Otto de Gruyter family portrait in Turner home

The first thing you’ll see when you enter our home is a framed portrait of my great grandparents, Otto de Gruyter and Rhoda Jane Hill, with their three children, my granddaddy Olen and his two sisters, Eunice and Iona. The portrait was made around 1909. It’s a formal pose, perhaps a little stiff, which was characteristic of the period when film was slow and portrait subjects had to hold still for several seconds.

I remember this portrait sitting on an easel in Aunt Eunice and Iona’s home when we visited, the same house where they grew up. When they died in the 1970s my mother inherited the portrait. She had a copy negative made and gave copies to her six brothers and sisters and to their children. When she died in 2001 the portrait passed down to me. It took a while, but we eventually made room for it in our home.

This family portrait is much more than a mere piece of paper. The photographer’s name is long lost. What’s important is the connection made across five generations, from my great grandparents to my children. The portrait is one of the few physical objects that makes that connection, and that makes it real, more than bits of linen tucked away in a chest for safe keeping. Seeing this portrait triggers memories of stories I heard as a young man of my great-grandfather immigrating from Germany to central West Virginia with his brother, of his time as an itinerant clock and watch repairman going from house to house, and of establishing a storefront jewelry store that was operated by three generations.

Yes, this mere piece of paper, hanging on our wall in an old and somewhat battered frame, is a treasury of memories.

When you’re ready to have your family photographed, think of the memories you’ll be placing in your own frame, the stories you’ll tell your grandchildren, and the stories their children will pass down to their children when the time comes. You don’t want to wait too long to have that important portrait made.

And if you think you just want a digital file, remember how fast technology changes and how temporary and fragile digital files are. Will your grandchildren be able to enjoy that DVD?

Give me a call at 360-671-6851 to discuss the legacy you’ll leave in your heirloom family portrait. Do it now, and plan for a summer session.

Pacific Dogwood

Pacific Dogwood is a showy northwest native tree that blooms from late April to late May. It’s just one of the dogwoods native to North America. The grove of dogwoods above was photographed last May along California Route 32 near Forest Ranch.

One of my memories of spring in West Virginia, where I grew up, is hillsides dotted with dogwood trees in bloom. Their showy white bracts, which look like giant petals, appear about the time the leaves are starting to unfold. The eastern species, Cornus florida, is commonly planted in home landscapes across North America.

Eastern Dogwood behind the house where I grew up in West Virginia

Both the native white-flowered form and various cultivars with pink flowers (bracts) are attractive, showy small trees. Late in the summer they bear shiny red berries that many species of birds find delicious. My dad planted dogwood in our backyard, where it thrived and I photographed it more than 20 years after he died.

Pacific Dogwood against Douglas-fir trunk

In the Pacific Northwest our native is Pacific Dogwood, Cornus nuttallii. It also blooms in the spring, about the time its leaves appear. It’s found in the wild through much of the northwest, generally west of the Cascade crest, from British Columbia to northern California.

Pacific Dogwood blossoms

The showy white bracts on our northwest species are generally larger and more numerous than on the east coast species. However, there usually aren’t as many flowers on each tree and the trees are more widely scattered in the landscape.

Pacific Dogwood has a reputation of being somewhat difficult to get established in the garden. It requires soil that is deep, well-drained, relatively free of rocks, and high in organic nutrients. It’s an understory tree that grows well in partial shade. In fact, some sources say it grows best where the trunk is shaded and the upper canopy receives more sun. Once you’ve planted it in your garden, don’t disturb the soil around it. You’ll want to choose a location where you can enjoy the flowers, which look great against a background of conifers.

Pacific Dogwood fruit

In midsummer fleshy clusters of berries replace the flowers. In the fall, the leaves turn a nice shade of reddish-orange. Although it may be difficult to get established, Pacific Dogwood is a beautiful tree that will provide rewards for decades. You can find more information about Pacific Dogwood in Hansen’s Northwest Native Plant Database and from the Washington Native Plant Society.

‘Eddie’s White Wonder’ Dogwood in autumn color

If your thumb isn’t quite so green, consider planting ‘Eddie’s White Wonder,’ a hybrid between Cornus nuttallii and C. florida developed in Vancouver, British Columbia. It’s easier to grow, has the large bracts of the Pacific Dogwood and the flower volume of the eastern species. It has shown some resistance to the foliage disease, anthracnose, but is not completely immune. It’s on the Great Plant Picks list for northwest gardens.

