Flowery fields of brilliant blooms in every colour of the rainbow are a treat for the eyes and a tonic for the soul. These 7 amazing colourful fields and meadows span the spectrum from deepest violet to brightest white, challenging photographers to capture their beauty while testing their antihistamines.
1. Violet Vales
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Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido is famed for its sprawling fields of lavender nourished by copious rainfall and rich volcanic soils. The area around the city of Furano boasts an abundance of lavender farms and the lush, redolent fields of fragrant lavender draw tourists from across the nation and beyond.
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Lavender has been cultivated for centuries in Europe and the sight of ancient castles and country houses poking above soft mauve fields of blooming lavender is not to be missed in one’s lifetime. The ethereal scene above, seemingly brought to life from a glorious Turner watercolour via the photographic magic of Antony Spencer, hails from Faulkland, Somerset, in the United Kingdom. Rule Britannia!
2. Green Green Grass
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Who could guess the timeless Eden at above top can be found in northern Pakistan? The image just below is probably much more familiar, being it’s the aptly named “Bliss” default background screen from Windows XP. The scene isn’t a computer-generated image, nor does it depict the scenery around Microsoft’s Redmond, WA headquarters. Instead, the now-iconic vista captures the rolling verdant vineyards southeast of Sonoma, California, as snapped by professional photographer Charles O’Rear in 1996.
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What’s a field without flowers? Something special, that’s what, especially if the grassy expanse is observed in conjunction with our planet’s varied and contrasting backdrop of sun, sky and atmosphere. It’s soothing just to view the image; imagine what it would be like to actually be there?
3. Mellow Yellow
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Rapeseed is an oilseed sometimes known as Canola (for obvious reasons) that is grown around the world, often in huge plantations. The brilliant tint of the flowers, their quantity on each plant, and the vast size of the planted fields combine to produce stunning yellow vistas which can be positively blinding on bright sunny days.
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Some of the world’s largest rapeseed plantations can be found in Luoping County, located in southwest China’s Yunnan Province. The sprawling fields of rapeseed lap around bare Karst limestone cones giving the appearance of an alien yellow sea surrounding barren rocky islands.
4. Orange You Glad?
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Enjoy the fruits of Mother Nature’s labours with these fields of orange-coloured flowers! From cultivated marigolds to wild African daisies to the wonderful variety of blooms that delight visitors to California’s Carlsbad Flower Fields, the rich hue of the setting sun can be enjoyed at any hour of the day.
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There are few things more pleasing to the senses than a field of freshly blooming wildflowers, especially if they’re all of the same species and colour. Such is the case in several spots along the California coastline, such as the idyllic meadow above. Located just off the Buchon Trail near the Canyon Diablo nuclear power plant, these colourful California Poppies give off a glow that’s all-natural!
5. Inside the Red Zone
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Both images above depict fields of poppies, both display locations in England, and both were discovered and captured by the lens of award-winning photographer Antony Spencer. Though it’s true poppies have their dark side, these strikingly beautiful images help bring balance to a much-maligned flower best seen in the light of a lovely English day.
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The dark side does have its own appeal, of course, and the poppy field above shimmering in the, ahem, twilight would certainly strike a chord in fans of a certain fantasy romance series. Only one question remains…does the scene above depict dawn, dusk, or some misty netherworld forever fixed upon the borders of day and night?
6. Pretty In Pink
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Taking cues from both the red and violet bands of the spectrum, pink reaches its full potential when expressed in the petals of flowers. Multiply the impact by several petals per flower and thousands of flowers per field and you’ve got wall to wall, sensory overload, maximum intensity pink and a close encounter of the bubble-gum kind.
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A more subdued yet no less powerful exploration of pinkness can be found in Japan’s legendary Sakura cherry blossoms. Blooming en masse annually in a highly anticipated, widely reported national news event, the sight of a forest of Sakura trees festooned with gently snowing blossoms is a scene not to be missed.
7. White Out
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There’s something about a field of white flowers…the gentle beauty of the frosted petals contrasting with the rich organic green of the background foliage is something timeless and primordial. Perhaps it’s the lack of colour that imbues white flowers with a certain restrained grace, or maybe we do that ourselves in order to fill a perceived lack that really isn’t there at all.
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White as the snow-capped mountains and refreshing as an icy freshwater stream in early spring, a field of white flowers invites the bracing breeze while banishing heavy heat and humidity. From alpine Edelweiss scattered through Swiss meadows to gently nodding ranks of daisies growing wild and undisciplined amongst prairie grass and ground cover, white flowers take in the best of every colour combination and bounce it right back at us. Do you dare to take them lightly? Go ahead…they wouldn’t have it any other way.
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Fields of colourful flowers can shock and surprise those expecting only green grass, giving the impression of dream landscapes - if you dream in colour, that is. Not that the power of millions of flowers can ever disappoint, of course, the only caveat may be the difficulty in choosing a colour. Luckily there’s no limit, in time or of colour: if you can’t select one, why not take them all?
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