CREEK

By the creek, one early Autumn morning. Fine, warm Autumn days just as the season has turned are beautiful...

This post is part of the Weekend Green meme,
and also part of the Weekend Reflections meme.

MOTION BLUR

An interesting effect when the camera slipped from my hand while taking the photo. This is a twilit sky after sunset. The trees aren't on fire and that isn't smoke around them! 

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Friday Photo Journal meme.

CATTLEYA HYBRID

Cattleya is a genus of orchids from Costa Rica south to Argentina. The genus is abbreviated C in trade journals. They are epiphytic or terrestrial orchids with cylindrical rhizome from which the fleshy noodle-like roots grow. Pseudobulbs can be conical, spindle-shaped or cylindrical; with upright growth; one or two leaves growing from the top of them. The leaves can be oblong, lanceolate or elliptical, somewhat fleshy, with smooth margin.

The inflorescence is a terminal raceme with few or several flowers. Flowers have sepals and petals free from each other; the lip or labellum (lowermost petal), usually has a different coloration and shape from the rest of the flower and covers in part the flower column forming a tube. There are four polliniums (bag-like organs that contain pollen). The fruit is a capsule with many small seeds'''

This post is part 0f the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

LILIUM

Lilium (members of which are true lilies) is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the Liliaceae family, growing from bulbs, all with large prominent flowers. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in much of the world. Most species are native to the temperate northern hemisphere, though their range extends into the northern subtropics. Many other plants have "lily" in their common name but are not related to true lilies.

Asiatic Lilies are a very popular garden and florist flower and they offer a brilliantly colourful range of blooms to choose from. The bulbs of Asiatic lilies are tough and resilient, providing a bounty of colourful blooms for vases, very easily grown and wonderfully tolerant of searing Australia's hot Summers. Asiatic Lilies come in a wide range of brilliant colours from bright red to soft and pretty pink which means they can be used to create pockets of colour or gentle waves of soft and pretty cottage colours. Asiatic Lilies have more advantages in that they are great in pots and the bulbs can be planted anytime between May and October (in the Southern Hemisphere).

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.

NORFOLK ISLAND

Norfolk Island (Norfuk: Norf'k Ailen) is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia, 1,412 kilometres directly east of mainland Australia's Evans Head, and about 900 kilometres from Lord Howe Island. Together with two neighbouring islands, it forms one of the Commonwealth of Australia's external territories. At the 2016 Australian census, it has 1,748 inhabitants living on a total area of about 35 km2. Its capital is Kingston.

Norfolk Island was first settled by East Polynesians but was long unpopulated when it was eventually also settled by Great Britain as part of its settlement of Australia from 1788. The island served as a convict penal settlement from 6 March 1788 until 5 May 1855, except for an 11-year hiatus between 15 February 1814 and 6 June 1825, when it lay abandoned.

On 8 June 1856, permanent civilian residence on the island began when it was settled from Pitcairn Island. In 1914 the UK handed Norfolk Island over to Australia to administer as an external territory. The evergreen Norfolk Island pine is a symbol of the island and thus pictured on its flag. Native to the island, the pine is a key export for Norfolk Island, being a popular ornamental tree on mainland Australia, where two related species grow, and also worldwide.

Norfuk (increasingly spelt Norfolk) or Norf'k is the language spoken on Norfolk Island by the local residents. It is a blend of 18th-century English and Tahitian, originally introduced by Pitkern-speaking settlers from the Pitcairn Islands. Along with English, it is the co-official language of Norfolk Island.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Travel Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

BIRDS

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme,
and also part of the Through my Lens meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

SEAFARERS' BRIDGE

The Seafarers Bridge is a footbridge over the Yarra River between Docklands and South Wharf in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The bridge connects the north and south banks of the river while providing a formal entrance to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. The bridge main span is supported by steel ties connected to elliptical arches, with three arches on the north side and four arches on the south side. The bridge was named in homage to the ‘Mission to Seafarers’ centre located nearby on the northern bank of the Yarra River and to represent Melbourne’s rich maritime history.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the My Sunday Photo meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

LATE SUMMER SUNSHINE

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Friday Photo Journal meme.

