Tillandsia fasciculata (Stiff-leaved Wild Pine) is a bulky plant that grows equally well in canopy or near the ground. They form protuberances on the host tree that if seen in the tree top may be mistaken for bird or squirrel nests. The leaves are long, slender, tapering, bluish-green often with brownish bands at the base. The flower stalk usually are bright red, although green or yellow at times and they may appear braided because of the branchlets. Bright violet flowers appear January through mid-summer.
Other common names: Quill-leaf Air Plant, Cardinal Air Plant, Cardinal Wild Pine
Fine: that shallow DoF but still rich background and the concentration of the colors on only part of the spectrum work very well for me.
Markus, thanks for the kind words. This was made from a boardwalk at 240mm which condensed the background and gave it some of it’s rich look and feel.
Nice bokeh and a very “sharp” image. Love the colors with the red and yellows, also.
Monte, thanks, from a distance these flower stems often resemble some type of colorful bird. Very interesting and beautiful plants.
Earl,
Glad to see you did get to spend some time out in the swamp. Tillandsia are some of my favorites and you’ve got a beauty here. Well done!
Drew, I spent several days exploring the Big Cypress and surrounding areas to my great enjoyment. I did however lose half a day of exploring time for repairs when my tire picked up an automobile plastic panel screw that had probably been vibrated off someone else’s vehicle.
What a beautiful and exotic plant. I also agree with everyone that you put the focus right where it needs to be with that nice bokeh as a backdrop. Wonderful colors.
Anita, thank-you, I’m glad you like the subject matter and the photo. I found the Tillandsia to be one of my favorites of the area. Of course I had to research what they were called after the fact. :-)
Earl,
I agree with Monte, the bokeh is awesome and the colors are vivid. I love the way the color just pops out. Very nice photo Earl, I always enjoy your photography!
Alan
Alan, thanks! Nikon’s 70-300 lens has a nice bokeh and is overall sharp loosing only a little at it’s full 300mm length. At 240mm, I was in the sweet spot for this lens and just happened upon an outstanding Tillandsia with favorable lighting. Sometimes things work out. :-)
Earl, just keep coming back to this image, love the detail, the color, the composition. Lastly, I didn’t notice until this time around that you have a D700. Very nice. Great image.
Chris, thank you for your kind words. This image has grown to be one of my favorites as well. I didn’t realize at the time, but this seems to be a wonderful example of Tillandsia. Most of those I saw and photographed later during the trip don’t hold a candle to this one.
Yes, I’ve had my D700 for a couple of years now and love it. It’s the best low light digital camera I’ve ever owned, ever better the the very good D300 I sometimes shoot with. But the D300 with it’s 1.5 crop/magnification factor is tops for wildlife photos. I can’t afford those long lens the D700 full frame would require for wildlife. :-)