Cyclamen flowers and seed pods.
Cyclamen flowers bloom forever, and fresh buds pop up regularly. My small pot plant from the local Palmers Gardenworld is providing a beautiful display of colour during our winter.
Change happens slowly. The flower drops its petals, and the seed pod develops. What lies inside?
Thought I’d have a look rather than google it.
Cyclamen Persicum
Cyclamen Persicum.
They do it differently. Flowers invert away from the sun while their petals reflex backwards. Pollen grains fall from anthers like pepper from a shaker.
After the initial transformation, I thought it would be interesting to follow other changes during the lifetime of the bloom.
Convolvulus Cneorum an open and shut case.
Convolvulus cneorum flowers don’t last long. They open slowly in the early morning light and close when daylight fades.
When flowers fold away like an umbrella, the flower is dead, and the cylinder slowly falls over.
Papaver Rhoeas, the Flanders Poppy.
Red with a striking black center.
The Flanders Poppy grew in battlefield bomb craters around the trenches during World War One.
Convolvulus Cneorum.
Other species in this genus are vines. Profuse pink buds arranged loosely on panicles. The buds unfurl, producing white cone-shaped flowers with a yellow throat. The grey-green leaves are covered in fine hairs giving the plant a silvery appearance.
Mount Tarawera and The Waimangu Valley.
Hydrothermal wonders at Waimangu are steaming remains of a violent volcanic eruption that blew Mount Tarawera apart for the fifth time in its violent history.
The heat source for the eruption lies disconcertingly close to the surface beneath Mount Tarawera.
Orchid in White.
My first orchid has survived a number of ordeals. Hurricane-force winds blew the orchid over. I dropped the plant several times and repotted it once. Exposure to bright sunlight, dehydration and extreme cold merely stunned it.
Orchid under the bonnet
Orchids evolved to live in the crowns of trees. They are epiphytes. Specially adapted roots absorb nutrients dissolved in fluids trickling down the tree. I like taking pics; they are exceptionally photogenic.
Orchids are fussy in between shoots. In the wrong setting, they pack a sad and drop their flowers.
Hippeastrum Anthers, a closer look.
Anthers were the sticky-up yellow powdery things that released pollen to insects and the wind. This model worked well through 40 years of science teaching. Biology was a sideshow; chemistry and the wonders of the Periodic Table was my area of expertise.
How pollen emerges from its anther is a wonder to behold. Just a pity it took 70-plus years before I witnessed it.
Hippeastrum Emerald.
Another pot plant from Palmers Gardenworld Rotorua. Big bulbs, long stems with the most graceful blooms you will ever see.
Hippeastrum Hercules.
Hippeastrum is my favourite flower. With the local Palmers five minutes away and room for pots at home, who needs a garden?
Mandevilla vines and their quirky pollination technique.
Isolated granite outcrops known as Inselbergs are common in the tropics and temperate regions. Mandevilla vines first gained a foothold there, evolving as they adapted to the challenging environments.
Some Flower Pics.
I came across this small collection of flower pics from a while back. I didn’t use a macro then. Sometimes it’s just enough to admire colours and curves with the odd insect.
Anything else is botany.
Tibouchina, a first look.
I love this plant. The flower opens with a smile while arm-shaped stamens, complete with an elbow wave madly to attract bees.
Ray flowers burst into action on my Echinacea plant. Disc floret buds spiral out from the disc centre.
Bright pink ray flowers are showy but don't produce seeds. Bees love their bright colour, and the beautiful subtle perfume attracts them in swarms. It took roughly a week for this to happen.
Echinacia Purupurea, from bud to flower.
Echinacea plants don't rush their progress from early bud to full bloom. The process follows a clear pathway. Buds grow slowly to find their place in the sun.
Me and the thistle are a long way from home on the Lake Okareka walkway.
The thistle plant and I are both a long way from home, and we both enjoy the New Zealand climate. I found this specimen on a ramble along the Okareka walkway.
Pet plants, Miltoniopsis.
Plants make good pets, and Orchids are a favourite. They will pack a sad and drop their flowers if you don’t look after them.
Anigozanthos under the macro; focus stacking with Helicon Focus.
Don’t just smell the flowers, take some pics. Macro photography provides a great opportunity to study plants at various times during their life cycle.
Centennial Park Rotorua, late October.
Centennial Park Rotorua is stunning at any time of the year.