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Garden of Adventure
There is a large well-cultivated garden at Hill Top, Beatrix Potter's country home. Did Tabitha Twitchit lose her kittens here? Did Jemima Puddleduck waddle by the wall? Did Samuel Whiskers escape down this path?

Writers write what they know and what they see, or they can never be authentic. Many of Beatrix' tales must have begun here in everyday incidents starring her pets and the local wildlife.

@ Garden of Adventure
Hamtaro begins her photographic tour of Northern Light: Plants.

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Field Marigold
Found in Beatrix Potter’s garden. Calendula (field marigolds) grow best in a cool climate as they are troubled by mildew. The Lake District is perfect for them!

@ Field Marigold

Purple Flower Power Egg
My pets are in awe of these beautiful eggs—they would love to try to paint their own one year. Easter and spring are times of joy as the earth awakens, plants are pushing forth from the soil, and the days are becoming warmer. Many baby animals are born in the spring, and life is burgeoning. May these eggs bring you joy and be a reminder of the earth renewing itself.

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Quince
These quince fruits are that much more interesting because they are growing on Beatrix Potter's house wall. Did she make jam from them? Did she plant the tree, or inherit it when she bought the property? How much of her own food had to come from local sources in this remote area? Small details can tell a lot, or just make you think.

@ Quince
David's dog followed him to school one day, over a mile away, just by following his trail. Perhaps he should have changed his socks more often?

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I Nearly Got Arrested!
Now what can be wrong with taking pictures of a budding branch? It was at the back of a police station! So there I am taking flash pictures and a constable comes out to find out what I am doing. But he was ok with me when he saw the pictures!

@ I Nearly Got Arrested!
After school, from ages 5 to 11, David would go 'home' to his grandmother’s toy shop, where his mother helped out. He never got any free toys, he had to save up; but he did get to fix all the broken ones!

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Oilseed Field
Some crops can be a riot of colour. This field was just a mile from my home at the time.

@ Oilseed Field
David's first dog used to take him for a walk. Whenever the gate was open the dog looked for him and then bolted. It always stopped in the same spot for him to catch it and always came home wagging its tail. He never caught on that the dog intended to be caught until the dog was dead.

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Crocuses
You only get to see just how smooth and waxy the petals are in a close up shot.

@ Crocuses
David got so enthusiastic about cycling he had a regular twenty mile training run over all the biggest hills near his home. One of the hill roads had two mastiffs on the other side of a thin hedge; David used this as an incentive to sprint up the hill instead of taking it easy.

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Rose Hips
You need not go far to find something to take pictures of with a macro lens. These rose hips were on a dirty lane behind a bus stop. But what fascinating little details there are to see ... are those spikes an anti-caterpillar defense system? Every tiny detail is important.

@ Rose Hips
David's favourite colour is orange, but he has no idea why.

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The Bare Tree
Shooting with the sun behind you at dusk and metering the exposure on the sky produces a dramatic silhouette.

@ The Bare Tree
David still thinks prog rock is great. He shares this belief with Jeremy Clarkson and probably no-one else alive.

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Daffodil in Detail
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
~William Wordsworth

@ Daffodil in Detail
David hates London and most other English cities. The only city he has ever been happy in is Sheffield, where he was at university.

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To a Primrose
Welcome, pale Primrose! starting up between
Dead matted leaves of ash and oak, that strew
The every lawn, the wood, and spinney through,
Mid creeping moss and ivy's darker green;
How much thy presence beautifies the ground:
How sweet thy modest, unaffected pride
Glows on the sunny bank, and wood's warm side.
And where thy fairy flowers in groups are found,
The school-boy roams enchantedly along,
Plucking the fairest with a rude delight:
While the meek shepherd stops his simple song,
To gaze a moment on the pleasing sight;
O'erjoyed to see the flowers that truly bring
The welcome news of sweet returning Spring.
~
"To a Primrose" ~ Poem by John Clare (1793-1864)

@ To a Primrose
David's uncle Walter used to ride a motorcycle out to Matlock thirty miles away and take pictures of the Derbyshire countryside. David took this as inspiration and rode to the same places on a bicycle, commonly clocking up sixty to ninety miles in a day.

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African Daisy
This South African plant thrives in dry, arid areas.

@ African Daisy
David hated secondary school (11 to 16) intensely and was so badly bullied he never finished his time there. He went to a 'college of further education' and rebuilt his education from scratch in a place where students were treated like human beings.

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Beside the Seaside
Flowers can make a great foreground when you want to convey a sense of depth. These red and pink valerian contrast nicely with the sea.

