Purple camas buds with one brilliantly open flower against a blurry green background

Spring flowers come and go so quickly, so I’ve been trying to capture them every day, especially the camas, which have been so dramatic and gorgeous! I want to remember how spectacular they were before they’re gone till next year. I’m feeling particularly grateful that we got these camas plants last spring from a local native plant sale, especially since the plant sale was cancelled this year. Having them in my garden meant I got to see wildflowers right here at home and I can’t express how much joy that’s brought me. (If you follow my stories on Instagram, you’ll have seen how obsessed I’ve been and I’m not sorry.)

The colours in these flowers just pop so beautifully against each other and I love the texture of those sweet furry yellow stamens. It’s really fascinating that the central green ovary is so prominent too. For my photography nerds, I couldn’t help playing with focus to make that yellow texture super crisp. (I use a Fujifilm XT-2 and all of these were shot with a 60mm f/2.4 R macro lens.)

Closeup of a purple camas flower with petals that are a rich purple, shaded from blue-ish to more pink. Just one furry gold stamen is in focus and the rest of the image is softer.

I was so delighted when one of the stalks bloomed and turned out to be a pale variety! I don’t think I’ve ever seen camas this colour before. I have seen white, but we don’t have any of those. It’s so sweet to have both the darker purple flowers and these lighter ones.