Native Plants
Image Gallery
Schroeder, Susan
Behind the LensMost people just step on them. Susan photographs them.
Susan Schroeder is a University of Houston alumna with a BFA in Visual Communication Design and was a freelance graphic designer in Houston, Texas, for more than 25 years. A long-time amateur photographer, Susan was introduced to 35mm film photography in college. The requisite courses concentrated on technical and conceptual experimentation. She also learned how to develop and print her own film.
Susan’s personal interest in Texas native plants evolved in 2003 when she and her husband purchased acreage nestled in the remote southwestern corner of Real County off of Ranch Road 337, which is undoubtedly one of the most scenic drives in Texas. The road winds through the deeply dissected terrain of the Balcones Escarpment along the southern edge of the Edwards Plateau — a Texas ecoregion that is noted for its biodiversity and wealth of endemic plant species.
Upon retirement in 2015, Susan had the privilege to live full-time on their Texas Hill Country ranch. For eight years, she focused on the plant life she found growing around their cabin and photographed it as it was found — in its natural environment without disruption or destruction of its habitat. Susan was always delighted to discover a plant she had not yet set her eyes on, and sifted through her collection of wildflower field guides until she discovered its identity. She became more attentive to the other distinguishing characteristics of the different wildflowers besides their colorful blooms — a practice that usually meant carefully watching where she stepped on loose rocks, kneeling on gravelly caliche, or assuming other awkward physical positions to get the right angle for the camera shot. She often visited the same plant several days in a row, and throughout the changing seasons, to capture the various stages of its life cycle. There was always something new!
February 24, 2025
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scientific name common name(s) image gallery Abutilon fruticosum Texas Indian Mallow
Indian Mallow
Abutilon fruticosum Texas Indian Mallow
Indian Mallow
Abutilon fruticosum Texas Indian Mallow
Indian Mallow
Abutilon fruticosum Texas Indian Mallow
Indian Mallow
Abutilon fruticosum Texas Indian Mallow
Indian Mallow
Abutilon fruticosum Texas Indian Mallow
Indian Mallow
Abutilon fruticosum Texas Indian Mallow
Indian Mallow
Abutilon fruticosum Texas Indian Mallow
Indian Mallow
Abutilon fruticosum Texas Indian Mallow
Indian Mallow
Abutilon fruticosum Texas Indian Mallow
Indian Mallow
scientific name common name(s) image gallery