Horizon line passes through portrait subject’s head.

Compare these two beach portraits of Pavlina and Daniel. In the first version, notice how the horizon is behind Daniel’s head. It divides the frame and interrupts our attention on the couple.

Camera raised to place horizon line above couple’s heads.

In the second version, I raised the camera a few inches so the horizon is above both of their heads. The horizon no longer intersects their heads and there’s nothing to interrupt our attention. The same rule about not slicing a head with the horizon applies to animals as well as to people.

You’ll notice that in both versions, there are actually two horizons. The upper horizon separates the sky from the water and the lower is between the water and the grasses in the foreground. Together, they divide the frame roughly into thirds.

Even when you don’t have people in the frame, be careful where you place your horizon. As a general rule, you don’t want it right in the middle of the frame. The classic position is about a third of the way down from the top. But you can also place it about a third of the way up from the bottom. The idea is to create an asymmetrical composition.

I made these images at a photographer’s gathering in Bellingham in early May. The portraits were lit with an Alien Bee studio flash outfitted with a beauty dish. It was about 10 feet from the couple and the exposure balanced for the ambient light of the sunset.

Spark spiral, with horizon line placed low in the frame

The last image is a form of light painting. The spirals and sparks are from steel wool, encased in a kitchen whisk, spun in a circle on the end of a chain during a 10-second exposure. Thanks to Clinton James, another Bellingham photographer, for demonstrating the technique, as well as several other fun ways to play with light at night.

For more images from our exploratory evening, visit the Alternative Light gallery on my Facebook page.

University of Washington Herbarium at the Burke Museum, the authors of Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest, and High Country Apps have partnered to produce the new Washington Wildflowers plant identification app for iOS and Android devices. The app provides images, species descriptions, range maps, bloom period, and technical descriptions for more than 850 common wildflowers, shrubs, and vines that occur in Washington and adjacent areas of British Columbia, Idaho, and Oregon. The majority of species included are native, but introduced species common to the region are covered as well in order to expand the usefulness of this resource. Most of the 850 species are illustrated with three photographs, usually a blossom detail, the entire plant, and often a habitat view. I made almost all of the photographs, the exceptions being a few plants I have yet to find.

Once downloaded and installed, the app does not need an internet or cellphone connection to run so you can use it no matter how remote your wanderings take you.

The app is available by following one of these links:

Kindle Fire through Amazon

Android platform through Google Play

Apple iOS platform through iTunes

The number of species covered and wealth of information included sets a new standard for wildflower identification apps. Though primarily designed for amateur enthusiasts, Washington Wildflowers has a breadth of content and depth of information that will appeal to more experienced botanists too. Users can browse the species list by common or scientific name (and even by family!) to locate a plant and access the related information. However, most users will likely use the identification key that is the core of the app to identify a plant of interest.

The key’s user-friendly interface is broken down into nine simple categories: growth habit (e.g., wildflower, shrub, vine), flower color, month of year, geographic region, habitat, leaf arrangement, leaf type, duration (annual, biennial, perennial), and origin (native or introduced). Select choices in as many or as few categories as you wish. As you do so, the number of species found is displayed at the top of the page. Once done selecting, the tap of a button returns thumbnail images and names for potential matches. Users scroll among the species on the list and access additional photos, descriptions, and range maps by tapping the thumbnail image.

Washington Wildflowers includes supporting documents with extensive information on the ecoregions of Washington, descriptions of habitats found across the state, wildflower destinations with best time to visit, insights into how the climate influences the plant communities found here, as well as detailed instructions on how to use the app. Users will also find an extensive glossary of botanical terms, along with labeled diagrams of leaves, flowers, and inflorescences. Finally, detailed descriptions can be found for each family contained in Washington Wildflowers. Tapping on a family name brings up a list of images and names for all species in the app belonging to that family.

Washington and its adjacent areas are home to diverse landscapes containing a wealth of wildflowers, shrubs, and vines. Washington Wildflowers will appeal to individuals of all ages who travel to such areas and are interested in knowing the names and natural history of the plants that they encounter. Washington Wildflowers is also a great educational tool for learning more about plant communities, botanical terms, and how to identify plants in general. A portion of revenues from the app supports conservation and botanical exploration in the region.

Once you’ve downloaded and installed the Washington Wildflowers app, I’m interested in what you think of it. Comment here, or send feedback through the app itself.