@ Beside the Seaside
As a teen still going to church, David was taunted with questions like "What if God made one very special person for you and then they turned out to be on the other side of an ocean?" When David was in his fifties, he found that woman, crossed that ocean, and married her.

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Peach Blossom
Sometimes a shot would be a lot easier if you had someone to help! Out of view here is my left hand, holding the branch, whilst I stand on tiptoe holding the camera between forefinger and thumb, operating the controls with my middle finger and poking the flash open with my pinkie. Srsly! A little wind can make a simple shot next to impossible if you are alone!

@ Peach Blossom
At age eight David lost almost a whole term due to a life-threatening illness. The pain hurt so bad he calmly told his mother he understood his leg must come off and she must not feel bad about telling him. Despite this he was still top of the class that year, by a single mark.

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Grass Seeds on a Poppy
Somehow these grass seeds ended up on the petals of a poppy. I found the flower on a piece of waste ground fifty yards from home.

@ Grass Seeds on a Poppy
David's favourite place is Lathkill Dale in Derbyshire, England.

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Cuckoo Flower
Insects and flowers are often shot in still life at home, setting everything up just so. But when the flower is growing under a bush, a close up foreground flash will render the background very dark, giving you a dramatic shot without all that work.

@ Cuckoo Flower
Oh look ... you won a little pet!

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Micro Habitat
I was taking pictures of bluebells hidden under a bush, and saw no more until I got home and viewed the picture on a big screen. Do you see the spider looking right at you? He might be less than a millimetre across; but every curve of every bluebell flower is important to him.

@ Micro Habitat
David decided to cycle every road in Derbyshire when he was about 18. By the time he was 24 he had done three quarters of a county road network of 3500 miles. Much of the time he had to cycle thirty miles out and thirty miles back just to find a road he had not cycled before. After he turned 24, he learned to drive and got a life.

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Yellow Archangel
In a garden this flower would be a pest, but growing wild in Palmerston Wood, it adds one more fascinating rarity to the uniqueness of Lathkill Dale.

@ Yellow Archangel
At age eight David lost almost a whole term due to a life-threatening illness. The pain hurt so bad he calmly told his mother he understood his leg must come off and she must not feel bad about telling him. Despite this he was still top of the class that year, by a single mark.

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Windswept Welsh Poppy
Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you:
But when the leaves hang trembling,
The wind is passing through.
~ Christina Georgina Rossetti

@ Windswept Welsh Poppy
David was a big Tolkien fan in his teens and twenties. He credits Tolkien with explaining more about Christianity to him than the church he was raised in. He never saw the word 'fellowship' used anywhere before he read "The Fellowship of the Ring".

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Jacob's Ladder
This plant, very rare in the wild, thrives on the hill next to the source of the Lathkill, a limestone cave.

@ Jacob's Ladder
David’s parents tried to have a child for seven years, then gave up and left the matter to God. David arrived shortly afterwards. They chose his name from the bible to give thanks for being given a son.

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West Derbyshire Poppy
Using a telephoto on a foreground subject renders the background in soft focus ... which is just what I wanted.

@ West Derbyshire Poppy
For David, colour TV began with the Mexico world cup (1970), but he was allowed to stay up late to watch England win the previous one in 1966.

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Golden Light
Under the shadow of a high hill, a few shafts of golden light illuminate the dying leaves of a beech tree. Underexpose a little, and you have a smooth black background instead of a confusing dark mess.

@ Golden Light
David hates London and most other English cities. The only city he has ever been happy in is Sheffield, where he was at university.

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Tiny Fungi
Fungi aren't plants, but there are often opportunities for charming shots of mushrooms when you are looking for plants. Or vice versa.

@ Tiny Fungi
David used to do his own colour photo printing in the 1980s using equipment he built himself, but he got sick of the smell of the chemicals, the time it took and the cost. He only took up photography again in 2007.

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Rain or Glycerin?
A quick shower can create great flower pictures. Some photographers carry a glycerin spray to simulate this effect. I just rely on the rain; in Derbyshire there's usually plenty to be had!

@ Rain or Glycerin?
David's favourite colour is orange, but he has no idea why.

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Thistle
In a dull field on a dull day, the bright bloom of the thistle can provide a spark of colour.

@ Thistle
David was taught to solder aged 31 by an 11 year-old boy.

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Dog Rose
Flowers are not only interesting when at their best.

@ Dog Rose
Hamtaro has now completed her viewing of Northern Light: Plants. As she prepares to go home, she receives a wonderful gift!

Hamtaro has enjoyed her photographic tour of Northern Light: Plants, but it is time to go home now! Please select another pet as visitor, so it can also enjoy a photographic tour of "Northern Light!"