Ultraviolet Flowers: Tragopogon pratensis ssp. minor

Tragopogon pratensis L. ssp. minor (Mill.)Hartm.

Asteraceae

TuTragopogon pratensis ssp. minor. Visible light

Visible light
( L37C filter)

Tragopogon pratensis ssp. minor. Ultraviolet light

UV light
(U-360, SB-140 flash)

IR light
(Wratten 89B, SB-140 flash with Wratten 87)

All images: Nikon D1H , UV-Nikkor 105 mm f/4.5 @800 ISO

The Yellow Goat's Beard, or Salsify, does not display the common bull's-eye pattern shown by many yellow composite flowers. The entire flower head absorbs UV and thus is rendered dark (here red, whilst the head would be virtually black on a b/w film). However, since the protruding bracts reflect UV strongly, a visual tw-zoned pattern emerges.

The entire flower head including the bracts reflect strongly in near IR.