1887) was an American Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, and speaker, known for his support of the abolition of slavery, his emphasis on God's love, and his 1875 adultery trial. Wikipedia: Henry Ward Beecher Explored on August 24, 2013. Highest placement, page 4.

1 clickable picture in a note above: if you'd like to see more pictures of this flower, click on the picture and roll your mouse over the next image! :) Here you can really see why this flower is called "Irish Eyes"! And of course, just look at the "lashes"! :D Beautiful "hairy" stamens, so delicate and tiny. Amazing to see these details!

A couple of months ago, a gardening friend of mine surprised me with four flower seedlings! At the time, she'd forgotten the page that identified each species, but I told her that I would rather they be a surprise! Week after week, I've been watering them and watching them grow. One of them was nearly killed when a deer ate most of it, but to my delight, it's grown from the stump that was left and is now vigorous and doing well. In the past couple of weeks, another of the four seedlings began forming buds, and in the last two days, the buds are getting very close to opening! This morning I peered closely at the upcoming blossoms and after a gasp of of delight, I turned and ran into the house for my camera! PICTURE DAY HAS ARRIVED FOR ONE OF ROBIN'S PRESENTS TO ME!! Before I could take pictures, I needed to bring wire clippers with me. These flowers are in our metal tub, which is completely caged in to protect them from the deer. Just after I'd planted the seedlings Robin gave me, and before we made a metal fortress, a deer came and mowed down everything in the tub--it even hopped up and walked all over it to get to the far side, leaving deep holes and dead sprouts everywhere. I was so upset! Steve helped me cage in the whole tub with fencing and mesh. Today I removed the zip ties that secure the top so I can open it up like a lid and I am now free to take pictures of my protected flowers! It was so nice to get in there to take an unobstructed look at the lush flower bed there, and the flower I'm showing today will the largest of them all so far! I don't know what it will be...chrysanthemum? Zinnia? (Leapfrog and Erin are betting that it's a Black Eyed Susan! :D) I don't know, but it's already GORGEOUS!!! :D :D The plant has many blossoms on it too, so hopefully I'll be enjoying flowers for some weeks! HOORAY FOR FLOWER PRESENTS!! THANK YOU ROBIN!!! :D Maya Angelou (born Marguerite Ann Johnson; April 4, 1928) is an American author and poet. She has published seven autobiographies, five books of essays, and several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning more than fifty years. She has received dozens of awards and over thirty honorary doctoral degrees. Angelou is best known for her series of autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), tells of her life up to the age of seventeen, and brought her international recognition and acclaim. Wikipedia: Maya Angelou Explored on July 1, 2013. Highest placement: page 2 (#38).

1 picture in a note above! :) Oh MY!!! What a flowery-fabulous morning it was! Lots of brand new poppies to enjoy, and I've been watching the flowers that my friend Robin gave me...today the buds are looking like a dozen hairy fingers stretching outwards and toward the sun! Makes me wish I had them on time-lapse, how amazing it would be to watch the petals wiggle and move! I took lots of pictures but I like the way this one turned out with the bright yellow blossom in front and another fading off into bokeh behind! By the way...if this is a Black Eyed Susan, I guess the center changes color over time, because right now it's a pale cream color in there! :D I don't doubt your wisdom though, so I'm eagerly keeping an eye on those centers to watch the color change! Hmmm...I wonder if I should take transitional pictures to show this change! :D Yesterday and today mark the halfway point of my 365 project and though I mentioned this already yesterday, I do want to encourage you to consider this challenge, because it's really fantastic as an educational tool, and also teaches discipline on many levels. I've made a lot of friends through this project as well, and I have no regrets for taking this on! Luther Burbank (7 March 1849 – 11 April 1926) was an American botanist, horticulturist and a pioneer in agricultural science. He developed more than 800 strains and varieties of plants over his 55-year career. Burbank's varied creations included fruits, flowers, grains, grasses, and vegetables. He developed a spineless cactus (useful for cattle-feed) and the plumcot. Wikipedia: D Luther Burbank Explored on July 4, 2013. Highest placement: page 3 (#70)