I have just returned from a visit to what is called here as the Rocky Mountain Front. It is where the mountains meet the plains in a very dramatic fashion. The whole front is a mass of escarpments, often called "reefs" (as in Capitol Reef in Utah). The area reportedly has the greatest biodiversity of any place in the lower 48. All the large mammals that were here pre-Europeans are still here, including the plains grizzly bear (so far have been lucky enough to avoid contact). The main draw at this time of year are the wildflowers, particularly the Arrowleaf Balsamroot, which looks like a short sunflower. Acres upon acres turn yellow. I used mainly my Voigtlanders and Sony for that, so will be posting over there a little later if you want to see what hundreds of acres of balsamroot looks like.
For the most part the weather was pretty decent, given our cool rainy spring this year (need the moisture). This zone is usually very windy. However, I did have one overcast, wet afternoon when the wind stopped. I went out in search of what the woods had to offer (with bear spray!), and came upon these gems. (I prefer overcast for flowers). They are known as Pasque Flowers (Anemone patens). I don't have them around me on the west side of the Divide, and most of the bloom had come and gone, but in this cool hollow ("holler", for you Shenandoahans/Appalachians) there were a few left.
I used the micro-Nikkor 55mm f2.8 at f4 (I think) with an adapter on my Sony A7RIII, and I think the lens acquitted itself very nicely. This is a 6-image focus stack.
After complaining earlier about the colors from my Sony vs the Df, these colors came out spot on with little "tweaking" needed. Also, I should note, the large flower is a little smaller than the size of a quarter.
Thanks for tuning in - more to come later (I took over 1200 images)
