Every spring, when I visit Filoli, I try to take pictures of the hellebores and the summer snowflakes . The photos have never satisfied me . This spring, I’m happier with the photos than I was in previous years and, since Lent started last Wednesday, what is more appropriate than a picture of a Lenten Rose? In the hellebores, what appear to be petals are actually sepals; the petals have been transformed into cuplike structures called nectaries which hold nectar.
Lenten Rose (Helleborus orientalis)
SOURCE: Lenten Rose (Helleborus orientalis) (Woodside, San Mateo County, California); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 23 February 2011.
Corsican Hellebore (Helleborus argutifolius)
SOURCE: Â Corsican Hellebore (Helleborus argutifolius) (Woodside, San Mateo County, California); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 23 February 2011.
Hellborus x hybridus ?
SOURCE: Â Hellborus x hybridus ? (Woodside, San Mateo County, California); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 23 February 2011.
Summer Snowflake (Leucojum aestivum)
SOURCE: Â Summer Snowflake (Leucojum aestivum) (Woodside, San Mateo County, California); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 23 February 2011.
Copyright © 2011 by Stephen J. Danko
Hellebores are very hard to photograph with their downward blooms. I think your photos are great!