“Nature never ceases to amaze me with her endless variety, slight changes in form and colour are a joy to witness.” – Ed Lehming

One of the things, perhaps the main thing, that I love about my hikes is the seemingly endless variety that I see. A flower, like red trilliums (trillium erectum) has so many different shapes, from broad petals to more slender versions. Deep crimson blossoms to pale pinks. The iterations seem boundless. And then, a completely new option appears.

In this case, a slightly yellow version with dark red veining. It’s still trillium erectum, growing next to a large clump of the typical red variety, but for some reason this blossom has been changed to its present form, which I absolutely love, since it maintains it’s form and hints at the original, but is something altogether unique.

I’ve taken to very low angle shots this year, trying to capture the environment and surrounding forest to better represent the blossoms. In this image, the pale leaf litter can be seen behind the plant as well as the surrounding forest and sky. It shows a more complete picture of the plant as I found it.

Though I had my D800 macro kit with me, the image from the iPhone is actually more effective. To get the same shot with my Nikon I’d be lying flat on the ground and damaging surrounding plants. This is a better option for me in this situation and the iPhone performs incredibly.

Interestingly, during my 16 km hike yesterday I had discovered another specimen similar to this earlier in the day and in a whole different section of forest some 5 kilometers away.

iPhone 12 Pro @ 4.2 mm
1/1916 sec, f/1.6, ISO 32