Lavender is a genus of 39 species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World and is found from Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, southern Europe across to northern and eastern Africa, the Mediterranean, southwest Asia to southeast India. Many members of the genus are cultivated extensively in temperate climates as ornamental plants for garden and landscape use, and also commercially for the extraction of essential oils.
From the beloved fragrance to the beautiful purple color of the flowering plant, lavender fields are a popular destination for photographers. The vast purple fields can make for some stunning landscapes and a quick search on Flickr for ‘lavender fields‘ brings up nearly 17,000 results. Below is a small selection of beautiful photos taken by photographers on Flickr.