Spring Flowers 2014: Scilla bifolia - 80mm Quartz Fluorite lens for reflected ultraviolet photography

Well, spring finally seem to have arrived in Weinheim where I live, so here a few shots of some first spring flowers, like that Scilla bifolia. Shots were done aside from visible photography in reflected ultraviolet using Baader-U filter and in simulated bee vision using my XBV6 filter. Lens used was an older f3.2 / 80mm Quartz Fluorite lens. Light source was sun. All shots were done at approx. f8.

[click on image to see a larger one]

Visible light image:  

UV image using Baader-U filter (approx. 320-395nm, effective peak approx. 375nm):  

Simulated bee vision image using experimental XBV filter:  


This attractive early spring flower shows its not very prominent UV pattern. Scilla usually is reflecting only in long wave UV around 380nm, visible as a bluish violet and its center (anthers, stamen) is darker than the tips in UV, excatly the other way round than it appears to us in human vision. This older quartz fluorite lens is reproducing this quite well and all that gets nicely visible.


Stay tuned, more will follow on that fascinating subject...