First, a definition of the term. Depth of field describes the area in front of (closer to the camera) and behind the subject that appears acceptably sharp when the lens is focused on the subject. We often describe it as “shallow” when only the plane of focus is sharp, and “deep” when more elements in the photo in front of and behind the subject are sharp.

The short answer to Lois’s question about getting a fuzzy background, with shallow depth of field, has three main elements:

• Use a telephoto lens
• Use the large aperture (smallest number f/stop) on that lens
• Choose a subject that is as far away from the background as possible.

Choose a telephoto lens

A telephoto lens has less depth of field than a wide angle, so zoom in as far as you can with your pocket camera. You can make your subject roughly the same size in the frame with either a wide-angle or a telephoto lens. You’ll be close to the subject with a wide-angle and farther away with a telephoto. You’ll see more background area with a wide-angle, too. Choosing to stand back with a telephoto lens reduces the amount of background in the frame, which also helps simplify the image.

Use a large aperture

Set your camera for aperture-priority automatic and dial in the largest aperture on your lens. It will always be the smallest number, i.e. f/2.8, and may vary depending on the zoom setting, A large aperture means a bigger hole, which lets more light through the lens. Your camera will automatically set a faster shutter speed to go along with it. On my Canon G12 pocket camera, the maximum aperture is f/2.8 at the widest zoom setting and f/4.5 at the telephoto setting. The minimum aperture is f/8. That’s not a very wide range, particularly when compared to the lenses on my DSLR that stop down to f/22.

Use distance to separate subject from background

The farther your subject is from whatever is behind it, the fuzzier the background will be. That means if you’re making a portrait and you want soft background, position your subject well away from the background rather than up against a wall. If you’re photographing a flower, choose a blossom and an angle that puts as much distance as possible between it and other plants behind it.

I created several series of images, with my camera on a tripod, so show the effect of changing aperture at different zoom settings. You’ll notice that changing the aperture has greater effect at the telephoto setting.

In the first group of images of the sculpture of Dirty Dan Harris on the Fairhaven Village Green, below, compare the background sharpness with the wide-angle and telephoto end of my zoom at apertures from f/2.8 to f/8. The effect of aperture on the wide end of the zoom is very subtle.

In the next group of images I photographed variations of tall Oregon-grape. Again, look at the difference between the wide-angle and telephoto versions at different apertures.

Finally, some kinnikinick with a madrona trunk in the background.

With the three principles of telephoto lens, large aperture, and subject to background distance in mind, start playing and experimenting.

You can also increase apparent background fuzziness by choosing a camera angle that places something with less detail behind your subject. A green lawn has less detail than a bunch of branches. A plain wall has less detail than one with many windows. When you’re photographing people you can probably move both the subject and your camera to find a simple background.

Pink Fawn Lily blossoms

Coast fawn lily, also known as pink fawn lily, favors moist shady forests, including stream banks and other wet places, near the Pacific coast from British Columbia to California. According to Flora of North America it’s rarely found more than 100 km from the coast. Distribution is sporadic, and while the species is not rare I haven’t seen it myself in very many places.

One easy place to find coast fawn lilies is in Hi-Knoll Park at the edge of Surrey, BC adjacent to Langley. Look for Erythronium revolutum beside the trail that heads south from Colebrook Road. The linked website mistakenly mentions “endangered White Fawn Lily,” perhaps because the park is home to both the uncommon pink fawn lily and the considerably more common Erythronium oregonum, Oregon fawn lily.

Pink Fawn Lilies

Pink fawn lilies have a pair of mottled green leaves 4-10 inches tall. The flower stems (I used the technical term, scape, above) can be up to 20 inches. Individual blossoms hang down, the petals sheltering the stamens and pistal from spring rainfall. You’ll likely need to get down on hands and knees to look inside the blossoms.

Hybrid Fawn Lily in our garden

In our garden we have a slowly-expanding clump of what appears to be a hybrid between the two species. Our plants have pale pink blossoms and mottled foliage. This year, if the slugs don’t mow them down, we’ll have half a dozen blossoms. There are small seedling plants, with a single leaf, at the edge of our clump so we can look forward to even more flowers in future years. I purchased a single seedling from a nursery a few years ago.

Our garden patch of hybrid Erythroniums is planted in our moist shade garden, under the edge of a late-emerging hosta. Fawn lilies bloom early in the spring, set seed, and then disappear. They’re dormant and invisible most of the year. In their native habitat they’re most commonly found on the floor of deciduous forests where they can soak up life-giving sunlight before the tree canopy closes in for the summer.

