Blackberry Lily

Blackberry Lily (Belamcanda chinensis), photographed at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Iridescence

Iridescent (unidentified) bug on Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta); photographed at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Celosia (Cockscomb Flower)

Celosia (Cockscomb Flower); photographed at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Cleome (Spider flower)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Summer beauties in the afternoon light

Black-eyed Susan (Rubeckia hirta), photographed at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Summer Azure butterfly on Black-eyed Susan

Summer Azure butterfly (Celastrina neglecta) on Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta); photographed at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on Orange Tiger Lily

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) on Orange Tiger Lily (Tigrinum Splendens), photographed at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Silver-spotted skipper

Silver-spotted skipper (Epargyreus clarus) on chives (I think it is chives); photographed at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Tropical Water Lily ‘Panama Pacific’

(Nymphaea) Tropical Water Lily ‘Panama Pacific’, photographed at Brookside Gardens. Look at the upper left (top) petal—see the tiny stowaway damselfly? I didn’t notice it until I zoomed in on the image in Photoshop!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

Rusty-tipped Page on Mountain Mint

Rusty-tipped Page (Siproeta epaphus), also know as the Brown Siproeta, on Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum incanum); photographed at the Wings of Fancy exhibit at Brookside Gardens

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Swallowtail butterfly (species unknown)

Photographed at the Wings of Fancy exhibit at Brookside Gardens

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

Malachite butterfly

Malachite butterfly (Siproeta stelenes), a neotropical brush-footed butterfly, photographed at Brookside Gardens in their Wings of Fancy exhibit

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

‘Ollalie Late Red’ Daylily

‘Ollalie Late Red’ Daylily (Hemerocalis hybrid), photographed at Brookside Gardens

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Calder-esque

I photographed this beautiful (unidentified) tree outside the visitors center at Brookside Gardens yesterday morning. I thought it looked like an Alexander Calder mobile.

UPDATE: Thanks to a fellow gardener/blogger, Les (of www.atidewatergardener.blogspot.com), I think we may have an identification—Euphorbia cotinifolia.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Tropical Water Lily ‘Blue Beauty’

Tropical Water Lily (Nymphaea) ‘Blue Beauty’, photographed at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Katydid

My friend Michael and I think this might be a tiny Handsome Meadow Katydid nymph (Orchelimum pulchellum) because of the blue tint to the eyes. I photographed it at McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area this morning.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

(Unidentified) beetle on Chicory bloom

I photographed this red headed fellow at one of the McKee-Beshers sunflower fields this morning, alongside my fellow avid photographers, Heather Callin, Michael Powell and Marisa Sarto.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

From Celebration Home Magazine, Summer 2013: How to Plan a Photography Exhibit Reception

In spring 2012, I had my first botanical photography exhibit, “Garden Muse: A Botanical Portfolio,” at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, VA. Barbara Kelley of Kelley Hospitality (who is also the editor-in-chief and my partner with Celebrate Home Magazine), did a phenomenal job of catering the reception in mid-April. There wasn‘t a crumb left of anything when the event was over!

Barbara shares her recipes and party tips in “Inspired by the Garden: Garden Muse Tea Reception,” in the summer issue of Celebrate Home Magazine. I am forever grateful to her for all her hard work and very major contributions to that very special day! Special thanks to Hollace Goodman, who served as catering assistant, for her work as well. Special thanks Ed Fagan of Columbia Photography and Margot Juliette Storch for photographing the event for us. I recapped the event on this blog in the links below:

Scenes from an exhibit reception, part 1

Scenes from an exhibit reception, part 2

More scenes from a reception for Garden Muse: A Botanical Portfolio

View the issue as reader spreads (my favorite!):

CHM Summer 2013 Spreads

View the issue as single pages (suitable for printing out the recipes):

CHM Summer 2013 Single Pages

Splurge and purchase a beautiful print copy on magcloud.com (no markup; at cost + shipping):

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/600404

Help us spread the word! Share Celebrate Home Magazine with your family and friends.

 

Want a free photography lesson on photographing flowers and gardens?

Read my feature, “Garden Photography,” in the summer issue of Celebrate Home Magazine. I share tips on shooting, what’s in my bag, notes on specific photos to teach about composition and light, and my favorite resources and websites. The issue will also be available for purchase through magcloud.com (at cost + shipping; see link below) on our website, www.celebratehomemagazine.com soon.

View the issue as reader spreads (my favorite!):

CHM Summer 2013 Spreads

View the issue as single pages (suitable for printing):

CHM Summer 2013 Single Pages

Splurge and purchase a beautiful print copy on magcloud.com (no markup; at cost + shipping):

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/600404

Help us spread the word! Share Celebrate Home Magazine with your family and friends.

