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Cosmos Bipinnatus [Images]

May 14, 2020

There’s nothing like a bit of nature to centre the mind and soothe the spirit. And that includes the odd flower.

Amongst my favourite decorative plants at the moment are Cosmos; long-flowering, hardy, easy-to-grow annuals that self-sow, attract bees, butterflies and look pretty cool in a casual, wildflowerly sort of way.

I like form and texture of the plants which are sort of open and a bit chaotic. The flowers of the latest batch, which have self-seeded in our garden over the past few years, have pleasantly chilled hues that don’t overwhelm the eye or the camera sensor.

They were the subject of some video profile tests I did in April and I came to understand their popularity. Not surprisingly, the internet is replete with images of Cosmos flowers.

But of course, not replete enough. Here are a few more to help make up that perpetual shortfall.

Cosmos flower
2019-04-05 at 8:52am. Shot with a Panasonic G85 + Lumix G Vario 12-60mm at f7.1, 1/250, ISO 200. Processed in darktable. Photo © Rob Edwards CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

A Cosmos bud from last year’s crop. There’s a pleasing aesthetic to Cosmos buds – they’re like a flower before the flower. Another below from this year’s crop, beginning to open.

Cosmos Flower just opening
2020-04-06 at 9:25am. Shot with a Panasonic GH5 + Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 8-18mm at f4.0, 1/1300, ISO 200. Processed in darktable. Photo © Rob Edwards CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Cosmos flower with bee on it
2020-04-21 at 10:03am. Shot on a Panasonic GH5 + Lumix G Vario 12-60mm at f5.6, 1/1000, ISO 200. Processed in darktable. Photo © Rob Edwards CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

White Cosmos flower complete with worker bee 29856-486b, or ‘Barry’ as they call him back at the hive. A professional photographer friend of mine says the key is to get the bee’s eyes in focus. Can’t really see the eyes clearly as they’re in shadow, and let’s be honest – he’s just not shiny enough in general; so no greeting cards from this one I’m afraid.

Comos flower and bee
2018-04-22 at 9:12am. Shot on a Panasonic DMC-G85 + Lumix G Vario 12-60mm at f5.6, 1/3200, ISO 400. Processed in darktable. Photo © Rob Edwards CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

This shot tickled my fancy. This little guy is fully loaded with pollen – face, legs & abdomen. It’s not so clear in this version, but in the crispy full resolution/high quality original there’s a shower of pollen being kicked up as he takes off, captured by the rather speedy shutter. (I’m noticing how soft these images look compared to originals – they almost look out of focus. I guess they’re getting compressed twice by the time they’re uploaded which is probably excessive. Remind me to dial that back.)

Cosmos flower in bloom
2020-04-19 at 10:24am. Panasonic GH5 + Lumix G Vario 12-60mm at f5.6, 1/1600, ISO 200. Processed in darktable. Photo © Rob Edwards CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Another rare shot of a bee on a flower. This time however, we’ve managed to capture at least one eye glistening in the sunlight, in good focus. And look at the shimmering wings. #winning

Monarch on Cosmos Flower
2020-04-26 at 12:04pm. Panasonic DC-GH5 + Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 8-18mm at f4.0, 1/3200, ISO 200. Processed in darktable. Photo © Rob Edwards CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

This is probably my favourite shot of the page. I like how it captures the chaotic beauty of Cosmos plants and the generally happy, sunshiny vibe.

The Monarch is one of a few we raised indoors this year as the European wasps were out in force, decimating the Monarch caterpillar population. This was the second day after it emerged from its chrysalis. It fed enthusiastically on the Cosmos flowers and after a few faltering attempts took to the air and gracefully flew off into the blue yonder.

 

Hey friend – you made it this far! Statistically, that’s a real achievement; you’re a true juggernaut of web page reading. If you liked these images there’s more where they came from. We also publish videos on Youtube from time to time.

If you’d like to use these, or any other images on this site commercially, do get in touch.

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Filed under: Gallery ImagesTagged: #Lumix #Nature

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