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
Zimba begins his 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

White Daisy 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.

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
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 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!
David was brought up in a Methodist family. As a child he used to think God lived in the rafters of the old church building. When the congregation put in a new ceiling to save heating costs, he felt they had shut God out.

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 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.

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 was born in the 1950s (just 13 days short of the 60s!) The US number one was “Heartaches by the Number” by Guy Mitchell. There were TWO UK number ones: "What Do You Want?" by Adam Faith, and "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?" by Emile Ford and The Checkmates.

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's first computer was a ZX Spectrum. If anyone told you David was 'on the spectrum' he would think they were referring to a time in his life when he spent all his free time programming!

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 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?

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
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.

Photo 11/25

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

@ African Daisy
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 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
David ended up in IT because he only got an average physics degree. The main reason was the exams were set on the wrong syllabus and the entire year of graduates was wrong-footed. David was furious for the next twelve months. Then he did a Master's degree in IT.

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 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.

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 born at home, which was his mother's preference. Home was above his grandmother's shop until a year later.

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
David did not cycle until he was 16. At college he got a bike to save on the bus fares and then spent all the money improving his bicycle.

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's dog taught him not to save. David asked for a block of toffee at the local sweetshop. His mother said he must save some for another day. He had two pieces and left the rest in the middle of the table along with the little hammer. Then he went for a walk to the library with his mother. When they got back, David had a little hammer and the dog had a guilty expression.

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 has a younger sister. He was always told he had to be better behaved than she was because he was older. He got so exasperated he asked his mother when his sister was going to be older than he was.

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

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 took an interest in (fluff) friends because a real-life friend said it would unite his love of writing with his love of visual art. The result was the 616 episodes of "Tweety Pi's Daily Adventures", the last set of which was posted the day SGN introduced the 'new UI'. This made him so furious he began work on his own software that month. See the cartoons here!

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 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".

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 invented the 'gap year' by forgetting to fill out his forms for university. Instead, he spent the year cycling about ten thousand miles.

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 did not cycle until he was 16. At college he got a bike to save on the bus fares and then spent all the money improving his bicycle.

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
David knows how to use an electron microscope but is not all that good with toenail clippers.

Photo 25/25

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

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

Zimba has enjoyed his 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!"