In Acadia National Park one of the most heralded signs of spring comes along when spring has almost disappeared into summer. If you must, you can blame it all on Miss Alice Rumphius, who in her passionate wish to leave the world more beautiful than she found it chose to scatter lupine (Lupinus) seeds all across the coast of Maine, including, of course, Mount Desert Island. And although they are not native to the place, you will nothing but indignation from any islander to whom you might suggest their removal as invasives.
A focal length of 28mm, wide-angleland to be sure, gave me the angle-of-view I wanted, from the lupine’s-eye view below me to the woodline in the distance. An aperture of f/20 provided depth-of-field and, with a shutter speed of 1.0 second at ISO 100, gave me an overall medium exposure. The chosen aperture gave me a wee bit more motion control, even though the stalks were really quite still in the calm morning air.
Our public lands are sometimes chronicles of compromise: The lupines of Acadia are a story of compromise in which the flowers and the islanders are both happy. It might be a different matter if we were talking about kudzu. I am reminded of the daffodils of Cades Cove and the tolerance they have been accorded to everyone’s pleasure.
beautiful.
and I love your commentary too.
You might like Brain Pickings by Maria Popova. She offers a compilation of thoughts by various artists, philosophers, and writers on various topics. mostly art science philosophy and nature.
Sent by email free for the asking.
She’s as generous as you are …
Hi Joanne. It’s nice to hear from you. Thanks very much for joining me for this conversation. It’s great for “local folks” to comment on images, and I consider anyone from New England to be home folks when it comes to Acadia. There is a wonderful story about this wetland on Cromwell Harbor Road. It’s now part of the national park; but when I first went to MDI, it was private property whose owner had development plans on his mind. It’s one of my favorite lupine fields on the island, but it holds some amazing other flower species as well. especially crested dwarf iris (Iris cristata). Thanks for your heads-up on Maria Popova. I’ve subscribed to Brain Pickings for about a year, or so, and I really enjoy it. Hopefully, some of the other folks who join our conversation will pick up on your suggestion.
Stay well and safe.
Follow the sinuous path of Lupinus beauty in low angle light, all standing at attention in the parade to honor Miss Alice. Each giving kudos without kudzu on their minds.
Ah, Mr. Tap. We are honored to have you join us for this conversation. You are obviously an acquaintance of Miss Alice and her love of Beauty, and you appear to have some familiarity with that scourge of the southern countryside, kudzu, as well. It seems that it has not quite reached your home in the far northwest, although there are small stands of it in northern Oregon and south-central Washington. The Olympic Peninsula is yet spared. Some day I would enjoy sharing this small lupine field with you; meanwhile I appreciate your kind and thoughtful words and wish you only the best in the coming year.
This view was so refreshing to me in a weekend sandwiched by major snowstorms. In Cincinnati, the 10 inches we woke up to Tuesday morning was one of the top 5 snowfalls in the past 10 years. Tonight, going through Tuesday afternoon, they are predicting up to another foot! I really love picturesque snow, but this is a bit crazy!
Hey Sue. It’s great to hear from you. I hope that, in spite of the snow, you and Chris are safe and well. I’m very happy to have been able to offer some respite from your weather-induced challenges. We’ve had the same cold weather as Cincinnati, just not the frozen precipitation. One of the interesting things about Mount Desert Island is the presence of the Gulf Stream not far off-shore and the moderation it offers to winter weather, which not far inland can be fairly fierce. It will be interesting to see how our Southwest weather is in September/October. Looking forward to it.
This is a beautiful contrast to our weather here in northwest Tennessee today. The lupine flowers seem to know they rule the land and are standing tall and proud. They bring the hope of warmer days. I love the lower camera placement so the lupine can talk to us. They feel very blessed to be in Maine and will keep coming back every spring to pose for anyone with a camera.
Thanks for a ray of sunshine on this cold, gray, snowy day.
Happy Valentine’s day!
Hey Nancy T. I’ve realized that it’s past time I checked in with you, but I trust you are safe and well in the wilds of West Tennessee. You are exactly right: the lupine know they are the show on Mount Desert Island in June. They bloom just on the cusp of the Acadian summer, when spring has run its course. The thing about wide-angle camera positioning is that one of the issues that must be decided is how high or low to the subject the camera is placed in a given scene for optimal composition outcomes. Thanks for pointing out that consideration. Happy Belated Valentine’s Day to you, Dear One. Take good care.
The picture is beautiful. Cannot wait for those days again. Had enough of the cold weather and snow.
Hi Anne. It’s good to have you with us for this conversation. It seems as though several of us have had at least a temporary fill of the white stuff falling from the sky. I truly appreciate your sentiment and kind words. Something tells me that spring will be here before we know it. There is a very small and very beautiful wildflower that grows almost exclusively in the foothills of Upstate South Carolina called the Oconee bell. It usually blooms around March 10-15. It will be sharing its beauty with us before long. Walk in Beauty and be well.
Thanks, again, Everyone for being part of our conversation. I can recall the first time I ever visited Acadia National Park in the spring. I was quite familiar with the wonderful Beauty of Acadia in autumn and had heard stories of the floral displays of the lupine of Mount Desert Island. Of course, being from the Smokies I knew the diversity of the place they call “Wildflower National Park,” but the volume of inflorescence that is the Acadia lupine show was awesome to behold. Thank you for your observations and comments. Stay well and enjoy the winter that remains and the spring that is to come.