Photo 1/25

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
Clover begins her photographic tour of Northern Light: Plants.

Photo 2/25

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

Blue And Copper Egg
The first painted eggs came from Mesopotamia, and because eggs were forbidden food during Lent, people painted eggs while Lent was being observed—after Lent, they would eat the eggs on Easter Day.

Beautifully decorated eggs “pysanka” are associated with Ukraine, and the oldest painted egg that was unearthed in northern Ukraine is dated to the end of the 17th century.

Photo 3/25

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 was brought up in the English countryside in the 1960s. Outside toilets were still a thing, nobody had divorced parents, and illegal drugs had not even been heard of. He first realised people killed one another when JFK was assassinated just before his fourth birthday. His aunt lived in a nearby village and never locked her door at night until the 1980s; there was no crime.

Photo 4/25

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!
As a small boy, David believed he was going to marry his mother's sister when he grew up, because she was so nice.

Photo 5/25

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 can still remember the registration number of his parent's first car (ENU 362 C) after over fifty years and can remember his grandmother's telephone number after just as long, but most days he cannot remember what day it is.

Photo 6/25

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

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

Photo 7/25

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 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.

Photo 8/25

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 once cycled 120 miles in a day (a lot of it over 1000 feet up) and was barely able to stand when he got home. He thought he had only ridden about 80 miles and must be ill! Next day he worked out how far he had ridden and everything became clear.

Photo 9/25

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's math lecturers at college were Joe Cerkeliunas and Richard Wyszecki. He was so good at Richard's class he used to say "Wyszecki's homework is easier done than said".

Photo 10/25

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 started programming on a mainframe in 1974. He has spent his adult life trying his best to avoid computers and trying to be a people person, but somehow he always finds there is a need to do more programming, no matter what he does.

Photo 11/25

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

@ African Daisy
At university, David was captain of his hall of residence table football team. He actually did weight training to develop powerful wrists.

Photo 12/25

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 small boy, David read Winston Churchill's account of the Second World War, and concluded if you want anything done, ask an American.

Photo 13/25

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
David's favourite book of the Bible is Hosea.

Photo 14/25

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 was brought up in the English countryside in the 1960s. Outside toilets were still a thing, nobody had divorced parents, and illegal drugs had not even been heard of. He first realised people killed one another when JFK was assassinated just before his fourth birthday. His aunt lived in a nearby village and never locked her door at night until the 1980s; there was no crime.

Photo 15/25

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!

Photo 16/25

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
The first time David went to an Italian restaurant he was very nervous, and especially afraid that he might pick something with garlic in it. He told his friends to make sure he did not do so! Then he ordered a Chicken Kiev. When he asked what the delicious sauce was, he found out it was garlic (and not to trust his friends again!)

Photo 17/25

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
David does not like modern programming languages. He thinks C, JavaScript and all their derivatives are an abomination, but unfortunately you can't get things done without JavaScript on the web.

Photo 18/25

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'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.

Photo 19/25

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 was born three doors from the finest fish and chip shop he has ever known. People used to catch a bus eight miles to his village just to come and eat Hilda Harrison's fish and chips. David preferred fishcakes.

Photo 20/25

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
David would like a model railway, but in 63 years he has never had one of his own that worked.

Photo 21/25

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 started programming on a mainframe in 1974. He has spent his adult life trying his best to avoid computers and trying to be a people person, but somehow he always finds there is a need to do more programming, no matter what he does.

Photo 22/25

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 says he has learned more about Christianity from the local rabbi than from any Christian minister in the last 25 years, and the rabbi isn't even trying.

Photo 23/25

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 father drove steam trains and his grandmother ran the village toy shop. As a small boy, David thought nothing could be better.

Photo 24/25

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

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

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

Clover has enjoyed her photographic tour of Northern Light: Plants, but it is time to go home now! "Northern Light" is over now, but there will be more events in PnF soon!