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Volume 9 No. 1
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July/August 2016
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Photo of Nicole DeVito seedling by Nikki Schmith
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WELCOME TO
DAYLILY E-NEWS
, a free electronic newsletter brought to you by the American Hemerocallis Society, also known as AHS.
Daylily E-News
is for all who share an interest in daylilies, including members of the American Hemerocallis Society and other horticultural organizations, educators, garden writers, news media, and anyone who loves to garden.
After enjoying creating the
Daylily E-News for 6 years, it's time to hand the baton to the next editor. Starting with the next issue, Jacob Braun of Peoria, Illinois will be taking over the reins. I'm sure he'll do a great job.
For my last issue, I've included an article I wrote about nature, daylilies, and photography. So many of us who love gardening and daylilies also love the creatures that inhabit our gardens, like bees, butterflies, birds, frogs and more; and sometimes we're lucky enough to get a photo opportunity that includes both our favorite flower and a special visitor. Hope you enjoy
Capturing Nature Through Photography.
The photos in this issue are by many talented people who have a keen eye and the patience (and the luck) to capture special moments in the garden.
The AHS is excited to announce the upcoming publication of two new books:
The Open Form Daylily: Spiders, Unusual Forms, and Other "Exotics"
,
edited by Oliver Billingslea, and
My Grandparents' Daylilies
by Patrick Larsen.
They should be ready in time for holiday gift-giving!
Be sure to click on the Facebook "like" button and share this issue with your friends! If they don't already subscribe, click here to let them see for themselves!
If you are not yet a
Daylily E-News
subscriber, sign up via the link at the AHS website:
Daylily E-News
.
You may unsubscribe from
Daylily E-News
at any time by clicking on
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, which you will find in each issue.
We hope you enjoy
Daylily E-News
!
Jacob Braun with Elizabeth Trotter
Incoming Editor | E-News Editor
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Thank you to our advertisers for sponsoring this issue of
Daylily E-News!
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COMING THIS FALL!
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AHS Photo Contest
It's time to send in all those great daylily and garden photos you took this summer. The deadline is November 1. For more information, visit
AHS Photography & Video Awards
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AHS Personal Awards
September 1 is the deadline to submit nominations for AHS Personal Awards, such as the Helen Field Fischer Gold Medal, the Bertrand Farr Silver Medal, the AHS Electronic Media Award, the Steve Moldovan Mentoring Award, the Christine Stamile Youth Award, and more. For more information, visit
AHS Personal Awards
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Capturing Nature through Photography
by Elizabeth Trotter
Have you ever noticed how people who love to garden also tend to have an appreciation for nature? One often leads to the other. One day, you're out admiring your daylilies, then suddenly you see a butterfly light on a bloom. The combination of color and movement is magical.
photo by Debra Scott
An eye for detail when it comes to daylilies -- eyes and edges, diamond dusting, ruffles and sculpting -- is akin to the appreciation we have for the intricate patterns and markings to be found on a butterfly's wing, or a hummingbird's throat.
photo by Debra Scott
Many of us gardeners are so interested in nature in our own backyard that we apply for backyard habitat certification from the National Wildlife Federation and agree to supply food, water, and cover for wildlife. One of the most important aspects of this program includes eliminating the use of pesticides in our garden, as they threaten the survival of the "good" creatures that we love to watch, like birds, butterflies, bees, and praying mantids; even tiny frogs!
Daylily seedling with tree frog photo by Scott Elliott
One of the joys we have in seeing tiny creatures enjoying the daylilies is capturing the moment through photography. A key to catching those special photos is patience. Simply hang your camera around your neck, and go outside for a stroll, quietly noticing what's happening in the garden. A lot of shots that others would call "lucky" are the result of taking the time to just observe nature around you. First thing in the morning, you might find a writing spider (Argiope) busily at work, its intricate webbing still spangled with dew. Soon after the sun peeks over the horizon, bees can be found buzzing all around in search of pollen. Once it is warm enough to fly, the dancing flowers of the garden will appear -- butterflies and dragonflies.
