Dutchman's Breeches in Eastern Iowa

Dutchman's breeches, mid-April
Yes, eastern Iowa DOES have wonderful woodland wildflowers. You just have to find a hilly or rocky place that has not yet been paved or plowed or heavily grazed! Along the rivers, like the Cedar River and Iowa River, there are some really nice patches of forest in which the understory still resembles (approximately) its native form.
I made this photograph using KODACHROME SLIDE FILM back in the early 1990s. Still, it remains one of my favorites. Despite the relatively poor quality of the off-brand lens (and dipoters) I was using at the time, I like the way this photograph shows the texture and shape of this interesting flower, which is about the size of a nickel. Unfortunately, the leaves cannot be seen in this view.
Over the years, I have had difficulty getting good photos of Dutchman's breeches because there is lots of contrast between the flowers and the forest floor. The white flowers often get "blown out" or overexposed. That's why it's important to do the photography on a cloudy or overcast day, when the sunlight is more even, or to use a diffuser to soften the light that hits the plant. Another problem is the wind. The flowers dangle on the stem like little pants on a tiny clothes line. The best time to catch these flowers motionless is during the early morning when when the air is calm.
For me, MID SPRING is the best time of year to do woodland photography. The bugs are rare, and the earth feels warm and dry. "Warm and dry" is important, because much of my time is spent on my knees or my belly, while checking out the plants and looking through the view finder of my camera!