Lonely at the Top
by Nava Thompson
Title
Lonely at the Top
Artist
Nava Thompson
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
A photo taken by Nava Thompson in NW Arkansas of a Cone Flower with a visitor. ..........Echinacea species are herbaceous, drought-tolerant perennial plants growing up to (140 cm or possibly 4 feet, reference needed) in height. They grow from taproots, except E. purpurea, which grows from a short caudex with fibrous roots. They have erect stems that in most species are unbranched. Both the basal and cauline leaves are arranged alternately. The leaves are normally hairy with a rough texture, having uniseriate trichomes (1-4 rings of cells) but sometimes they lack hairs. The basal leaves and the lower stem leaves have petioles, and as the leaves progress up the stem the petioles often decrease in length. The leaf blades in different species may have one, three or five nerves. Some species have linear to lanceolate shaped leaves, and others have elliptic- to ovate-shaped leaves; often the leaves decrease in size as they progress up the stems. Leaf bases gradually increase in width away from the petioles or the bases are rounded to heart shaped. Most species have leaf margins that are entire, but sometimes they are dentate or serrate. The flowers are collected together into single rounded heads that terminate long peduncles. The inflorescences have crateriform to hemispheric shaped involucres which are 12�40 mm wide. The phyllaries, or bracts below the flower head, are persistent and number 15�50. The phyllaries are produced in a 2�4 series. The receptacles are hemispheric to conic in shape. The paleae (chaffs on the receptacles of many Asteraceae) have orange to reddish purple ends, and are longer than the disc corollas. The paleae bases partially surrounding the cypselae, and are keeled with the apices abruptly constricted to awn-like tips. The ray florets number 8�21 and the corollas are dark purple to pale pink, white, or yellow. The tubes of the corolla are hairless or sparsely hairy, and the laminae are spreading, reflexed, or drooping in habit and linear to elliptic or obovate in shape. The abaxial faces of the laminae are glabrous or moderately hairy. The flower heads have typically 200-300 fertile, bisexual disc florets but some have more. The corollas are pinkish, greenish, reddish-purple or yellow and have tubes shorter than the throats. The pollen is normally yellow in most species, but usually white in E. pallida. The three or four-angled fruits (cypselae), are tan or bicolored with a dark brown band distally. The pappi is persistent and variously crown-shaped with 0 to 4 or more prominent teeth. x = 11......Like all Asteraceae, the flowering structure is a composite inflorescence, with purple (rarely yellow or white) florets arranged in a prominent, somewhat cone-shaped head � "cone-shaped" because the petals of the outer ray florets tend to point downward (are reflexed) once the flower head opens, thus forming a cone. Plants are generally long lived, with distinctive flowers. The common name "cone flower" comes from the characteristic center �cone� at the center of the flower. The generic name Echinacea is rooted in the Greek word ἐ�150;� (echinos), meaning sea urchin,[ it references the spiky appearance and feel of the flower heads.
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January 22nd, 2013
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Viewed 209 Times - Last Visitor from Fairfield, CT on 04/19/2024 at 1:59 PM
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Comments (50)
JOHN TELFER
Nava Jo, Congratulations on your Super Feature in the Wisconsin Flowers and Scenery group. Fantastic floral photo capturing what appears to be a moth sitting a top the beautifully colored bud. Excellent details from the tiny moth to the great details in the flower and bud, along with capturing the colors beautifully. Excellent photo, fav, voted, google and tweet promoted
Nava Thompson replied:
Wow--John! Thank you---I may go back and read this a few more times. Appreciate your comments and fav/vote/google/and tweet!
John Malone
What a beautiful work! Congratulations on the major feature of it in the Wisconsin Flowers and Scenery Group! That is quite an honor! V/F
Nava Thompson replied:
Thank you John---I apprecite your comment and feel honored to have this 'Lonely at the Top' featured in the WFS group! Thank you for your v/f!
Doug Kreuger
Oops… my mistake, I meant "Super Feature" just that this mega closeup made me forget… Mega or Super, it's still a spectacular image!
Doug Kreuger
Wow!!! Holy Macro Nava, what a spectacular capture! Congratulations on your WFS Mega Feature. Wonderful detail, but I don't see any birds (–: Voted
Nava Thompson replied:
Thank you very much Doug for the cute comments and your humor. Appreciate the vote---about the birds---you didn't look close enough. :)
Lingfai Leung
Nava Jo, I love this beautiful Echinacea flower with a lonely visitor over a dark background. Congratulations on your SUPER Feature in Wisconsin Flowers and Scenery Group. v/f
Deb Halloran
Nava, Congratulations on your SUPER Feature in the Wisconsin Flowers and Scenery Group. This is not my first visit to this beautiful image. Exceptional composition with wonderful colors and detail...perfection. Love it! It would not let me vote again:( fave
Nava Thompson replied:
Thank you Deb for your comments and support. Thanks for trying to vote again--- :)
Rosalie Scanlon
Fantastic image of both the flower and the little Skipper, nice back light. voted.
Nava Thompson replied:
Rosalie---thank you for commenting on my 'Lonely at the Top'---appreciate your vote!
Lingfai Leung
voted for this wonderful capture. Love the title as most famous feel like that when they are "top of the world"!
Nava Thompson replied:
Maybe so--I can only wonder--I suppose--maybe we are famous and don't know it. :) thank you!