Hybrid Fawn Lily Blossoms

Fawn lilies, members of the lily family, grow from bulbs. I’ve found them to be easy in cultivation. Be aware that if you plant more than one species, they’re likely to interbreed and hybridize so the seedlings will not be true to species.

You can find more photos of both pink fawn lily and Oregon fawn lily on my wildflowers website.

John Day River valley, merged panorama

I’m a big fan of doing all the necessary preparation work to capture my vision in a single exposure, with all the elements in place in the instant the shutter is open. But sometimes that just isn’t possible and I rely on some of the digital magic that allows me to combine multiple exposures into a single finished image.

There are three main reasons I’ll create a composite image:

• Subjects, particularly in a large group portrait, don’t all cooperate at the same time
• The brightness range in the image is greater than my camera’s sensor can accommodate
• The subject is too large, or the working space too small, to fit into one frame

The key to creating a composite digital image is planning ahead. It’s not something you can do successfully, and believably, without knowing where you’re going. I always use a tripod so as many elements as possible line up perfectly.

Unless I’m going to use High Dynamic Range (HDR) techniques to fit a wide brightness range into a single frame I make sure my exposure is that same for each frame that I’ll be blending. That almost always means manual exposure and a constant aperture. I don’t touch the zoom on my lens and I keep my lighting the same.

Let’s examine each of these three variations on blending multiple exposures.

Blending Subjects

Morse family portrait

I photographed the Morse family in their home last month. We knew up front that we’d be unlikely to get the cat, dog, and two kids all looking good at the same time so we planned to photograph the family with the cat and dog separately and blend them later. When I met Lisa after doing my retouch and finishing work to help her choose a frame she was amazed at my ability to blend the pieces into a beautiful finished portrait.

High Dynamic Range

Lost Lake in the Chuckanut Mountains, HDR composite

HDR photography has gotten a somewhat bad reputation from photographers who overdo the technique and create gaudy, unbelievable images that bear little relation to reality. I prefer to take a more subtle approach, but admittedly it’s a matter of taste. I’ve used the technique both for landscapes and for interior work where there’s a need to see both inside and outside a room.

You’ll find many HDR tutorials online, but the basic technique is to set up the composition, lock the camera down on the tripod, and then make a series of exposures at one-stop intervals so that all brightness ranges in the photo receive a midrange exposure. That usually means shooting from 3 stops above the metered exposure to 3 stops below. Sometimes it doesn’t take that many exposures, but it depends on the scene. I shoot in raw, apply a lens profile and camera profile in Adobe Lightroom, then export all the frames to Photomatix Pro or LR/Enfuse. Mac users can use Bracketeer. Photoshop also includes a Merge to HDR function, but I haven’t been as happy with the results as with the other tools. There’s definitely an art to getting a pleasing result. You’ll have to play with the various sliders and adjustments and you may not get what you want on the first try. There’s no “magic recipe” that works every time, for every image.

Panoramic Composites

I blend two to twenty individual frames together when I can’t fit everything into a single frame. There are a couple of tricks to the process. First, exposure must be consistent for each frame in the series. I use manual exposure and check the exposure across the entire area being photographed, usually choosing the best compromise for the whole scene. Occasionally I’ll combine HDR with a panoramic composite, but that gets complicated.

Hotel Bellwether Lighthouse Suite, merged panorama

Second, I take great care to make sure my camera is absolutely level on my tripod. The camera needs to be level both side-to-side and front-to-back or you’ll create a lot of problems for your stitching software. Additionally, I purchased a specialty panning clamp and nodal slide from Really Right Stuff so that I can rotate my camera around the “no parallax point.” That’s particularly important when creating a panorama in a small space, like this interior photographed for the Hotel Bellwether last month.

When photographing a panorama it’s important to overlap each adjacent frame at least a third. Setting the camera vertical lets you include more from top to bottom with the same lens so your finished panorama isn’t quite so skinny in relation to the width.

Hotel Bellwether Owner’s Suite, merged panorama

Once I’ve captured all the source frames, I run them through Lightroom to apply a lens profile, a camera profile, and make any exposure adjustments, particularly to the highlights and shadows, to each frame in the series. Then I’ll use either Merge to Panorama in Photoshop or export a set of TIFF files that I process in PTGui. Sometimes one program works better than the other and I may try both before I’m satisfied with the result. I almost always have to crop the finished pano in Photoshop to get rid of curving edges and sometimes have to do a little post-merge cleanup at some of the seams. It really depends on the subject matter and which lens was used.