OSTEOSPERMUM 3D

Osteospermum eckloni is a daisy in the family Asteraceae. Common names: Cape marguerite, van Staden's River daisy, Sundays River daisy, white daisy bush, blue-and-white daisy bush (Eng.); Kaapse magriet, jakkalsbos, Vanstadensrivier madeliefie, Sondagsrivier madeliefie (Afr.)

Osteospermum eckloni is a perennial plant of up to 1 m tall and as much in diameter, erect to decumbent. It can get woody at the base. The leaves are alternately arranged, sessile, simple, elliptic and slightly succulent, and the margins are entire to conspicuously dentate, crowded at the ends of the branches. The lower branches are quite nude. NB: Dimorphotheca is the genus containing the annual Cape Marguerites.

These daisies must be planted in full sun in order for the flowers to open to their full potential, although they will tolerate some shade during the day. They can be mass-planted as a groundcover, as a border to a shrubbery, or to line pathways. Cape marguerite can be cultivated from cuttings taken in summer. Seed germinates easily and the plants often sow themselves. They are fast-growing, frost-hardy and drought-resistant. Plants should be cut back after the second year to keep them tidy, or be replaced by new plants. The peak flowering time is in spring but some flowers are always present on the plants throughout summer. There are no known garden pests that attack these plants.

The hybrid shown here is a "3D" series, which has a double flower appearance. They have a slightly raised bed of larger florets in the centre of the flower head that resemble a pom-pom. The flowers blooms stay open all day and all night and last from spring through to early autumn.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

KNAUTIA

Knautia is a genus in the family Caprifoliaceae. The common names of these flowers are a variant of "widow flower." Others are given the name "Scabious," although this word belongs to a related genus (Scabiosa). The name Knautia comes from the 17th-century German botanists, Drs. Christoph and Christian Knaut.

It is a perennial plant that grows between 25 and 100 cm. It prefers grassy places and dry soils, avoiding heavy soils, and flowers between July and September. The flowered head is flatter than similar species devils bit scabious and small scabious. There are 4 stamens in each flower, and 1 notched long stigma.

The fruit is nut like, cylindrical and hairy, 5–6 mm in size. It has a tap root. The stem has long stiff hairs angled downwards. There are no stipules. The leaves form a basal rosette, are paired on the stem, the lowest typically 300 mm long, spear shaped, whereas the upper are smaller.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.

SYDNEY BY NIGHT

Sydney, capital of New South Wales and one of Australia's largest cities, is best known for its harbourfront Opera House, with a distinctive sail-like design. Massive Darling Harbour and Circular Quay are hubs of waterside life, with the towering, arched Harbour Bridge and esteemed Royal Botanic Gardens nearby. Sydney Tower’s 268m glass viewing platform, the Skywalk, offers 360-degree views of the city, harbour and suburbs.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Travel Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

CRYSTALLINE

Went into a minerals and gems shop today and took some photos of some amazing crystal formations. They combine well into a mosaic.
The minerals are (clockwise from top left): Sulphur; halite; fluorite; citrine; amethyst; uvarovite; lapis lazuli; garnet.

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Macro Monday meme,
and also part of the Through my Lens meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

WONDERFUL

Looking at the world through a child's eyes: If there is love and peace and trust and security, is there a sight more wonderful?

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the My Sunday Photo meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

GALAHS

The galah, Eolophus roseicapilla, also known as the rose-breasted cockatoo, galah cockatoo, roseate cockatoo or pink and grey, is one of the most common and widespread cockatoos, and it can be found in open country in almost all parts of mainland Australia. It is endemic on the mainland and was introduced to Tasmania. Its distinctive pink and grey plumage and its bold and loud behaviour make it a familiar sight in the bush and increasingly in urban areas.

