Mistaken Identity

I can now laugh at the first time a label fooled me in a botanic garden (gosh is really 35 years ago ?), when I truly knew nothing about horticulture: not knowing enough that a tag for Amaryllis belladonna was in the garden for the invisible bulb below the ground as I photographed a shrub (I still don’t know what) for an Ortho Book. (Thank goodness for knowledgeable editors…).

I recently photographed Clarkia in the Regional Parks Botanic Garden and upon seeing the label of the rare Presidio Clarkia assumed the flowers blooming nearby were the same.  Alas fooled again.  The Presidio Clarkia bloomed months ago. The hazards of being a garden photographer without botanic training.

Fortunately a good photo can help real experts identify a flower.  More in the Workshop Tips (free to members) about finding a good point of view to take a macro photo.