Corteo Peak in the North Cascades, merged panorama

For quickie panoramas, there’s a pretty decent iPhone app called AutoStitch that I’ve used. Results aren’t perfect, but I’ve been generally pleased with the panoramas I’ve made with it. They’re not of the quality I’d deliver to a client, but sometimes it’s just fun to play.

Adding Complexity

You can combine all three of these techniques into a single image, too. It gets complicated, requires a lot of individual exposures, and also requires a fair amount of computing power.

Both of the Hotel Bellwether interiors were created with a combination of HDR and panoramic compositing to be able to hold detail in the bright exterior and the darker parts of the interior and fit the entire room into the frame. They were photographed with a Canon TS-E 24mm tilt/shift lens, with my camera body mounted vertically on my tripod.

If you’re thinking about moving from shooting single frames to blending multiple exposures together, remember that it takes planning and attention to detail. You want as little to change among the frames you’re blending as possible so that the end result hides the evidence of having been done and you’ll spend the least amount of time in front of your computer putting the pieces together. Use manual exposure, use a tripod, keep your lighting consistent, and think about where you want to end up before you start.

Indian Plum blossoms

I’ve been noticing in the past few days that the buds are getting plump and the very first precocious blossoms are showing signs of opening. As soon as we get a few warmish days the Indian Plum will burst into bloom and we’ll know that spring has actually arrived.

Indian Plum at the back of a Samish Island garden in mid-summer

Indian plum is a large shrub or small tree which also goes by the name oso berry. It is widespread in the Northwest, but more common west of the Cascades and prefers somewhat moist but not swampy habitats. It handles summer drought just fine once established, although it has a tendency to lose its leaves early when drought stressed. You’ll find it growing at forest edges, in open forests, and canyons.

When in bloom, Indian plum is almost instantly recognizable by its clusters of white blossoms dangling from side branches and in leaf axils. Male and female blossoms are usually on separate plants, but you have to look closely to tell them apart. Flowers are tubular and are an early favorite of hummingbirds.

Indian Plum ripe fruit

In mid summer look for ripe fruit. The plums, which are edible but bitter and have very little flesh, ripen in stages from yellow to orange to deep blue-black. Birds seem to know exactly when they’re at their best so it may be a challenge to find fully ripe Indian plum fruit.

Indian plum makes a good back of the border shrub in a native plant garden, where you’ll notice it in bloom early in the season and again when the leaves turn golden yellow in late summer. Be aware that deer are fond of it, so you may need to give it some protection for the first few years you have one planted in your garden if you share your garden with deer.

I’ll be teaching photography classes for people with digital SLRs, pocket cameras, and iPhones. My native plant lectures include the dry area in central Washington and the region within walking distance of high tide.

I love to teach and my students consistently report how much fun they have and how much they learn in my classes.

Here’s the lineup.

Wednesday, March 27, 7 pm

How to Take Great Photos of the Wildflowers You Love

Wenatchee Chapter, Washington Native Plant Society
Wenatchee Valley Museum, 127 S. Mission, Wenatchee
Free and open to the public

In this illustrated lecture I’ll teach you about working with different lighting conditions, show the effect of light modifiers, and demonstrate a handful of very useful and easy composition techniques.

Friday, April 19, 7:00 pm

Yakima Valley Wildflowers

Yakima Valley Community College
Kendall Hall Auditorium, YVCC Campus
Free and open to the public

The area around Yakima in south-central Washington bursts into bloom with a profusion of wildflowers each spring. Hillsides are colored golden with balsamroot, pink with phlox, and dotted with white serviceberries. Looking even closer you’ll find wild onions, violets, milkvetch, lupines, paintbrush, and hundreds more species. I’ll share a selection of favorite flowers from the region, and give hints about where to find and enjoy them.

Saturday, April 20, 8:30 am – 5 pm

Pocket Camera Wildflower Photography

Yakima Area Arboretum
$80, Arboretum Members $70

We’ll begin with the illustrated lecture on light and composition and then move out into the arboretum for several hours of hands-on practice photographing flowers and trees. I work with each student individually to help you become a better photographer. At the end of the workshop we’ll download images we’ve created to our computers, select a few favorites and then share them on the big screen while I provide a gentle critique.

Registration and other details

Tuesdays, April 30, May7, May 14, 6:30 – 8:30 pm

Take Great Photos with Your iPhone!