Dragonfly on 'Strawberry Patch' photo by Debra Scott
A second tip when photographing nature is to take lots of pictures. With today's digital cameras, it's easy to take multiple shots while trying to catch an insect in flight. Experimentation with your camera will be necessary to see what light conditions yield the best results in terms of trueness of color. In general, bright sunlight will overexpose your shot and wash out the color. Conversely, too much shade will add unwanted shadows. You can take very good photos with a point-and-shoot model, but sometimes when you would like to be a little more creative, a camera that allows you to customize the settings, such as adjusting your shutter speed and the aperture, will allow you to achieve the photography effects you are striving for.
Composition and depth of field are two areas in which you can exercise creativity. Composition of a photo refers to what you choose to include in your shot. For example, are you wanting to take a landscape photo, or a close-up of a single bloom? Obviously, a lot of nature photography calls for close-ups, which can be achieved by activating the zoom feature on your camera, or later on your computer when you are cropping a photo. As you become more advanced, you may wish to invest in some macro lenses for your camera for close-ups with exceptional detail, down to the scales on a butterfly's wing.
Nicole DeVito seedling photo by Nikki Schmith
The depth of field, or what is in focus in your picture, is mostly preset in a point-and-shoot camera. When photographing daylilies, you can really get some great artistic effects by playing around with the bokeh, which is basically the background behind what you are focusing on for your photo.
Monarch on verbena photo by Lynn P. Hopkins
If you wish to capture a "stop action" shot, such as hummingbird's wings, you will need a fast shutter speed setting. Most point-and-shoot cameras will not allow you to adjust your settings enough to "stop" a bee's wings in motion. That's where a SLR (single lens reflex) model will come in handy. More sophisticated cameras allow you to adjust your shutter speed and aperture as necessary to catch that special moment in time.
Hummingbird with 'Princess Irene' daylily photo by Rita Adkins
One last tip -- be sure you are familiar with the difference between optical and digital zoom on your camera. An optical zoom is a true zoom lens, and will result in a much better quality image. Digital zoom is just the camera enlarging the image in your frame and removing the outer edges of the picture. It operates much like cropping a photo in your photo editing software. The process enlarges your pixels and reduces the image resolution, thus affecting your image quality. That's why you might end up with a fuzzy, out-of-focus picture when using digital zoom.
Now that you've enjoyed a short tutorial on using your camera effectively to photograph nature, get out there and have fun!
Praying Mantis on 'Duck's Luck' photo by Louise Taylor
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AHS The American Daylily Society Promo Video
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The AHS has its own YouTube channel. Just click below to learn more about the wonderful world of daylilies.
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Hemerocallis 'Becky Adams
' (Selman, 2010). Click photo for larger image.
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Hemerocallis 'Neon Rainbow'(Joiner,1995). Click photo for larger image. |
| Locate an AHS group near you! |
The American Hemerocallis Society is all about daylilies
and people.
AHS is organized into 15 Regions including USA, Canada, and International designations. Each offers a variety of regional and local club daylily activities.
When people join AHS, they also become a member of the AHS Region in which they live. AHS Regions do not charge additional dues. Most AHS regions publish theirown newsletter and mail it to all regional members at no extra charge. Members often participate in events outside their own region.
To learn about daylily activities and events near you, visit:
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Hemerocallis
'Crocodile Tears'
(Selman, 2011
)
. Click photo for larger image.
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Why Join AHS?
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| Learn about daylilies.
Receive the quarterly publication, The Daylily Journal.
Receive a regional newsletter 2-3 times per year.
Enjoy a members-only social networking site with forums, blogs, calendars, and more.
Meet daylily growers and hybridizers.
Vote for favorite daylilies in the Popularity Poll.
Participate in daylily exhibitions.
Become an AHS Exhibition Judge.
Become an AHS Garden Judge.
Have an AHS Daylily Display Garden and/or AHS Historic Daylily Display Garden.
Attend daylily symposiums, garden tours, meetings, conventions, and more.
Participate in online and email discussion groups.
Join special interest snail-mail groups.
Become a better gardener.
Form friendships for life!
AHS members belong to one of 15 U.S./Canadian regions. Those outside the U.S. and Canada may join as International members. Over 180 local clubs form the backbone of every region, and you may find that one of them is near you. If not, meet with local gardeners and form a daylily club of your own!
