I went to Discovery this morning to catch some more fireweed, this time in a secret little meadow (more like a glade) I found (I guess it's not really secret anymore now that I'm writing about it, but still, I dare you to try to find it). It's near the South Meadow area, close to the viewpoint with the benches, but one must crawl around through some brushy back trails to get there. I took my perhaps most interesting two pictures while approaching the stand.
Since most fireweed stands are more out in the open, the choices for background when photographing them usually consist of the sky or other fireweed plants; any trees in the background are often too dark to look good. But since this particular stand was more shaded and hemmed in by dense trees, I had alternative background options, as you already saw above, and as in the next picture. (In the next picture, you can't tell what's in the background other than the second fireweed stalk, but trust me. It matters.)
I also took some pictures of the fireweed "interacting" with a young maple tree that was sharing the glade. I tried two different focus options for the first shot - focusing on the tree and on the fireweed. I posted both, because I'm not sure which one I like best.
Of course, I'll be returning to this little glade throughout fireweed season. A second advantage, in addition to the background issue, is that this location's sheltered/secluded nature helps keep the breeze down. The plants were still intermittently and very faintly wobbling, but much less so than those in the large fireweed stand out in the South Meadow proper.
Finally, these flowers are blooming. I think they're known as "everlasting pea," and you'll definitely be seeing more of them on this blog. I think they're a non-native weed, but I'm an equal opportunity photographer.
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