SUNRISE SILHOUETTE

A noisy miner (Manorina melanocephala), a bird in the honeyeater family, Meliphagidae, enjoying the sunrise in Melbourne.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

IN BLOOM

 An Australian native (ID?), which I thought was a Philotheca, but apparently not. I encountered it on my walk this morning in Melbourne's Yarra Bend Park.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

MOSCOW, RUSSIA

Moscow (Russian: Москва́) is the capital and most populous city of Russia, with 12.5 million residents within the city limits and 17.1 million within the urban area. Moscow is one of Russia's three federal cities. Moscow is a major political, economic, cultural, and scientific centre of Russia and Eastern Europe, as well as the largest city entirely on the European continent. According to Forbes 2013, Moscow has been ranked as the ninth most expensive city in the world by Mercer and has one of the world's largest urban economies, being ranked as an alpha global city according to the Globalization and World Cities Research Network, and is also one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in the world according to the MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index.

Moscow is the northernmost and coldest megacity and metropolis on Earth. It is home to the Ostankino Tower, the tallest free standing structure in Europe; the Federation Tower, the tallest skyscraper in Europe; and the Moscow International Business Centre. By its territorial expansion on July 1, 2012 southwest into the Moscow Oblast, the area of the capital more than doubled, going from 1,091 to 2,511 square kilometres, and it gained an additional population of 233,000 people.

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.

An excellent video by Expedia gives you an idea of the delights of this great city:

PIGEONS

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

SUNRISE

This post is part of the  Skywatch Friday meme.

OLEARIA

Olearia is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Asteraceae. There are about 130 different species within the genus found mostly in Australia, New Guinea and New Zealand. The genus includes herbaceous plants, shrubs and small trees. The latter are unusual among the Asteraceae and are called Tree daisies in New Zealand. All bear the familiar daisy-like composite flowerheads. The genus is named after Johann Gottfried Olearius, a 17th-century German scholar and author of Specimen Florae Hallensis.

Olearia phlogopappa, the dusty daisy-bush shown here, occurs in open forest, woodland, heath and coastal shrubland in New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania. It grows to between 0.3 and 3 metres in height. The leaves are quite variable, but are usually grey-green with minute hairs on the underside which impart a whitish or yellowish appearance. The leaf margins are often bluntly toothed. White, pink or mauve "daisy" flower heads around 20–25 mm in diameter are mainly produced in spring and early summer.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

SEVILLE, SPAIN

Seville is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville, Spain. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir. The inhabitants of the city are known as sevillanos (feminine form: sevillanas) or hispalenses, after the Roman name of the city, Hispalis.

Seville has a municipal population of about 703,000 as of 2011, and a metropolitan population of about 1.5 million, making it the fourth-largest city in Spain and the 30th most populous municipality in the European Union. Its Old Town, the third largest in Europe with an area of 4 square kilometres, contains three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: The Alcázar palace complex, the Cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies.

The Seville harbour, located about 80 kilometres from the Atlantic Ocean, is the only river port in Spain. When we visited there, one of the most memorable evenings was a stroll in the old town and then attendance at a flamenco dancing performance, which lived up to all of our expectations.

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.

GOLDEN MOON

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

CUPHEA

Cuphea is a genus containing about 260 species of annual and perennial flowering plants native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas. The species range from low-growing herbaceous plants to semi-woody shrubs up to 2 m tall. Commonly they are known as cupheas, or, in the case of some species, as cigar plants. The generic name is derived from the Greek word κυφος (kyphos), meaning "bent," "curved," or "humped."

Several Cuphea species are popular ornamental plants or honey plants. C. ignea 'David Verity' and C. micropetalia are popular plants to attract hummingbirds. Cuphea vienco (shown here) are charming, free-flowering plants with small, smooth green leaves smothered with frilly, vibrant red and purple flowers. Suitable for pots and mixed containers. Bird attracting. The plant copes well in dry conditions. Suitable for full sun or part shade positions. Grows up to 60cm high.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

WASHINGTON SOUVENIR

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme,
and also part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Travel Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

MAGNOLIA & BEE

Magnolia grandiflora, commonly known as the southern magnolia or bull bay, is a tree of the family Magnoliaceae native to the southeastern United States, from Virginia south to central Florida, and west to eastern Texas and Oklahoma. Some trees have been viewed as far west as New Mexico and California. Reaching 27.5 m in height, it is a large striking evergreen tree with large dark green leaves and large white fragrant flowers. Widely cultivated around the world, over a hundred cultivars have been bred and marketed commercially. The timber is hard and heavy, and has been used commercially to make furniture, pallets, and veneer.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

TREE FERNS

Tree ferns (Dicksonia antarctica) in Melbourne's Botanic Gardens.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

PRIMULA

Primula beesiana, now treated as a subspecies of Primula bulleyana, is one of the species known as candelabra primroses. It is a tall Primula with purple-red flowers. Stems of Primula beesiana grow 50–60 cm high and flower in late spring or early summer. The flowers are fragrant and require diligent watering. Primroses come in many shapes and sizes. The Candelabra group are grown for their colourful display of flowers arranged in tiers or layers on tall, upright stems.

This species features heads of rose-purple flowers with a yellow eye. Foliage is light green, held in a low rosette at ground level. All Candelabra type Primrose prefer a rich soil that is constantly moist, and dislike any hint of summer drought. A stream bank or pond side setting is ideal. Allow plants to self-sow. Will tolerate full sun in cool summer regions.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

GORDES, FRANCE

Gordes is a commune in the Vaucluse département in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. The residents are known as Gordiens. The nearest big city is Avignon; smaller cities nearby include Cavaillon, L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and Apt. The name "Gordes" derives from the Celtic word "Vordense". Vordense was pronounced Gordenses, then Gordae/Gordone, and finally Gòrda then translated into French "Gordes".

Standing on the edge of the plateau of Vaucluse, Gordes is one of the "in" villages of Luberon where many movie stars and artists have made their home. Its houses of white and gray stone rise up in a spiral around the rock where the village is set. At the very top is the church and the castle which face out onto the hills of the Luberon. Due to its privileged position, its exceptional charm and its typical architecture, Gordes has been listed as "one of the most beautiful villages of France". Gordes is without a doubt worth seeing. The village has a world wide reputation due to its famous inhabitants, and Peter Mayle's book "A Year in Provence" certainly helped.

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.