Native Plants
Merrill, Connie
During her career in the petrochemical industry, Connie developed a life-long love of photography, capturing the people, cultures and sights of Asia, Europe and U.S.A, destinations for her business travel. In the early 1990’s, she and her spouse, Jim, became avid scuba divers, encased their Nikon N90s and D70s in water-proof housings and embraced underwater photography wholeheartedly. Whether shooting graceful, flowing manta rays in deep blue waters or tropical fish schooling around vibrantly colored coral, Connie experimented and learned a great deal about exposure, focus and lighting in an aqueous medium. Macro shots of miniscule oceanic creatures, bringing forth intricate detail of life with all its textures, patterns and colors, fire her photographer’s passion still today.Recently, Connie “graduated” from corporate America and moved to Sanctuary Ridge, a peaceful A-frame log house nestled in the cedars within view of Lake Whitney in central Texas. It is in this environment that another type of photography brings her new lessons and learnings everyday … shooting wildflowers. Getting closer and closer to her floral subjects, revealing textures, patterns and colors, reminds Connie of underwater macro-photography. Once again, she is witnessing life in its most detailed, intimate and amazing glory. Currently, the Nikon D300 and 60 mm and 18-135 mm zoom lenses are her prime tools for capturing wildflowers native to North America and around the world.
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is committed to developing the premier resource for native plant images in North America through continued growth of the Plant Image Gallery. You can help us achieve our mission ...to increase the sustainable use and conservation of native wildflowers, plants, and landscapes... by becoming a contributor.
scientific name | common name(s) | image gallery |
Castilleja indivisa | Texas Indian Paintbrush Entireleaf Indian Paintbrush Texas Paintbrush Indian Paintbrush Scarlet Paintbrush | |
Castilleja purpurea var. purpurea | Purple Paintbrush Purple Prairie Painbrush Prairie Paintbrush Downy Indian Paintbrush | |
Castilleja purpurea var. purpurea | Purple Paintbrush Purple Prairie Painbrush Prairie Paintbrush Downy Indian Paintbrush | |
Datura wrightii | Jimsonweed Sacred Thorn-apple Thorn-apple Angel Trumpet Sacred Datura Western Jimson Weed | |
Iris missouriensis | Rocky Mountain Iris Western Blue Flag | |
Oenothera albicaulis | Whitest Evening-primrose White-stem Evening-primrose Pale Evening-primrose | |
Oenothera macrocarpa | Bigfruit Evening-primrose Missouri Evening-primrose Fluttermill Big-fruit Evening-primrose Missouri Primrose Bigfruit Evening Primrose | |
Phacelia crenulata | Cleft-leaf Wild Heliotrope Notchleaf Phacelia Notch-leaf Scorpion-weed | |
Phacelia crenulata | Cleft-leaf Wild Heliotrope Notchleaf Phacelia Notch-leaf Scorpion-weed | |
Wyethia ×magna | Hybrid Mule's-ears | |
scientific name | common name(s) | image gallery |