Leatherwood
Apr. 22nd, 2004 07:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vaneramosToday was so lovely it brought out the Scarlett O'Hara in me. I used my shirt as a curtain....
Alright, I know, that's not exactly what she did, but please indulge my moment of drama.
The purpose of these antics was to provide a backdrop in an effort to photograph one of my favourite plants, leatherwood, otherwise known as Dirca palustris. This native shrub is difficult to photograph because it is so modest, blending into the forest understorey. There is no glamour in its beauty, but it has many characteristics that would make it desirable for a landscape plant. For starters it has delicate yellow flowers that bloom with the earliest wildflowers, before the leaves emerge. The foliage is pleasant but unremarkable. Outstanding, though, is the shrub's elegant form: though usually only one metre tall, the graceful trunk and branches immitate the shape of a full-grown tree. A little forest of them under some maple trees would make a lovely feature in a woodland garden. In fact that is exactly what exists in the woods across the river.
My Scarlett curtain pictures might as well have been gone with the wind. The camera read the black background, of course, so they were all overexposed. Fortunately this image gives a hint of leatherwood's understated beauty.
Another image is posted in![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
texture.
Trying to photograph the shapely trunk and branches in the high texture and dappled light of the woods was another matter.
The other interesting thing about leatherwood is the reason behind its curious name.
The twigs and their bark are so strong and pliable that they can be tied into knots. Apparently our native people used strips of the bark as thongs, by which I mean laces, not skimpy beach wear.
Finding Dirca in full blossom this afternoon was a delight. It's easy to overlook and some years I have forgotten to go searching at the right time.
Alright, I know, that's not exactly what she did, but please indulge my moment of drama.
The purpose of these antics was to provide a backdrop in an effort to photograph one of my favourite plants, leatherwood, otherwise known as Dirca palustris. This native shrub is difficult to photograph because it is so modest, blending into the forest understorey. There is no glamour in its beauty, but it has many characteristics that would make it desirable for a landscape plant. For starters it has delicate yellow flowers that bloom with the earliest wildflowers, before the leaves emerge. The foliage is pleasant but unremarkable. Outstanding, though, is the shrub's elegant form: though usually only one metre tall, the graceful trunk and branches immitate the shape of a full-grown tree. A little forest of them under some maple trees would make a lovely feature in a woodland garden. In fact that is exactly what exists in the woods across the river.
My Scarlett curtain pictures might as well have been gone with the wind. The camera read the black background, of course, so they were all overexposed. Fortunately this image gives a hint of leatherwood's understated beauty.
Another image is posted in
texture.Trying to photograph the shapely trunk and branches in the high texture and dappled light of the woods was another matter.
The other interesting thing about leatherwood is the reason behind its curious name.
The twigs and their bark are so strong and pliable that they can be tied into knots. Apparently our native people used strips of the bark as thongs, by which I mean laces, not skimpy beach wear.
Finding Dirca in full blossom this afternoon was a delight. It's easy to overlook and some years I have forgotten to go searching at the right time.
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no subject
Date: 2004-04-22 04:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-04-22 05:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-04-22 06:15 pm (UTC)I realized today that it's pointless trying to take this kind of picture with my Kodak because it doesn't allow any control over exposure. A neutral background might work but wouldn't be nearly as effective.
Sometime this summer I'll spoil myself and buy some film for the Canon.
no subject
Date: 2004-04-22 06:44 pm (UTC)We should go to High Park together, the epehemerals will be out by now or very soon. We can borrow Danny's camera.
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Date: 2004-04-22 07:24 pm (UTC)I was hoping to plan my next visit to coincide with the new shrink in Toronto, but if I don't hear back from him soon I might go down next weekend anyway, depending on whether Danny is busy.
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Date: 2004-04-22 05:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-04-22 06:17 pm (UTC)