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Fire and fynbos


Fire and fynbos
Photo Information
Copyright: Gerhard Theron (gerhardt) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1976 W: 259 N: 4103] (11585)
Genre: Plants
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2005-09-29
Categories: Flowers
Camera: Canon EOS 20D, Canon EF 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6L IS USM, Digital ISO 200, Hoya UV-Guard (77mm)
Exposure: f/6.3, 1/500 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): !Fire [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2006-06-18 6:25
Viewed: 2477
Points: 50
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Common Sugarbush
Protea caffra

The infertility of fynbos soil means that recycling of soil nutrients is essential for survival. Fynbos has adapted to periodical burns, which are not only an integral but essential part of the fynbos ecology. Fires rejuvenate the vegetation.

Fynbos plants have different strategies to exploit the effects of fires. Many bulbs flower only when the canopy vegetation has been removed by fire, and they are visible to pollinating birds and insects. Some seed of many short-lived fire ephemerals are stimulated by chemicals in smoke to germinate.

Some proteas and conebushes ensure survival after fire by germinating only when exposed to alternating high and low temperatures on the surface. Some protect their seeds by storing them in woody fruits that remain on the plants. The woody part them bursts open during a fire releasing seeds into the newly fertilized soil.

Fires in the fynbos should occur every 10-14 years for optimum diversity. Slow growers require fewer burns, Too frequent fires destroy the adult plants or exhaustes the seed banks, bringing about local extinctions.

Fynbos is the major vegetation type of the small botanical region known as the Cape Floral Kingdom. Only five other floral kingdoms are recognised, and these cover huge areas such as the whole of Australia and most of the northern hemisphere. The Cape Floral Kingdom is both the smallest and the richest floral kingdom, with the highest known concentration of plant species: 1 300 per 10 000 km2! The nearest rival, the South American rain forest has a concentration of only 400 per 10 000 km2. Conservation of the Cape Floral Kingdom, with its distinctive fynbos vegetation, is a national conservation priority demanding urgent action.

This will be my last post on the fynbos series until I get a chance to get some more photos. Hope yoy found it as interesting as I did.
Janice, coasties, aido, dew77, liquidsunshine, ramthakur, red45, scottevers7, Nico, pilonm, sAner, jeanpaul, TAZ has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Gerhard,

Great Lighting, detail, Sharpness, BG and composition once again. TFS,
Sheriff

Hi Gerhard

Please, more shot would be nice. You have captured them well and your notes have been very informative. This is another lovely shot. Nice light and depth of colour. :-)

This is the one I like most in your series until know. It has a lovely mixture, looks delicate but powerful. Exposure and focus is perfect. Great note too.
Thanks for sharing.

  • Great 
  • Janice Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3315 W: 148 N: 6113] (18648)
  • [2006-06-18 6:45]

Yes I have enjoyed following your series Gerhard. They are such attractive plants. I like the King Protea too - such an amazing shape to it.
Beautiful display here, I like how the petals are so shiny, and also so furry. Awesome colours too. TFS
Janice

  • Great 
  • aido Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor [C: 1044 W: 156 N: 1218] (4046)
  • [2006-06-18 7:38]

Hi Gerhard
A beautiful plant. A great shot, nice lot, excellent colours and nice clear and sharp. Interesting note too, nice work.
Regards,
Adrian

  • Great 
  • jmp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1740 W: 95 N: 2273] (8411)
  • [2006-06-18 7:56]

Hi Gerhard,
Beautiful and rare flower! Great light, details, POV and BG. Note are informative and useful.
TFS, José M.

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4774 W: 294 N: 4020] (13209)
  • [2006-06-18 8:27]

Hello Gerhard,
Excellent close up.Well seen,caught and composed.Colors,contrast POV and details are also perfect.
TFS...:-)

  • Great 
  • Karin Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 418 W: 5 N: 268] (2089)
  • [2006-06-18 8:28]

Hi Gerhard,
A perfect shot with good details, colors and light and a beautiful subject.
TFS

Hi Gerhard,
this is a lovely flower and you have captured well.
The colours and light are very nice. Good POV and details.
I think fynbos is a place where I could spend a lot of time.
Great work, my friend.

