Begonia Masoniana.
I came accross this plant in the Plant Barn Henderson, and thought I’d have a closer look. The flowers should be interesting when they open.
El Penon de Guatape
Not far from Guatape, Columbia stands this massive structure carved painstakingly from igneous intrusions dating from the late Cretacdeous 70 million years ago.
Poppy Seeds.
Pollen grains land on the stigma crown before sending pollen grains into the ovary where they deposit sperm cells in an egg.
Calceolaria flowers, bright bursts of yellow hitting retinas and CMOS sensors.
Bright reds and yellows mixed with dull greens.
Why do some colours have a powerful visual impact?
It turns out that specialised, light sensitive cone cells packed onto retinas are responsible.
Hibiscus magic
Giant exploding plate-sized blooms.
This hibiscus bud opened properly in the late evening with a rapid burst before dawn. The flower must be open for business early to catch the first pollinators. It has a short shelf life.
The flower was at its best on that first day, fading on the second and dropping off on the third.
Calceolaria flowers say “come to the party.”
All is not as it seems. Calceolaria has followed an evolutionary path less often followed.
Lachenalia, pretty flowers and an old camouflage jacket.
Bright yellow flower tubes hanging around for a pollinator. Large dark dots cover the leaves and spike like a camouflage jacket.
Streptocarpus Parviflorum with delicate blue flowers is worth a second look.
I bought this plant on a whim. It looked tired and jaded and past its best in the plant shop. It did have several curled-up stems that were beginning to grow; I felt sorry for it. The flower has an unusual stigma and anther configuration. I’ll leave it alone and have a closer look later. Our new cat, Freddy, has also taken a closer look. He broke several flower stems in the process.
A solitary green bottle with onboard advanced drone technology.
My tiny vegetable garden has many surprises.
Dallying with Dahlias
Dally for a while, and look closely at this dahlia plant.
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.
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.
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?
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.