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Welsh windows


Welsh windows
Photo Information
Copyright: Joe Kellard (joey) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1739 W: 224 N: 6872] (24909)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-08-10
Categories: Flowers
Camera: Canon Powershot S3 IS
Exposure: f/2.7, 1/250 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): My Photos for my website [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2007-08-12 1:18
Viewed: 3914
Favorites: 1 [view]
Points: 42
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
These water droplet formations only really occur in these ragged shapes when clustered on a roughly built spiders web, constructed on the spiky and extremely common shrub: Gorse.
Gorse is very common around Cilan Head, the area where my caravan was. There's not much to say about dew so I got some info on Gorse! :)
Gorse (Ulex) comprises a genus of about 20 species of evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae, native to western Europe and northwest Africa, with the majority of species in Iberia. Other common names for gorse include furse, whin and furze.

Gorse is closely related to the brooms, and like them, has green stems and very small leaves and adapts to dry growing conditions, but differs in its extreme spininess, with the leaves being modified into 1-4 cm long spines. All the species have yellow flowers, some with a very long flowering season.

The most widely familiar species is the Common Gorse (Ulex europaeus), the only species native in most of western Europe, where it grows in sunny sites, usually on dry, sandy soils. It is also the largest species, reaching 2-3 m height; this compares with typically 0.2-0.4 m for Western gorse (U. gallii). This latter species is characteristic of highly exposed Atlantic coastal heathland and montane habitats.

Common gorse flowers most strongly in spring, though it bears some flowers year round, hence the old country phrase: "When gorse is out of blossom, kissing's out of fashion". The flowers have a very distinctive strong coconut scent. Western gorse or Dwarf Furze differs in being almost entirely late summer flowering (August-September in Ireland and Britain), and also have somewhat darker yellow flowers than Common gorse.

Gorse is a fire-climax plant, very well adapted to stand-replacing fires, being highly inflammable, and having seed pods that are to a large extent opened by fire, thus allowing rapid regeneration after fire. The burnt stumps also readily sprout new growth from the roots. Where fire is excluded, gorse soon tends to be shaded out by taller-growing trees, unless other factors like exposure also apply. Typical fire recurrence periods in gorse stands are 5-20 years.

Gorse thrives best in poor growing areas and conditions; it has been widely used for land reclamation (e.g., mine tailings), where its nitrogen-fixing capacity helps other plants establish better.

It is a valuable plant for wildlife, providing dense thorny cover ideal for protecting bird nests; in Britain, France and Ireland, it is particularly noted for supporting European Stonechats and Dartford Warblers. The flowers are sometimes eaten by the larva of the Double-striped Pug moth and another moth, Coleophora albicosta feeds exclusively on Ulex.

In many areas of North America, southern South America, Australia and New Zealand, the Common Gorse, introduced as an ornamental plant, has become naturalised and an invasive weed due to its aggressive seed dispersal; it has proved very difficult to eradicate. However, in New Zealand, it has been found to form a useful nursery species for native bush regeneration. If gorse stands are left for several years, native seedlings generate in their shelter and grow up through the gorse, cutting out its light and eventually replacing it.

Gorse flowers are edible and can be used in salads, tea and to make a non-grape based 'wine'.

Thankyou very much for your comments
dew77, haraprasan, Argus, LordPotty, jmirah, pierrefonds, pankajbajpai, angybone, eqshannon, gannu, uleko, jaycee, Proframe, ridvan, SelenE, Silke, hester has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To gannu: pts?joey 1 08-14 11:45
To gannu: ?joey 1 08-12 07:16
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4432 W: 248 N: 4028] (13270)
  • [2007-08-12 1:26]

Hello Joe,
Beautiful image.Well seen and composed.POV,framing,exposure and visual impact are excellent.
TFS..:-)

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5038 W: 260 N: 15594] (50626)
  • [2007-08-12 2:04]

Hello Joe,
Welcome back from your holiday!
This is both artistic and interesting: I would never have guessed that this shot was taken on gorse. Yet your note explains the reason for the shapes of the drops of water: the intricate shapes of the spiders web constructed on the gorse spikes. I remember seeing gorse bushes covered by these webs in late summer during my time in Wales and they were often heavily covered in dew.
Excellent posting and thanks for sharing it!
Ivan

These droplets look amazing Joe.
Well seen and captured.
A most interesting image.
Cheers,Steve

Hi Joey,
Outstanding artsy capture with realistic natural value. Great composition and lighting with interesting reflections...Well conceived and photographed...

