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Chicory


Chicory
Photo Information
Copyright: Ron Warner (tuslaw) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 240 W: 8 N: 607] (1929)
Genre: Plants
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-06-29
Categories: Flowers
Exposure: f/13.0, 1/125 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2008-06-29 14:17
Viewed: 323
Points: 16
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
When I was a young boy I always admired the little blue flowers that seemed to line the highways as we would go for a drive. I never knew what they were called, but I always looked for them each year as we drove from Ohio to Indiana for a weeks vacation.

I've been on vacation with my own family this past week in western New York. While traveling along interstate 90 I once again saw these familiar blue flowers lining the roadside. We stopped for lunch at a McDonalds and I was able to get a picture of this beautiful Chicory bloom growing next to the curb.

The Chicory has it's own little legend. It is said to have once been a young lady who rejected the advances of the sun god. For this snubbing she was turned into this beautiful blue flower. She in turn still refuses to acknowledge his prescence by mocking him. She looks on him only until noon each day, and then closes up her beautiful blue flowers until the following morning.

Prized as a love potion for centuries, the seeds of this plant were secretely administered to a young women by her suitor in order to secure her affection.

The leaves when young are edible, and were once used to prevent scurvy, as a sediative, and to treat minor skin irritations. The root is still cultivated and roasted where it is made into a type of coffee.
jaycee, JoshLewis, eqshannon, writerscrawlz, keanhoon, jpdenk has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To CecilePage: Chicorytuslaw 1 06-30 19:38
To jpdenk: Chicorytuslaw 1 06-30 19:33
To keanhoon: Chicorytuslaw 1 06-30 04:43
To writerscrawlz: Chicorytuslaw 1 06-29 20:39
To eqshannon: Chicorytuslaw 1 06-29 19:01
To jaycee: Chicorytuslaw 2 06-29 17:13
To JoshLewis: Chicorytuslaw 1 06-29 17:00
To angela926: Chicorytuslaw 1 06-29 14:57
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Critiques [Translate]

Hello Ron,
Very pretty blue flower, beautiful colors, good sharpness, excellent depth of field and nice details.
Angela

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1786 W: 8 N: 4638] (14987)
  • [2008-06-29 16:06]
  • [+]

Hi Ron,

Glad to see you back again and I hope you had a really nice trip with your family. I'm sure I saw these flowers when I lived on the east coast but never knew what they were. A wonderful macro of the Chicory bloom showing off its beautiful color. Excellent details of the entire flower - I love the shape of the petal tips. Nice composition too.

Jane

Ron, this one is wonderful! Wither thats one big flower, or a small bee. Either way you did a fine job capturing this one! Thanks for sharing! Cheers Josh Lewis.

...and we also had a Chicory gum in our small provincial area as well...The blue of course is hard to forget eh? I am Bob the Blue Boy to my mother now passed (1912-2005). You are still an enigma as in how and why you came along with all of these memories just at the times I miss my mother and her nature knowledge so much. He is good to us that way isn't he?
Bob

I was reminded of Love Potion Number 9, a song here in the states - not sure why - except for the tale you shared!

The sharpness is wonderful as is the color. The DOF is perfect, and the bee is an added bonus. Thanks so much for posting and hope all went well with your trip.

Superb catch. I like the overall exposure. It surely brings out the color of this Chicory and also the little fly.
Well done.
TFS

Kean

Hi Ron,

Another really nice shot of a plant that most people tend to ignore. One of my favorite "weeds" too. While it isn't native to the Americas, it may as well be, as it's here to stay now.

Nice and sharp, and the little fly/bee adds a nice touch.

Thanks,
John

Hello Ron,
Beautiful shot of the chicory and fly. Very bright and blue with nice detail. The chicory is starting to show itself here in Pa. Never new the legend.Thanks for sharing.
Cecile

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