As we get our first prelude to spring in west-central Missouri (temperatures expected into the 60’s and 70’s over the next week!), I’m sharing a wildflower that I often find when doing my spring prairie hike in a nearby natural prairie … the Long-bracted Wild Indigo (Baptisia bracteata):
This plant shows up early in spring and when the buds form and the blooms start, it is a real beauty to find! As the blooms mature, they are more cream-colored. The plant grows low and becomes a bit bushy, growing to only ~12 inches high. Early in it’s development, the pea-type flowers grow heavily on a long raceme, drooping from the weight of all the buds. The name Baptisia bracteata comes from the Greek work Baptisia, “to dye”, and the Latin word bracteata, “having bracts”. The foliage of this species has been used as a poor substitute for indigo in dyeing.
Photographic Equipment Used:
- Canon 1D Mark 3 body
- Canon EF 180mm, f/3.5 macro lens
- Bogen 3221 tripod with Kirk ballhead
- ISO 200
- Aperture f/11
- Shutter 1/50 sec. (top photo) and 1/30 sec. (bottom photo)
Note: Once spring woodland wildflowers begin showing up, I will be offering small group, 1/2 day in-the-field workshops. I will be notifying those on my “Workshop Notification List” soon. If you are not on that list and wish to be notified, please e-mail me at: showmenaturepix@hotmail.com and let me know :o)