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Mouse-ear Hawkweed


Mouse-ear Hawkweed
Photo Information
Copyright: Alan Turvey (liquidsunshine) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1889 W: 112 N: 3371] (11494)
Genre: Plants
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-05-28
Categories: Flowers
Camera: Canon EOS 20D, Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro, Hoya 58mm skylight
Exposure: f/5.6, 1/500 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2006-05-30 12:43
Viewed: 1088
Favorites: 1 [view]
Points: 46
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Here's another shot from my Sunday visit to College lake nature centre in Bulbourne.
The plant is a mouse-ear hawkweed. The bonus beetle is a Oedemera lurida, a beetle which enjoys feeding on the pollen of this plant. I couldn't find out very much about this beetle, so my notes are based on the hawkweed!

Mouse-ear Hawkweed (Pilosella officinarum, syn. Hieracium pilosella L.) is a yellow-flowered species of Asteraceae, native to Europe and northern Asia. It produces single, citrus-colored inflorescences. It is an allelopathic plant. Like most hawkweed species, it shows tremendous variation and is a complex of several dozens subspecies and hundreds of varieties and forms.

It is a hispid (hairy) perennial plant, with a basal rosette of leaves. The whole plant, with the exception of the flower parts, is covered in glandular hairs, usually whitish, sometimes reddish on the stem. The rosette leaves are entire, acute to blunt, and range from 1-12 cm long and 0.5-2 cm broad. Their underside is tomentose (covered with hair). The flowering stem (scape) is generally between 5 cm to 50 cm tall, and sprouts from the centre of the basal rosette. The flowerheads are borne singly on the scape and are a pale lemon-yellow colour, with the outermost ligules having a reddish underside.

The plant favours dry, sunny areas. It grows well on sandy and similarly less fertile ground types. It produces stolons are which generate a new rosette at their extremity, each rosette has the possibility of developing into a new clone forming dense mats in open space. It also propagates by seeds.

It is a known allelopathic plant, whose roots secrete a substance inhibiting root growth, including its own. It can be controlled through rotation with clover and grasses where possible.

Cultivation and uses
Mouse-ear Hawkweed has become a common introduced invasive species in North America (where it is found in southern Canada and both northeast and northwest U.S.), and New Zealand. It is a level C noxious weed in the United States (with higher levels in the states of Washington and Oregon), and a weed in Quebec. It does not have special designations in other locations of Canada. It is known to be strongly invasive in New Zealand's tussock fields, where there are no native species of hawkweed, and biological control measures are being undertaken to control it and other hawkweed species.

Medicinal uses
The Mouse-ear Hawkweed contains umbelliferone, a compound similar to coumarin and a known antibiotic against brucellosis and a frequent active compound in sunscreen lotions. The plant is also a potent diuretic.

notes from en.wikipedia.org

Thanks for looking, enjoy the rest of the week.
valy67, twin, SunToucher, red45, cedryk, jchemas, marhowie, annagrace, ellis49, loot, Janice, Dando, dew77, SkyF, pablominto, thistle has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

great macro!
the relatively small DOF (5.6) gives a little blur to the petals in contrast with the razor sharpness of the insect and flower center!
well done Alan!

  • Great 
  • batu Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1061 W: 290 N: 3960] (13380)
  • [2006-05-30 13:01]

Hallo Alan, an absolutely aesthetic picture with very fine and delicate structures. Excellent presentation of this comparatively 'simple' flower (and the beetle, in addition).
Peter

  • Great 
  • valy67 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1880 W: 59 N: 2915] (8733)
  • [2006-05-30 13:08]

Great shot ! Both the insect and the flower look great. Excellent colors, details, composition and POV. The flower comes out very nicely on the green BG. I like it very much, well done !
Valérie.

  • Great 
  • twin Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 252 W: 17 N: 494] (3255)
  • [2006-05-30 14:05]

hi Alan,
what a colorful shot it is...
wonderful composition and details...
very nice image :))

Hi Alan,
Such a razor sharp photo with such great detail, color and soft light. It is just outstanding. Excellent DOF and b/g, it gives all focus to the insect and the most beautiful part of the flower.
TFS,
Niek

  • Great 
  • red45 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2705 W: 74 N: 8864] (30243)
  • [2006-05-30 16:21]
  • [+]

Hi Alan!
Simply and beautifull. Flower itself looks great, like little yellow sun, beetle is nice bonus. Very delicate shot my friend.

ps. Alan - must see! Today our national team played friendly with Colombia. And - ready for news? - Colombian goalkeeper kicked ball from own goal, lobbed our goalkeeper and scored!!! Jesus Christ! It was most pathetic thing I've ever seen in football! Goal scored by goalkeeper not from penalty or something, but from about 70 meters! We lost 1:2. I bet this goal will be showed in every TV :-) More news Dudek and Frankowski [our best scorer] will not go to World Cup. Why? Ask our stupid coach. By the way - today in our goalkeeper was Kuszczak - he plays for West Bromwich Albion.

