Red poppies in a summer cornfield by Silva Wischeropp

I discovered these fascinating, bright, red poppy flowers in a summer cornfield in the outskirts of Berlin. The motif was photographed on 12 June 2021 with the NIKON D800 (lens: NIKKOR 20.0 mm f/2.8) and a light fill-in flash. The rich red tones and the radiance of the colours give the nature motif a summery and warm aura that is perfect for hanging in living rooms and bedrooms.

I have been a lover of red poppies since my earliest childhood; for me, these bright, blood-red cornfields are the perfect place to heal the soul.
The red poppy has been with us since the Neolithic Age.
The poppy's main flowering season is actually in spring, namely in May and June. Nevertheless, it is considered one of the summer companions par excellence. As soon as the poppy blooms, the bright and warm time of the year has finally begun.
When the delicate petals of the poppy unfurl from their buds, they appear to be made of wafer-thin, crumpled paper. The individual flowers only last two to three days before they wither. But all in all, the poppies remain in bloom into August and beyond, producing new red flowers day after day.

Like most field herbs, the corn poppy has not been native to Central Europe since time immemorial. The species originates from the warmer Mediterranean region and arrived in the north together with cereals during the Neolithic period, sometime between 4500 and 3000 BC.
Today, the corn poppy is found all over the world, in our region it grows up to an altitude of around 1000 metres above sea level, above which it becomes too cold.
As a typical cereal companion, the life cycle of the poppy is well adapted to that of the cereal. Corn poppy is a so-called "light bucket" and therefore needs open areas every year. Cereal fields are ideal for this.