Photograph Works

Chilean Rhubarb Leaves In The Botanic Garden

Chilean Rhubarb (Gunnera manicata) grows in the Botanic Garden here in Cambridge. The leaves are huge, maybe a metre (three feet) across.

It grows by a small stream near the Trumpington Road entrance to the Gardens.

A couple of days ago the leaves were all cut down and stacked in piles like this. They were blue rather than the green when they are growing. I wonder whether there is some changed in the acidity that causes it?

I have eclectic tastes in photographic subjects and this looked appealing.

I rarely know whether I will actually like the shot until I see it printed (or on the website). Actually, if it is a human face or an animal, then I often do know that I will want to print it.

But for other things, it is up in the air until I see it as a photo.

I wonder how many photographers think similarly?

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5 responses to “Chilean Rhubarb Leaves In The Botanic Garden”

  1. Deb Weyrich-Cody

    “Autumnal Leaf Change’ and ‘What Photographers See’
    Fall here is a time of spectacular changes in the leaf canopy David. A time when various tree and plant species can be picked out at great distances just by the colours they (all too briefly) display as they prepare for Winter dormancy. It’s not magic, or even that the colours really change, only that once the chlorophyll being produced through photosynthesis has been completely absorbed, the green disappears to reveal the true colour of the leaves beneath. I suspect that may be what you’re witnessing here with the Chilean Rhubarb?
    But – re ‘other photographers’ –
    I see what I want to capture, making it happen is the tricky part. (Still carry the spectacular shots in my head which I took from the deck of a 40’ Hughes’ Custom while running for Port ahead of a lightning storm on Lake Ontario back in the 80’s… Sadly, once developed, the prints were pristinely blank as I had I failed to allow a sufficient leader on the film! Talk about ‘Life’s hardest Lessons learned’, hey?:/)

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    1. David Bennett

      That could be with the Gunnera leaves. This year the leaves are still in full ‘bloom’ – huge and green as can be. The season is hanging on and we are getting more ‘Fall colour’ than is usual here.
      My sympathies over the non-exposures. And now we have digital cameras that take two cards so that if one fails, the photos are still saved to the other card.

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      1. Deb Weyrich-Cody

        We are(were) having a similar effect with Fall here as well. With the extremely high temperatures we had mid summer (hot enough that Nightshades(Tomato, etc) & Curcubita (Squash) plants refused to produce pollen until it passed. Fall has carried on far past normal and, after those three chilly days with overnight frost, has now carried on with more lovely warm weather, dandelions in bloom, bees collecting pollen and dragonflies on the wing again.

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        1. David Bennett

          Thanks. Lots of plants in our small garden are sprouting new growth. It’s nice to see, but as and when the frost hits it could be bad news.

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          1. Deb Weyrich-Cody

            Yes that’s very true David; tender, new growth at this time of year is doomed once the frost hits:/)

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