  • Great 
  • cedryk Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 966 W: 52 N: 1694] (5184)
  • [2006-05-30 19:40]

Hello Alan,
Perfect shot. The light, DOF and colours make an impression it almost a 3-D image. Perfectly used image sharpening.
Best greetings,
Michal

This is a great composition Alan.
The flower and the beetle go so well together and the colors and details are superb.
Great details and great frame.
Regards
JC

Hi Alan,
Lovely shot and artfully composed. Excellent color, detail, and use of DOF. I think the green BG and soft color nails it :)
Very well done!

What a strange plant with the black dots on the tips of the flower! Great bonus beetle; he looks a little hispid himself!

Have a good week, my British friend.

Alli

P.S. Where are those holidays pics? LOL!

Hi Alan,
I love your shot, the simple colours are vrey nice.
The compostion and POV are good. Good deep in the picture cause of the shallow DOF, it's great.
Excellent work.

  • Great 
  • loot Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5452 W: 594 N: 3662] (10065)
  • [2006-05-30 23:45]

Hi Alan
Wow, what a name for a cute little flower such as this - Mouse-ear Hawkweed? Never heard of it or seen it so thanks for introducing me to it. It seems very much like it could be a distant relative of the Dandelion, obviously just judging by the look of the flower as I have no clue how the plant structure, or seeds might look.
Your photo of the flower is great including the bonus beetle. The composition/cropping compliments the flower, the colours are fabulous, the details are sharp where it matters (maybe a little more DOF could have benefited IMHO), the BG is splendid as it greatly enhances the flower, and the exposure was perfectly managed.
Very well done and TFS.
Regards
Loot

  • Great 
  • Janice Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3315 W: 148 N: 6113] (18648)
  • [2006-05-31 0:54]

A mouse-ear hawkweed - bit of a long name for the plant, it looks similar to the dandelion Alan, with those petals and its colour.
The beetle is nice and sharp, shows up so well on the flower too. TFS.
You enjoy the rest of the week too,
Janice

  • Great 
  • Dando Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor [C: 637 W: 32 N: 792] (3084)
  • [2006-05-31 4:50]

Hi Alan, excellent shot. Very well exposed with great sharp details and good lighting. Also a good POV looking directly down onto the flower and like you say the beetle is a real bonus. The OOF background works well and avoids any distractions, it also contrasts very well with the yellow tones of the flower. Very well done and TFS.
Dean.

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4774 W: 294 N: 4020] (13209)
  • [2006-05-31 5:04]

Hello Alan,
Excellent capture.I liked POV,DOF you managed,colors,contrast between frame and flower,framing,details and composition a lot.
TFS...:-)

  • Great 
  • SkyF Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2233 W: 188 N: 1929] (8127)
  • [2006-05-31 6:16]

Hello Alan,
great macro shot, what a nice play with the DOF. Colors, sharpness and deatils are excellent. Beautiful composition.
TFS..Sky

Hi Alan,
Interesting details captured!
Lovely colours all over, excellent textures both in the flower and the bug!
A well framed presentation...
Greetings,
Pablo -

  • Great 
  • osse Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 962 W: 0 N: 89] (7801)
  • [2006-05-31 6:49]

Hi Alan
Great close-up shot. Great colours, sharpnes, details, light, DOF, BG and POV. Also good note.
Well done Alan

osse

  • Great 
  • Aramok Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 886 W: 101 N: 1431] (4954)
  • [2006-05-31 11:00]

excellent DOF and POV with a great OOF BG... the beetle is great.

TFS

Emma

Hello Alan,
Lovely shot! The colours are superb, POV couldn't have been better and the insect is very sharp. The flower itself looks very beautiful too!
VERY WELL DONE!

Hello Alan,

Everything about this image is excellent, no nits looks perfect to me. :)

  • Great 
  • manyee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3067 W: 231 N: 6167] (21074)
  • [2006-06-01 3:23]

Hi Alan,
The colors and details on this shot are beautiful.
Very sharp focus in this great macro.
Interesting composition: the flower seems to float in green space.
Great work and TFS. : )

  • Great 
  • rimas Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 155 W: 3 N: 610] (4273)
  • [2006-10-18 12:16]

Hello Alan,
Lovely composition and colors. Insect is very well seen in blur petals (shallow DOF is perfect). Great POV,framing and green BG.
Nice work.
Very well done.
Rimantas

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