Photography and design by Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Celebrate Home Magazine, Summer 2013: Ready to download!

The summer 2013 issue of Celebrate Home Magazine is ready for FREE download! It may be my most favorite issue yet! We’ll have it available on our website as well at http://www.celebratehomemagazine.com, or you can download it in the links below. Please feel free to pass on the link to your family and friends. The more “clicks” we get, the better!

Here’s what you’ll find in this issue:

HOME
Up a Creek with Lots of Memories—The Havermann family finds a place to play in a vacation 
home on St. Leonard’s Creek in southern Maryland.

FOOD & ENTERTAINING
Light and Lively Summer Fare—Chef Emily Doermann whips up a tasty summer meal.

Not-a-Burger—Everyone loves a burger on the grill during summer. If you’re not a meat-eater, here is an alternative that can’t be beat!

Six Summer Sips—Mixologist Karen Covey shares sizzling summer drinks to beat the heat.

Space Cake—Put down that Moon Pie and try this heirloom cake without-of-the-world taste.

Inspired by the Garden: Garden Muse Tea Reception—Barbara Kelley caters a photography exhibit reception to remember.

Summer Tablescapes—Usher in summer with cool summer-inspired tablescapes.

THE ARTIST
Shoe-la-la, Ooh-la-la!—A popular children’s book is the inspiration for a mural in 
a shoe-loving little girl’s room.

HOME
That 80s House—A bathroom gets a new lease on life.

Rest for the Weary—Create a welcoming guestroom for your visitors.

GARDENING
Ode to a Chicken—Becka Davis pays homage to a beloved feathered friend.

Suburban Agriculture: Confessions of a Brown Thumb—Maria Hufnagel shares her experience as a first-time gardener.

Fashioning a Fairy Garden—Kristin Clem connects with her inner child and creates 
a miniature fairy paradise.

HOW-TO
Photographing Your Garden Through the Seasons—Photographer Cindy Dyer shares her tips for creating captivating images in the garden.

THE COLLECTOR
Rampant Biblioholism—Marisa Sarto interviews CHM’s art director/photographer, Cindy Dyer, 
and discovers how a love of books has shaped her collection.

So Charming—Ginger Garneau shares her lifelong passion for charm bracelets.

CRAFT
Fit to Tied (and Dyed): Fun and Easy Wearables Made with T-shirts—Achieve amazing results with inexpensive t-shirts, colorful dyes, simple 
knotting and a pair of scissors!

PERSPECTIVES
Living Spontaneously, Finding Roots by Martha Bizzell
Celebrating Life at the Table by Gina Waterfield
The Home of My Dreams by Stephanie Simpson
Home is… by Bo Mackison
Saying Goodbye by William Lee
Respect for Home by Birgitte Tarding
Always Growing by Lisa Westfall

View the issue as reader spreads (my favorite!):

CHM Summer 2013 Spreads

View the issue as single pages (suitable for printing):

CHM Summer 2013 Single Pages

Splurge and purchase a beautiful print copy on magcloud.com (no markup; at cost + shipping):

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/600404

Help us spread the word! Share Celebrate Home Magazine with your family and friends.

Cardinal flower yin-yang

I was drawn to way the background this shot of a Cardinal flower was divided into dark and light, foliage and sky, yin and yang.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Cardinal Flower

Lobelia cardinalis is a perennial herbaceous plant is often found in wet places such as stream banks and swamps. This Virginia native wildflower blooms in August and is pollinated by hummingbirds. Photographed at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, Virginia

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Globe Artichoke

The Globe Artichoke (Cynara cardunculus) is a perennial thistle. If the buds or “globes” aren’t harvested, six-inch bluish-purple thistle-like flowers will form. I shot this image at Green Spring Gardens this morning.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Re-post: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on ‘Zowie’ Zinnia

Originally posted July 27, 2010

Overcast and very pleasant day, perfect for a quick (and fruitful) lunchtime shoot at Green Spring Gardens. This is an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on a ‘Zowie’ Zinnia.

Note: I was actually trying to get a shot (with the tripod in place) of just the two Zinnias when the Swallowtail landed on one of the flowers. I held my breath and got just two shots before it flew off. I live for moments (and wild color) like this!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Same time, last year re-post: Mating Monarchs

Photographed at Brookside Gardens’ Wings of Fancy exhibit; the blue/purple blobs in the background are Plumbago flowers

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Blooming in my garden today: Scabiosa (Pincushion flower)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

From the archives: Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens

A sampling of photos taken at Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens over the past few years

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Sacred Lotus

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Lily pads

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Sacred Indian Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Sacred Indian Lotus

Photographed at Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens this (very, very hot and humid) morning….field trip with both my Michaels, our summer guest Marisa, and new fellow photographer Heather. Did I mention how HOT it was this morning?

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.