Whatcom Community College
$69

You always have your iPhone with you, so why not learn to use the camera feature to its fullest potential? Just in time for spring events, blooming gardens, and family vacations, I’ll share tips and tricks to improve your usual point and click photos. I’ll also introduce you to some of my favorite iPhone photo apps like SnapSeed and Camera+.

Registration and other details

Saturday, May 18, 9 am – 5 pm

Pocket Camera Flower Photography

University of Washington Herbarium, Seattle
$89, Burke Museum Members $75

This is the same program as I’m teaching in Yakima (see above), except the field photography location is the University of Washington Medicinal Herb Garden.

Registration and other details

Tuesday, June 18, 7 – 9 pm

Pacific Coast Wildflowers

WAKE: Whatcom Association of Kayak Enthusiasts
Bellingham Public Library, lower level
Free and open to the public

Explore the selection of wildflowers, trees, and shrubs you’ll encounter when you make landfall after paddling on the Salish Sea or the outer Pacific Coast. There are a series of habitats, beginning just above high tide, each with different plant communities, that extend inland from the shore. Learn what you might encounter on a day paddle or from your campsite on an overnight journey.

Mark Turner teaching wildflower photography

Friday-Sunday, June 21-23

Mastering Wildflower Photography

Siskiyou Field Institute
Selma, Oregon
$150

We’ll begin with the basics of lighting and composition, but in this DSLR-oriented course I’ll spend more time working with you on lens choice, controlling depth of field, and taking charge of your camera’s many features. There will be plenty of time in the field where you’ll work on you photo skills while I provide hands-on instruction. You’ll learn from an evening critique how to make your images even better. We’ll spend some time with geotagging and with using software tools to manage your photo collection and apply basic post-processing image enhancement techniques.

Registration and details

Saturday, August 3, 10 am – noon

Garden Photography

Northwest Perennial Alliance
In a private Seattle-area garden
For NPA members only

In this short garden photography workshop you’ll learn how to improve your compositions and work with mid-day light to achieve beautiful results in less than perfect conditions. I’ll work with each student individually after demonstrating concepts with my pocket camera and showing the results on my iPad screen.

Registration and details are not yet on the NPA website

Friday-Sunday, August 9-11

Digital Wildflower Photography with a Pocket Camera

North Cascades Institute
North Cascades Environmental Learning Center, Diablo, Washington
$255-$510, depending on lodging choice

As always, we’ll cover lighting and composition in an illustrated lecture. I’ll spend time with each student to master the many controls on your camera and help you lean which settings are important and which ones to ignore. We’ll spend a full day in the field making images. I’ll be at your side as much as you need me to help with individual compositions and lighting problems. We’ll download, edit, and share images during an evening critique. On the final day we’ll return to the field to apply what you learned in the first two days, cementing your knowledge so you can put it all to work when you’re back home and on your own.

Registration and details

If you’ve visited a wetland almost anywhere on the west side of the Cascades you’ve likely seen slough sedge. It’s one of our most common sedges, growing in wet places throughout our region. Field Guide to the Sedges of the Pacific Northwest says its “yellowish green, arching, evergreen leaves can be identified from a moving car.” Those leaves are tough, somewhat leathery, 3-7mm (1/10 to ¼ inch) wide, with sharp prickles on the edges of the leaves pointed toward the tip. You’ll definitely notice them if you run your finger down the edge of a leaf.

Slough sedge holds onto its seed-bearing perigynia through the winter. Seeds can then be dispersed during spring floods. The perigynia are the long, fuzzy-looking brown things you see on the plants in the winter. They’re the remains of the female flowers.

Sedges all have specialized flower parts with their own names. It takes more study than I’ve put in to fully understand all the terminology. For now, you can just remember that Carex have separate male and female flowers, often on the same plant. Like other flowering plants, parts of the female flowers mature into seeds. In sedges they’re called achenes, which are enclosed in a perigynium.  Perigynia is the plural form.

Carex obnupta spreads by rhizomes, underground runners. Like many other rhizomatous plants, that means that it can become invasive, particularly on small sites. That’s one reason we decided not to plant at the edge of my mother-in-law’s pond garden. We’d rather have more diversity.

Slough sedge is often the dominant species in a wetland. Not many animals eat it because the edges of the leaves are sharp enough to cut skin.

To learn more about Carex obnupta and the many other sedges in the Pacific Northwest, the book to own is Field Guide to the Sedges of the Pacific Northwest. It’s thorough, beautifully illustrated, and as easy to use as any volume on this challenging genus.