The art of pollination

Ever since my father took me on my first walk in the woods, I simply felt ‘at home’. Since then I have loved to capture photographs of the details in nature, especially the abstract … looking “into” a flower or tree.

We as human beings depend largely on nature to provide our continued existence. Much of the food we grow is produced in concert with insects and to some extent birds. There are many fruit farms that pay to have honeybees trucked in from large apiaries to pollinate their crops because there just isn’t a large enough native bee population. But man’s obsession with the “perfect” apple, polished and without blemish, is actually working against us as the only way to produce an apple like that is with a lot of pesticides. Some of these pesticides may be harming native bee (and other insect, wildlife and human) populations. Studies are continuing in this area. It is my belief that we all should work in harmony with nature, and educate the public that a few blemishes on your fruit or vegetable is a sign that we don’t mind sharing, and that our food is healthy for all who consume it.

I enjoy capturing the brilliance of nature with its vibrant world of color and complex interactions, exemplified by the process of pollination (Figures 1-3). Photographic techniques like adding background lighting and close-up focus result in more abstract impressions (Figure 4).

Figure 1 Lily-Bee. This photograph shows a bee approaching a lily flower

Figure 2 Hibiscus-Honey Bee. This photograph shows a honey-bee loaded with pollen from a hibiscus flower

Figure 3 Hummingbird-Lantana Flower. This photograph shows a hummingbird approaching a lantana flower

Figure 4 Amaryllis Abstractus. This close-up of an amaryllis flower demonstrates the abstract beauty of nature

Acknowledgements

Disclosure: The author declares no conflict of interest.