Could this Asteraceae be Hieracium lactusella? I found it growing at the side of a mountain road at a quota of 1300 ft. It is actually growing on a pine needle bedding. The entire area is covered with Pines. It is a pity I didn't take a few more well detailed photographs. I took these without a tripod which is fatal for me.
I can't help with the plant ID, but maybe a photo tip—though likely you already know: if you tend to blur pictures when you don't have a tripod, for those occasions you might try experimenting with using your 2-second timer while hand-holding your camera.
Hieracium lactusella should have vertical mostly leafless stems with top branching. Leaves can be sessile but not auriculate. This one looks more like Lactuca (Lactuca virosa?). Check also Hieracium auricula which has auriculate leaves. And of course, Hieracium is mostly densely hairy, whereas Lactuca is mostly glabrous.
Hi GroonX7, I have a problem keeping my camera still. I use a tripod when I can but that is not always possible when one is walking in the mountains. Without the tripod I use a monopod and auto shutter release, hold my breath and tuck my elbows close to my side, yet still I am unable to keep my camera and monopod still. When one weighs 110 kilo and accompanied by 75 years + all the aches and pains that come with weight and years. I can remember in the late 60s hand holding my Nikon Photomic II and shooting sculpured stone work on the ceiling of an Oxford Univ. out building, using a shutter spead of 1/8 of a second. The images were crisp and sharp. I have just purchased a Metz ring flash, and I have started to carry a reproduction stand, obviously without the 4 lights, a 90° Nikon eye peice. This equipment is carried on the back of my industrial/Agricultural quad. Adaptation is the magic word. Many thanks for your advice. duffy
Hi, Duffy, Good to hear from you. I'm nine years younger than you, and I try to stay on the light side of 170 pounds. Pounds, not kilos; maybe there is some benefit to pounds, after all, because a person is still a whole lot lighter-weight with the same numbers. However, the rest of what you say doesn't surprise me. I thought there must be some reason why your shutter-finger isn't squeezing the shutter button smoothly. Do you think it's mostly the 75 years, or the 110 kilos? I have a friend a bit older than you, and he tells me he just can't carry his heavy over-the-shoulder camera bag any more. He's thin and fairly strong, so he thinks it's just his 79 years that cause the difficulty. People often say they want to live to be 100—but what we mean is, we would like to stay 30 years old for 70 years. :-)
