Botanical & Flowers · horizontal

Flame Star Tulip from Above

A top-down view of an open tulip with pointed petals streaked in red and cream-white. The center is yellow, with several yellow stamens and dark brown markings. Blurred green and purple foliage fills the background.

A tulip seen straight down, so the six pointed petals open like a star around a bright yellow center. Each petal carries red streaks that feather into cream-white edges, like quick flame-shaped brushstrokes. It reads as a bold, graphic red-and-cream flower at a glance, and the longer look rewards you with fine feathering, a velvety center and dark-marked stamens. Most tulip photographs show the flower from the side, in a bunch or in a field. This one is one bloom, centered, filling the frame.

Artwork by Omaste Witkowski