Red Poppy 1

The shirley poppies that came up in the autumn are beginning to flower. So far there have been only red ones. They are tricky to photograph because they bob around in the slightest breeze.

Poppies are my passion. I love the colours and delicate nature of the petals while the variety of the centres amazes and delights me. The stigma, which will become the seed case, varies in colour, pattern and texture. The anthers also vary in colour, producing pollen that may be yellow, or white, or green and sometimes even blue. This poppy had a fuzzy red and green stigma and tan anthers that later released white pollen. Two other similar flowers nearby had black anthers, but one had green pollen while the other had lemon yellow.

If you are also a poppy lover you might like to look at some from my last season's collection in my Blipfolio.