Greater quaking grass (also called “rattlesnake grass”) has a peculiar way of shimmering as it “quakes” with every passing breeze.
This effect is created by the combination of the overlapping, reflective surfaces covering the “spikeletes” and the thread-like branches. Notice how every shingle reflects the late afternoon sun, each tiny hair shimmering with luminosity.
When a giant wind blows past (a common occurence here in Northern Portugal), entire hillsides come alive with tiny, moving sparkles. It is, however, precisely this tendency to “shiver” that makes quaking grass an utter nightmare to photograph. They simply cannot. Stop. Moving!
The shiny magenta caps shown here— a rare color for this species— make them even more striking.
Greater quaking grass (also called “rattlesnake grass”) has a peculiar way of shimmering as it “quakes” with every passing breeze.
This effect is created by the combination of the overlapping, reflective surfaces covering the “spikeletes” and the thread-like branches. Notice how every shingle reflects the late afternoon sun, each tiny hair shimmering with luminosity.
When a giant wind blows past (a common occurence here in Northern Portugal), entire hillsides come alive with tiny, moving sparkles. It is, however, precisely this tendency to “shiver” that makes quaking grass an utter nightmare to photograph. They simply cannot. Stop. Moving!
The shiny magenta caps shown here— a rare color for this species— make them even more striking.