Very nice shot Gerhard,

Good detail, colours and sharpness. exposure and lighting are good. Good POV and composition.

Thanks for posting, have a great week.

  • Great 
  • ddg Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 855 W: 23 N: 942] (5111)
  • [2006-06-18 10:37]

Gerhard bonjour, always beautiful shot of flowers!! I like this one, focus and lighting are perfect. Splendid colors too. Very good job, Didier.

Looking at your series of this exotic flower has been enjoyable and instructive, Gerhard.
Thanks for sharing it.

Hallo Gerhard,

Ek moet se ek hou sommer baie van die protea fotos wat jy op die oomblik vir ons wys. Hierdie is 'n fantastiese foto, en die komposisie is vir my perfek. Daar is geen kritiek op hierdie foto nie.

Groete
Jan-Hendrik

  • Great 
  • jossim Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1575 W: 5 N: 2181] (12250)
  • [2006-06-18 22:01]

Bonjour Gerhard!

Félicitations pour l'éclairage,les ombres,la netteté et les couleurs. Bravo pour cette belle composition.
merci
joseph

  • Great 
  • Adam73 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 209 W: 5 N: 522] (2251)
  • [2006-06-18 22:28]

ooohh so beautiful. Nice work with ligting. Awesome detail, and couldn't have done better on the composition. Very nice photo.

  • Great 
  • red45 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2705 W: 74 N: 8864] (30243)
  • [2006-06-19 2:25]

Hi Gerhard!
This flower is just amazing. It could be inspiration for artists and architects. Superb details and colours. Exposure is perfect. I like your note also - very interesting. Great post my friend!

Hi Gerhard,
Very beautiful! The lighting is superb. Spot on exposure has rendered beautiful subtle colors and tones. Tack sharp with perfect DOF.
Excellent work. Very interesting plants.
Scott

  • Great 
  • Nico Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 209 W: 1 N: 332] (1313)
  • [2006-06-19 9:43]

Knap foto van hierdie pragtige blom. Uitstekende detail.

  • Great 
  • loot Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5451 W: 594 N: 3649] (10029)
  • [2006-06-19 21:44]

Hi Gerhard
Another excellent protea post in your fynbos series. This is a fine specimen and you have captured and presented it in an exquisite style.
A great composition with magnificent colours and fabulous details. The lighting control was exceptionally done with the darkish foliage and the brilliant highlights and intensity on the flower itself.
Very well done and TFS.
Regards
Loot

Very beautiful! This is incredible, you got a perfect exposure the details in the reds are fantastic. Well done Gerhard. :)

Hello Gerhard,

The photography is an art that show us details that often our eye can't see. Often we walk so quickly by wonderful element that nature offer us. Your picture is so nice, revealing such an amount of details! ¸It is an excellent macro where you managed perfectly the exposition, pov, and the composition! TFS,

Michel

  • Great 
  • sAner Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1490 W: 72 N: 1427] (4744)
  • [2006-06-22 18:22]

This is a really beautiful shot Gerhard. Great, natural colors and sharply focussed. Good POV and nice DOF. Exposure is spot on. No nits from my side. Well done & TFS!

Regards,
Pieter

Bonjour Gerhard
Félicitations pour la qualité d'image et l'éclairage qui fait bien ressortir les détails de cette magnifique fleur aux couleurs éclatantes.

Merci pour l'envoie et au revoir.....JP

  • Great 
  • TAZ Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2241 W: 47 N: 3167] (10926)
  • [2006-08-11 13:10]

Perhaps a Common Sugarbush, but the shot is not common, it is artistic. The flower is wonderful, the colors and contrast are super, light and sharpness are excellent ! Instructive note too...
Congratulations Grhard and thanks for sharing this beauty.

I like plants. Nice colours, nice composition and good sharpness

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