Nature Pics

[Erunáme]

So no close-up lense? And what is this blue filter you speak of?

[Sunsilver]

Gorgeous, Cem!

What are those white flowers?

I'm pretty sure they are delphiniums, which also come in blue (more common). Can't tell what the smaller star-shaped ones are. Delphs grow on tall spikes, The Pacific Giant Hybrids can get over 3 feet tall, and need to be staked to keep them from being blown over.

My uncle used to raise delphiniums, and belonged to the local delphinium society. We were having a family gathering at their place, and I went and picked a single flower off a spike of delphs at the front of their property. Now, to give a bit of background, my uncle was a school inspector, his wife an R.N. and his daughter a veterinarian. He also had a son who was a doctor, and another who was a CGA.

My cousin, the vet, came along, and asked, "Oh, what's that?" Incredulous that she wouldn't know, I told her.

Shortly after, my uncle arrive on the scene, and I informed him that his daughter couldn't recognize a delphinium flower. With his typical, dry sense of humour, he responded: "Well, Katie's not terribly well educated, anyway."

Just at that moment, his wife arrived with a tray of refreshments. "OHHH, pretty!" she exclaimed, on seeing the flower. "What is it?"

"See?" said my uncle, with a helpless shrug. "It even runs in the family!"

[cemthinae]

So no close-up lense? And what is this blue filter you speak of?

I have a zoom, but it comes standard with sony.

And blue filter, for me, was on photoshop.

[TIGG]

sunsilver,

a delphinium flower would be upright, to me they look more like a wisteria.
and even the leaves look Wisteria-ish.

[Primula Baggins]

I'm not sure. They're droopy like wisteria, but out here, anyway, wisteria's time is maybe April; it's all done by July.

Most delphiniums are upright, but I've planted some dwarf varieties that are sprawly. But the flower heads don't hang down; they lift themselves straight up.

I don't know. Whatever they are, they are purty.

[Sunsilver]

The pictures are taken from so close up, I couldn't be sure if the flowers were on a spike or if they were drooping. Anyway, the shape is entirely wrong for wisteria, which has pea-like flowers, and, as far as I know, does not come in white. And, delphinium stalks frequently DO fall over because they are so tall.

Links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisteria

http://www.delphinium.co.nz/Galleries.htm

[Primula Baggins]

I think I have seen white wisteria, but it's entirely possible I'm mixing it up with white lilacs.

When we bought our house (from a gardening-mad retired couple, always a mistake when you have two jobs and three kids), the back patio was covered with a wisteria arbor. When in bloom it was absolutely stunning, just a ceiling of purple flowers hanging down.

But it bloomed when it was too cold to do much more outside than say, "Gosh, that's pretty," and then run inside for cocoa.

Then for the rest of the summer it had to be pruned DAILY or it would eat the house (it ate the neighbors' 15-foot-tall lilac bush before we knew what it was up to, and our neighbor was too nice to say anything). And then all fall, winter, and early spring the mat of vines blocked off all light to the patio and to the south-facing windows of half the house. Rain dripped through them and the patio became a pit of moss and slime.

So we killed three forty-year-old wisteria vines, put in an actual patio cover, and are happy. We can see our yard. There is shelter. Light comes into the family room. We can use the patio.

But they sure were pretty for those six or seven days.

[cemthinae]

Here... we all know what these are:

[TIGG]

sunsilver you are right of course, my white wisteria is def. pea shaped flower, and you all would know what was flowering at the moment in your own country.

although re looking I still think it is perhaps some kind of climber. the flowers look so pure the are almost waxy.

CEM??? a climber or an upright plant?

However, no matter what flower it sure is prolific and beautiful.

[cemthinae]

They were upright. Like a bush.

Here's a link to a thread on TOB that Eru might have missed. Blue Flowers thread

I eliminate colour in the pictures then use the blue filter to make them look that way. I'm quite pleased with the results.

[Athrabeth]

Another pic from National Geographic.

Just because it makes me smile every time I look at it.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

[truehobbit]

So much gorgeousness.

Can't ever have too many roses, can you?

Here's the original version:

[Lidless]

Well, the forum says "unexpected", so, from our back porch yesterday...






But if you look closer, I swear that lizard has a face of pure contentment upon finding some shade.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Very cool, Lidless.

[Alatar]

Some pics of Muckross House and Gardens in Killarney National Park, where I spent Saturday. Unfortunately the battery on my camera ran out, so I only have these few to share.

[Old_Tom_Bombadil]

Gee, so much green for Lidless and Alatar. Here in California, "The Golden State", it's mostly...golden. The leaves on most of the trees are green, though.

I love that big tree, Alatar. What kind is it?

[Alatar]

No idea Tom. It's probably not indiginous to Ireland. Much of Muckross Gardens was planted and cultivated by the Landlords.

[truehobbit]

Looks like a pine tree to me.
(They do grow to strange shapes if they have room.)

Pine tree in Scotland

Pine tree

[Primula Baggins]

It seems to have regular leaves, though, not clumps of needles, though I can't really be sure.

It reminds me of eucalyptus, a bit, though I'm sure that's not what it is—the Irish climate would be all wrong.

The wide, shorter tree just beyond it looks like a pine.