TFS
Jim

Hi Joey,

A good POV of the water droplets on the spiders web, the photo has a good composition and sharpness. Thanks for sharing.

Pierre

hello joe,
well seen and captured the water droplets shaped by the web, well composed shot, nice pov, beautiful effect of light,
well done,
tfs & regards
pankaj

Beautiful - creative - well done! :)

You went to a school of creativity and boy am I glad you are back. Your photos were missed. They bring, as this one, a sense of excitement and always something new. Wonderful shot Joey!

Bob

  • Great 
  • nglen Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2883 W: 30 N: 9683] (36145)
  • [2007-08-12 7:47]

Hi Joe. A very good picture with a difference. very artistic. i like the light refecting in the water drops. well seen .TFS. good notes too.
Nick..

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3396 W: 172 N: 3310] (10940)
  • [2007-08-12 7:48]

Hello Joe,
Very interesting and beautiful image of these water droplets in peculiar shapes on Gorse. Very sharp details and well composed too. Thanks for the note on Gorse too!
TFS and best wishes, Ulla

Hello Joey,
This is very original, different and well done. Details and exposure are so good! I also enjoyed reading those intersting notes. Thanks,
Claudine

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2454 W: 10 N: 8044] (25460)
  • [2007-08-12 8:34]

Hi Joe,

How imaginative, unusual, and fascinating! You did a wonderful job on these droplets on the spiderweb.

Jane

Hi Joe,
Most wonderful piece of Welsh art work you are showing us here in wich each and every one of the water droplets is acting like a great magnifying glass.
Beautiful image with wonderful details and clarity in the droplets.
Very wel seen and excecuted.
Thanks for sharing and the great note.
Best regards and have a nice Sunday evening,
Harry

  • Great 
  • ridvan Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 498 W: 0 N: 1136] (5205)
  • [2007-08-12 11:38]

selam joey, excellent shot and very good composition of drops nice pov and bg with splendid colours.good details presented
Well done !
Regards ridvan

Hi Joe,
It looks as if bullet shots on an aluminum sheet. Very nicely capture and well described. Goes to my fav. Thanks a lot for sharing.

  • Great 
  • SelenE Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2249 W: 65 N: 4205] (13972)
  • [2007-08-13 0:47]

Hi Joe,
Beautiful photo, very creative and interesting... Well done and TFS
Best wishes,
Selen

  • Great 
  • Silke Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 729 W: 98 N: 1707] (5458)
  • [2007-08-14 6:08]

A fascinating and original composition and I love the notes for all that they're not quite on topic (^o^)
TFS
silke

  • Great 
  • hester Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1515 W: 18 N: 3165] (11638)
  • [2007-08-14 8:53]

Hi Joe

I was about to comment on your grasshopper when I saw this! This is fabulous. Wonderful sharp detailed capture. It is quite beautiful. Interesting note to explain what we are seeing.

TFS

Karan

  • Great 
  • Mana Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1772 W: 36 N: 5597] (18598)
  • [2007-08-14 10:25]

Hi Joe,
Fantastic effect these water drops have created here on the zigzag spider webs. I like their shapes and forms. Excellent POV to portray them and very nicely composed. Kudos.
TFS.
Sumon

  • Great 
  • gannu Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 988 W: 4 N: 3277] (14761)
  • [2007-08-15 8:53]
  • [+]

Joey, Excellent show and lovely presentation. You are back and you are not in full swing. Well done and TFS Ganesh Smiley later

  • Great 
  • jmp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1659 W: 95 N: 2273] (8415)
  • [2007-08-18 3:48]

Hi Joe,
Very aesthetic droplet formation. An interesting balance between silk adherence and surface tension.
TFS, José M.

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