Skeletonized leaf

Last year I found a perfectly skeletonized leaf but lost it before I could take pictures. I found this leaf a few weeks ago and even if it wasn't completely skeletal I made sure I didn't lose it again. It's quite interesting to see how intricately the veins are arrayed in a dendritic pattern. You can almost imagine it looking like cirliques. I wonder if that's the inspiration for some of the textile designs we see. Please click the photos to see an enlargement.




This first photo is taken under natural light. The light was so dim indoors that it was difficult to take a picture without blurring. The long exposures caused camera shake even if the camera has image stabilization and I braced my hands holding the camera. I should have used a tripod. The rest of the photos were taken using the camera's small flash with an index card used to attenuate the intensity of the light.

Black Cohosh seed pod

Cimicifuga racemosa aka: Black snakeroot, Bugbane, Bugwort, Rattleroot, Rattleweed.

I can hear the seed rattling in the small pods thus the name rattleroot, rattleweed?

Faded Beauty

Camellia flower dead and dried but still attached to the branch. It still looks quite beautiful.