Lychnis flos-cuculi [Ragged Robin]

[JMC]

Crowther, J.M. (2021) Lychnis flos-cuculi L. (Caryophyllaceae) Ragged Robin. Flowers photographed in ultraviolet light and visible light. https://www.ultravio...i-ragged-robin/

 

Synonyms:

• Coronaria flos-cuculi (L.) A.Braun
  
• Silene flos-cuculi (L.) Greuter & Burdet
  

Comments

L. flos-cuculi is usually found in a wildflower meadow, damp pasture or woodland ride across the UK although due to habitat loss it is becoming increasing rare. Flowers are approximately 3cm across and are an important source of nectar for butterflies and long-tongued bees.This was photographed in a garden environment in Surrey, UK.

 

Height up to 1m. Ragged-robin is a perennial. It has much-divided, pink flowers (hence the name 'Ragged') and narrow, grass-like leaves.It’s worth looking at the flowers closely; each petal is deeply divided into four lobes and emerge from an attractive deeper pink calyx.

 

Reference:

1. R. Fittier, A. Fittier and M. Blamey (1996) Wildflowers of Britain and Northern Europe, 5th Ed. Ragged Robin, page 64. Harper Collins Publishers, London.

 

 

SET 1

Egham, Surrey, UK

May 2021

Wildflower, garden environment

 

Equipment [Nikon d810 Advanced Camera Services Ltd UV conversion + Rayfact 105mm UV]

Ultraviolet Light [f/16 for 0.5s @ISO 1000 in Sunlight using ACS in camera UV filter, whitebalanced in Darktable]

 

Equipment [samsung Galaxy S10e camera phone]

Visible Light [cropped from original]

[Andrea B.]

That is a pretty and interesting flower. Thank you for the contribution.

 

(And that phone camera is pretty good. They've really come a long way.)

[Andy Perrin]

Really gorgeous and a very strange flower. Is this considered two UV colors or one?

[JMC]

SET 2

Egham, Surrey, UK

May 2021

Wildflower, garden environment

 

Equipment [Nikon d810 Advanced Camera Services Ltd UV conversion + Astro Berlin 120mm f2.1 lens + Novoflex Hasselblad adapter, Raf Camera M65 adapter and M65 helicoids]

Ultraviolet Light [approximately f/5.6 - waterhouse stop - for 1/6s @ISO 1000 in Sunlight using ACS in camera UV filter, whitebalanced in Darktable]

 

Equipment setup shown below.

[JMC]

Thanks Andrea, Andy.

 

Andy, not sure what you mean with your question about '2 UV colours'?

[colinbm]

Interesting flower Jonathan & very interesting equipment.

I am not familiar with the filter ACS ?

How do you get a WB in Darktable ?

[JMC]

Thanks Colin - sorry, ACS is Advanced Camera Services in the UK. I'll make that clear in the post. They do UV conversions using their own filter (which the transmission spectra is not shared for). This lack of information on the filter has caused some controversy in the past, however from my experience it behaves similarly to a Baader U.

 

I use a photo of a PTFE disk to get my whitebalance. I take a RAW photo of the disk, import that in to Darktable, use the spot function to get a whitebalance on the disk. I then use the Copy all function to save that whitebalance setting and apply that to the flower image RAW files. I then save the flower images and do any other work in photoshop.

[colinbm]

Thanks Jonathan, that satisfies my curiosity.

This filter is built into your camera & not easily changeable ?

[JMC]

Thanks Jonathan, that satisfies my curiosity.

This filter is built into your camera & not easily changeable ?

You're welcome.

 

Built in Colin, and not something I'd be comfortable removing.

[Andy Perrin]

Andy, not sure what you mean with your question about '2 UV colours'?

 

The tips seem to be different from the center portions of the flower. They are darker. I don't know if that qualifies as being a separate UV false color or what.