Catching the fleeting scenes of many splendored life
'Look closely. The beautiful may be small' — Kant

2 May 2012

Spring Colours: Red.
Poppies (Papaver rhoeas and Papaverum somniferum)

Spring is the best time to gather wildflowers. They pop out on every patch of soil, and so did a few tussocks of poppies in the nearby field. Unfortunately they wither too fast.
Common poppy or Papaver rhoeas (aka corn poppy, corn rose, field poppy, Flanders poppy, red poppy, red weed, coquelicot) is a species of flowering plant in the poppy family, Papaveraceae. This poppy, native to Europe, is sometimes considered an agricultural weed (hence the "corn" and "field") and a symbol of fallen soldiers.

Poppy flower (Papaver rhoeas) and glass. Red and Black.
(© 2012 LightColourShade. All rights reserved)

Poppy (Papaver rhoeas) and glass
Poppy flower (Papaver rhoeas) with curling up petal and glass. Red and black
(© 2012 LightColourShade. All rights reserved)

It turns out this year together with ordinary poppies opium poppies cropped up in all their glory. Papaverum somniferum isn't just a pretty face, it's seeds are used in pastries, edible oil from its seeds is also used as vehicle in oil painting, and it's a source of anesthetics or sedatives (when used properly).

Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum)
Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum). Red and white
(© 2012 LightColourShade. All rights reserved)

Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) on dark background
Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) on dark background. Red and Black
(© 2012 LightColourShade. All rights reserved)

2 comments:

  1. It's amazing how the background affects everything. I must say that the last one is particularly effective, but the intense, white of the background in the third one gives the photo a certain "clinical" feel.

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    Replies
    1. I totally agree, as you so well pointed out black and red colour combination is especially impressive -- it expresses energy and passion. Actually, we always see colour interactions, rather than a single colour -- that's why the same colour is perceived differently on different backgrounds.

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