Thursday, June 23, 2011

Dandelion (Taraxacum): Snap it and eat it!


I like Dandelions.  And they seem to grow just about everywhere.  This beautiful example was taken in Cologne, Germany on a bright April morning.  Why they are considered a weed I don't know.  This particular stand was growing next to a sidewalk near a small neighborhood park.

My photo tip on this one is to get as low to the ground as you can get.  With digital auto focus this is a lot simpler than laying on your stomach.  And you can keep snapping away until you get what you want.  Hold the camera down to bloom level (just 2-3 inches off the ground).  Composition will improve after a few practice shots.  This technique is also hand with taller blooms like tulips especially if there is an excellent blue sky with puffy white clouds.  Tilt the camera slightly higher to get bloom and sky.

Taraxacum is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Asteracae. They are native to Eurasia and North America, and two species, T. officinale and T. erythrospermum and are found as weeds worldwide.  Both species are edible in their entirety.  The common name dandelion is given to members of the genus, and like other members of the Asteraceae family, they have very small flowers collected together into a composite flower head. Each single flower in a head is called a floret. Many Taraxacum species produce seeds asexually by apomixis, where the seeds are produced without pollination, resulting in offspring that are genetically identical to the parent plant.[3]

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