It appears to have benefited from the change in the landscape since European colonisation and may be replacing the Major Mitchell's cockatoo in parts of its range. The term galah is derived from gilaa, a word found in Yuwaalaraay and neighbouring Aboriginal languages. 

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme,
and also part of the Camera Critters meme,
and also part of the I'd Rather Be Birdin' meme.

RAVENS

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Friday Photo Journal meme.

EASTER DAISIES

Easter (or Michaelmas) daisies (Aster novi-belgii) were once popular in gardens, but are less frequently seen now. They are herbaceous perennials in the Asteraceae family with upright, much-branched stems on which masses of small daisies are produced in late summer and autumn. The flowers range in colour from white through pale lilac blue, mauve, purple and pink to deep reddish plum. They can be planted in mixed borders and can also be used effectively in beds on their own. The taller varieties often need staking, and are best planted at the back of garden beds.

A. novi-belgii was introduced from North America into Britain in 1710. In America they were called New York daisies, however, in England these plants bloomed at the same time as St Michael's Day is celebrated (September 29th), and so they became associated with the festival of Michaelmas and were given its name. In the Southern hemisphere where Easter is an Autumnal feast, the daisies bloom at about this time and hence the term "Easter Daisies". These daisies have just started to bloom in our garden, rather early this year.

Easter daisies are easy to grow. Plant them in full sun in a rich, moisture-retentive soil. When they die down in winter cut the dead stems back to ground level. When the new shoots appear in spring, apply a mulch of well-rotted manure or compost to which fertiliser has been added. Lift and divide the clumps every second or third year in winter.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

JASMINE

Jasminum polyanthum, in the olive family (Oleaceae), is known as Pink Jasmine (or White Jasmine) and is an evergreen twining climber native to China and Burma (Myanmar). It produces an abundance of reddish-pink flower buds in late winter and early spring, followed by fragrant five-petalled star-like white flowers which are about 2 cm in diameter. It has compound leaves with 5 to 7 leaflets which are dark green on the upper surface and a lighter green on the lower surface. The terminal leaflet is noticeably larger than the other leaflets. The plant is very vigorous and can grow up to 6 metres in height when supported. Depending on the climate, this vine has a semi-deciduous to evergreen foliage.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.

SYDNEY: RAINY NIGHT

The climate of Sydney is humid subtropical (Köppen Cfa), shifting from mild and cool in winter to warm and hot in the summer, with no extreme seasonal differences as the weather is moderated by proximity to the ocean. More contrasting temperatures are recorded in the inland western suburbs. Although there is no distinct dry or wet season, rainfall peaks in the first half of the year and is at its lowest in the second half. Precipitation varies across the region, with areas adjacent to the coast being the wettest. The city experiences around 20 thunderstorms per year.

Sydney has 103.9 clear days annually, with the monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 53% in January to 72% in August. Sydney's heat is predominantly dry in spring, but usually humid in the summertime, especially late summer – however, when temperatures soar over 35 °C, the humidity is generally low as such high temperatures are brought by searing winds from the Australian desert. In some hot summer days, low pressure troughs would increase humidity and southerly busters would decrease temperatures by late afternoon or early evening. In late autumn and winter, east coast lows can bring large volumes of rainfall.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Travel Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

AUTUMN'S COMING

Whenever I am out and about, I have my pocket camera with me. I always like taking photos of textures, colours, interesting designs and macro details of things. Quite revealing to collect these together in a mosaic and distill the essence of a walk in a single multi-part image.

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Macro Monday meme,
and also part of the Through my Lens meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

WINDOW BOX

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the My Sunday Photo meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

DAREBIN CREEK

Darebin Creek is a creek that runs through the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is the main watercourse of the Darebin Valley and a major tributary of the Yarra River. For tens of thousands of years it was used as a food and tool source sustainably by the Wurundjeri people, Indigenous Australians of the Kulin nation alliance, who spoke variations of the Woiwurrung language group.

