Plants and Flowers are forces of nature. Over a 20-year period, for example, forests composed of loblolly pine and shortleaf pine produced from 0 to nearly 5 million sound pine seeds per hectare. Flower seeds are spread by wind, water, animals, people and vehicle tires. Fossilized remains of magnolia trees indicate that they date back to the Tertiary Period, which possibly is an unbelievable 100 million years earlier. Magnolias emerged much before the bees existed. Hence, the blooms of magnolia were pollinated by beetles. Therefore, it is also not surprising that magnolia flowers have relatively strong carpels. This is mainly to safeguard the flowers from any damage that might be caused by creeping and eating beetles. They are still here, still blooming and still beautiful. Sago Palms are Cyads. These cycads have changed little since the Jurassic, compared to some major evolutionary changes in other plant divisions. Some of the Cyads have not fared well evolutionary-wise however. Premier for shade. The Jurassic period was a geologic period and system that existed 201.3 million years ago. The plantae kingdom is diverse, expansive, old and beautiful. It is a force of nature. Just like those tiny seeds that sprout in cracks in the sidewalk.

Floraculture is a giant nod to the industries that flourish in the trade of flowers, food and the nature locations that I photography. MARKET FLOWERS Cut flowers are flowers or flower buds (often with some stem and leaf) that have been cut from the plant bearing it. It is usually removed from the plant for indoor decorative use. Typical uses are in vase displays, wreaths and garlands. Many gardeners harvest their own cut flowers from domestic gardens, but there is a significant commercial market and supply industry for cut flowers in most countries. The plants cropped vary by climate, culture and the level of wealth locally. Often the plants are raised specifically for the purpose, in field or glasshouse growing conditions. Cut flowers can also be harvested from the wild. The floral industry is one of the higher industries in many developing and underdeveloped countries. Floriculture as an industry began in the late 19th century in the United Kingdom, where flowers were grown on a large scale on the vast estates. The present day floral industry is a dynamic, global, fast-growing industry, which has achieved significant growth rates during the past few decades. In the 1950s, the global flower trade was less than US $3 billion. By 1994, it had grown to US $100 billion. In recent years, the floral industry has grown six percent annually, while the global trade volume in 2003 was US $101.84 billion. GARDEN NURSERIES Some of the items that can be found in US garden centers (US spelling), often called nurseries, include annual and perennial flowers, trees and shrubs, roses, container gardens, hanging baskets, houseplants, water gardening, seeds and bulbs, potting mixes, soil amendments and mulch, fertilizers and chemicals, pottery, garden tools and supplies, fountains and garden decor, much like their UK counterparts. Many US garden centers have other departments including wild bird feeding, floral, gift, outdoor furniture and barbecue grills, home decor, landscape design, landscaping services and pet supplies. Most garden centers have a large Christmas department during the holiday season. Some garden centers have added a cafe or coffee bar, but not like the restaurants found in some European garden centers. EDIBLE FLOWERS After falling out of favor for many years, cooking and garnishing with flowers is back in vogue once again. Flower cookery has been traced back to Roman times, and to the Chinese, Middle Eastern, and Indian cultures. Edible flowers were especially popular in the Victorian era during Queen Victoria’s reign. Today, many restaurant chefs and innovative home cooks garnish their entrees with flower blossoms for a touch of elegance. The secret to success when using edible flowers is to keep the dish simple, do not add to many other flavors that will over power the delicate taste of the flower. Today this nearly lost art is enjoying a revival

When seasons change or I trim my main portfolio galleries they will go here. Ephemeral Light Collection consists of my work from 2016 on.

Spanning Seasons This winter, light on current work I put together a gallery that spanned several years of winter images. All types of weather, seasonal celebrations and varied locations. I loved it so I'm working on the other three seasons. Weather being sometimes finicky using multiple years pulls in a broader view of the season.

Images here were taken within the four seasons. They include some of the seasonal celebrations in the plant and social world.

These are highlights that did not go into other folders. More is More. Ephemeral Light. Light that is transitory. Dappled shade, wind, moving clouds, rain and pollinators buzzing around flowers. These create an image where the light and movement can change the whole image from one moment to the other. The human eye is capable of extraordinary precision and color dissemination. It can differentiate between about 10 million colors and is possibly capable of detecting a single photon. The images I capture are ones that I would like to see connect or re-connect people with the beauty of earth. Those images that delight the eyes and awaken the senses. Ephemeral Light is about images that try to crack our hearts open to the beauty on earth.

Gardens Gardening and the trade and sale of plants and flowers is not new. 100,000 years is a long, long time and flowers and plants have been traversing the globe for much of it. Formal gardens had existed in Egypt as early as 2800 BC. At the time of the 18th dynasty of Egypt, gardening techniques, used to beautify the homes of the wealthy, were fully developed. Porticos (porches) served to connect the home with the outdoors, creating outdoor living spaces. Persian gardens developed in accordance with an arid climate. Gardens were enclosed to protect them from drought, and became rich and fertile in contrast to the dry and arid Persian terrain. When Alexander the Great conquered parts of Western Asia, he brought back with him new varieties of fruits and plants that prompted a renewed interest in horticulture. Outside Rome, gardens tended to proliferate at centers of wealth. Modified versions of Roman garden designs were adopted in Roman settlements in Africa, Gaul and Britannia. As townhouses were replaced by tall insula (apartment buildings), these urban gardens were replaced by window boxes or roof gardens. Chinese garden. This is a landscape garden style which has evolved over three thousand years. It includes both the vast gardens of the Chinese emperors and members of the imperial family, built for pleasure and to impress, and the more intimate gardens created by scholars, poets, former government officials, soldiers and merchants, made for reflection and escape from the outside world. They create an idealized miniature landscape, which is meant to express the harmony that should exist between man and nature. A typical Chinese garden is enclosed by walls and includes one or more ponds, rock works, trees and flowers, and an assortment of halls and pavilions within the garden, connected by winding paths and zig-zag galleries. By moving from structure to structure, visitors can view a series of carefully composed scenes, unrolling like a scroll of landscape paintings Japanese garden. – The idea of these unique gardens began during the Asuka period. Japanese merchants witnessed the gardens that were being built in China, and brought many of the Chinese gardening techniques and styles back to Japan. Today, the tradition of Japanese garden art is still popular around the world, with many eastern and western practitioners expressing themselves through the medium. Japanese gardens first appeared on the island of Honshu, the large central island of Japan. Their aesthetic was influenced by the distinct characteristics of the Honshu landscape; rugged volcanic peaks, narrow valleys, mountain streams with waterfalls and cascades, lakes, and beaches of small stones. They were also influenced by the rich variety of flowers and different species of trees, particularly evergreen trees, on the islands, and by the four distinct seasons in Japan, including hot, wet summers and snowy winters.