It's easy to become a member. Just use this link:
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James
Gossard seedling. Click photo for larger image.
The AHS Media Library
Easy programs for your club -
OR ...
Download for your own enjoyment!
A special benefit of your American Hemerocallis Society (AHS) membership is
FREE
access to downloadable programs from the AHS Media Library for club presentations, public education events, and personal use.
There are currently 31 programs available for your viewing pleasure!
To see what presentations are available, go to:
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Hemerocallis 'Linda Beck' (Agin, 2005). Click photo for larger image. |
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What is the AHS Membership Portal?
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The AHS Membership Portal is a feature-rich website operated by AHS for the benefit of its members.
In 2013, the Portal was completely redesigned for easier navigation and user convenience. A new tour of the Portal's features and benefits has been created by Portal Help Desk member Michael Bouman, with recorded narration for every slide. A video of the tour is available for people who don't have PowerPoint on their computer. Both the PowerPoint download and the streaming video are posted on the Portal's Help Page. (The "Help" button is located on the right side of the listing of drop-down buttons near the top of the page.)
We hope members will take a look around the site to see the changes that have been made. If you are having a problem accessing any of the features, hit the "Contact Us" button at the very top row of buttons on the right of the page or click on the "Contact" button just to the left of "Help" in the row of buttons near the top.
If you are not a member of the AHS and are interested in joining, you can do it
right from the home page noted above.
Want to learn more about the benefits of joining the AHS? Click on the "Membership" button near the top, pick "Join/Renew" from the drop-down menu, and then pick "Membership Benefits."
We hope you enjoy the new look of the site!
Mary Collier Fisher,
Th
ere is something for everyone on the AHS Membership Portal.
Discover it today!
Visit:
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Daylily E-News!
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Hemerocallis 'Alexis Sunny Pants' (Owen-P., 2011). Click photo for larger image.
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| SPELLING LESSON |
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How to spell
"daylily"
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| The word "daylily" is properly spelled as one word. Many of today's spellcheckers and media style books incorrectly use the old-fashioned spelling "day lily" instead. The single word has been the preferred spelling for decades. |
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Hemerocallis 'Brainstorm' (Owen-P., 2009). Click photo for larger image. |
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What is a Daylily?
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A daylily is an herbaceous perennial that will return year after year in a suitable climate. Some are evergreen and will retain their green foliage throughout the year in a mild climate.
Daylilies may be hardy or tender, depending on genetics, so gardeners should choose cultivars based on their local growing conditions
Daylilies belong to the genus Hemerocallis, from the Greek meaning "beauty for a day." A typical daylily bloom lasts for one day, but an established clump will produce many flowering scapes with plentiful buds that will produce a fresh flush of blooms over many days.
Daylilies do not form bulbs (as do members of the genus Lilium, otherwise known as "true" lilies).
Due to the distinctive characteristics of Hemerocallis, taxonomists have removed daylilies from the family Liliaceae and placed them in their own family Hemerocallidaceae.
Daylilies form a crown, with fibrous roots below and foliage and flowering scapes above. The daylily crown is the essential growth center of the plant. Neither true daylily root structures nor daylily foliage will grow without a piece of the crown.
Some daylilies form rhizomes - special underground structures with scales and internodes - that can produce new plants. The species or "wild" types often have this trait. Many modern hybrids do not form rhizomes, although there are some that do.
For more daylily terms, see the
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Hemerocallis'Kazuq' (Jinkerson, 1986).Click photo for larger image.
For previous issues of DAYLILY E-NEWS visit the archives:
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| The American Hemerocallis Society, Inc., is a non-profit corporation organized exclusively for educational and scientific purposes, and especially to promote, encourage, and foster the development and improvement of the genus Hemerocallis and public interest therein. |
| AHS Daylily E-News Committee: Elizabeth Trotter (KY), Editor, E-News; Sue Bergeron (ON, Canada); Ken Cobb (NC); Julie Covington (VA); Nikki Schmith (IL); John Ware (VA). |
| Daylily E-News © 2016 by the American Hemerocallis Society, Inc. |
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