The creek arises on the northern urban fringe of Melbourne north of the suburb of Epping, following a general southerly route and meeting the Yarra at Alphington. The creek forms much of the municipal boundary between the City of Darebin and City of Banyule. Formerly an intermittent stream, increased stormwater runoff with urbanisation of the Darebin Creek catchment has resulted in permanent water flow.

The creek runs through Darebin Parklands, a large nature reserve one or two kilometres northwest of the junction at which the creek meets the Yarra. The Darebin Creek Trail runs along the banks in the lower reaches of the creek. This is the creek at the Darebin Parklands in Fairfield.

Good to see the dog walkers having their dog on a leash so that it doesn't disturb the birdlife in the Parklands. Some Rainbow Lorikeets and an Ibis not much further up the path.

This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,

and also part of the Saturday Critters meme,

and also part of the Camera Critters meme.

KALORAMA EXCURSION

Kalorama is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 35 km east of Melbourne's central business district. Its local government area is the Shire of Yarra Ranges. At the 2006 Census, Kalorama had a population of 1,157. The suburb was first settled by Europeans around 1855 when Isaac Jeeves, Mathew Child and Jabez Richardson took up selections. The traditional custodians of the area are the Wurundjeri of the Kulin nation.

The Post Office opened on 1 October 1909, but was known as Hand's Corner until 1910, then Mount Dandenong North until 1926. The area, renowned for its beauty, is the site of a famous lookout point named "Five Ways" which overlooks Kalorama Park, Silvan Reservoir, the National Rhododendron Gardens, and the R.J. Hamer Arboretum. The tea-rooms shown here are a well known feature of the intersection. Nearby attractions include William Ricketts Sanctuary, Olinda Falls, a gallery, and a range of tea-rooms, cafes and stores.

The forests of the region are dominated by various eucalypt species including Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans), the tallest known flowering plant. The local wet sclerophyll forests form habitat for many species of native bird including the Superb Lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae) which can be sometimes heard voicing its characteristic mimicry from the deeper gullies and south-eastern aspects.The area has featured in the work of many Australian artists, including Sir Arthur Streeton.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Friday Photo Journal meme.

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ORANGE JESSAMINE

Murraya paniculata, or "orange jessamine" is a tropical, evergreen plant bearing small, white, highly scented flowers, which is grown as an ornamental tree or hedge. Murraya is closely related to Citrus, and bears small orange to red fruit resembling kumquats, though some cultivars do not set fruit. It belongs to the citrus family, Rutaceae.

M. paniculata is a native of South and Southeast Asia, China and Australasia. It is naturalised in southern USA. Orange jessamine is a small, tropical, evergreen tree or shrub growing up to 7 m tall. The plant flowers throughout the year. Its leaves are glabrous and glossy, occurring in 3-7 oddly pinnate leaflets which are elliptic to cuneate-obovate to rhombic. Flowers are terminal, corymbose, few-flowered, dense and fragrant. Petals are 12–18 mm long, recurved and white (or fading cream). The fruit of Murraya paniculata is fleshy, oblong-ovoid, coloured red to orange, and grows up to 2.5 cm in length.

Traditionally, Murraya paniculata is used both in indigenous medicine as an analgesic and for wood (for tool handles). In the West, Murraya paniculata is cultured as an ornamental tree or hedge because of its hardiness, wide range of soil tolerance (it can grow in alkaline, clayey, sandy, acidic and loamy soils), and is suitable for larger hedges. The plant flowers throughout the year and produces small, fragrant flower clusters which attract bees, while the fruits attract small frugivorous birds. Honey bee farms have been known to plant this tree serving not only as food for the bees but as protection from harsh winds. Honey collected from bee hive colonies that collect pollen from orange jessamines, have a tangy sweet orange undertone.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.