SUBURBAN SKY

Dramatic sky seen when I was out for a walk in my neighbourhood.

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

BLUE LITHODORA

Lithodora diffusa ‘Grace Ward’ (also called blue lithospermum, USDA Zone: 5-9) in the Boraginaceae family is a choice groundcover or rock garden plant, making an unforgettable display when grown well. Plants form a low, creeping mat of hairy dark-green leaves, studded with sapphire-blue star flowers from late spring through summer.

Plants must have a well-drained, acidic soil in order to thrive. Heavy clay soils are sure death. In colder regions this plant will benefit from a light covering of evergreen boughs as soon as the soil is frozen in late Autumn. Combines well with heaths and heathers, since plants have similar requirements. Evergreen where hardy, but not especially vigorous.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

FRIDAY GREENS #108 - THE LAST POST

This meme used to be active every Friday. The theme was "Friday Greens" and some people posted images, art, and photos where the predominant colour was GREEN!

GREEN is the colour between blue and yellow in the spectrum; coloured like grass or emeralds. I certainly enjoyed my "green" photos and appreciated the stalwart few who posted these last few weeks. Thank you for posting on...

It is now the time to close this meme down as there is not enough interest in it amongst the photographic blogosphere to maintain a meaningful presence.

FRIDAY GREENS, EXIT LEFT...

FRIDAY GREENS #107 - iGREEN

Welcome to this meme active every Friday. The theme is "Friday Greens" and you can post images, art, photos where the predominant colour is GREEN!

GREEN is the colour between blue and yellow in the spectrum; coloured like grass or emeralds.

An electronic circuit board through a kaleidoscope!

If you take part in this meme:
*Please link back to this page from your blog, with the Friday Greens logo or link text;
*In the spirit of community, please visit other participants to see their photos and leave a comment;
*Leave a comment here in the comments box, which I appreciate very much!

FRIDAY GREENS #106 - IN THE CITY

Welcome to this meme active every Friday. The theme is "Friday Greens" and you can post images, art, photos where the predominant colour is GREEN!

GREEN is the colour between blue and yellow in the spectrum; coloured like grass or emeralds.

In the heart of the City in Melbourne, some wonderful touches of verdant green to relieve the eye amongst all the concrete and asphalt.

If you take part in this meme:
*Please link back to this page from your blog, with the Friday Greens logo or link text;
*In the spirit of community, please visit other participants to see their photos and leave a comment;
*Leave a comment here in the comments box, which I appreciate very much!

FRIDAY GREENS #105 - ALOES

Welcome to this meme active every Friday. The theme is "Friday Greens" and you can post images, art, photos where the predominant colour is GREEN!

GREEN is the colour between blue and yellow in the spectrum; coloured like grass or emeralds.

There are more than 325 species of aloes with about 60 different species known in cultivation in Australia. They vary in height from 60cm to 18m. Many aloes flower in winter, most will grow almost anywhere and all require very little maintenance. Despite these advantages aloes are rarely seen in modern Australian gardens.

Aloes grow naturally in arid and semi-arid areas, and are well-suited to dry climate gardens in Australia. They will tolerate low fertile soils and will survive infrequent watering, as well as salt air and extremely cold temperatures. Aloes will grow in semi-shaded areas, but prefer a position in full sun. Aloes are relatively tough plants requiring little maintenance. They can also be used to good effect in areas where nothing else will grow, such as an exposed dry hillside.

Young plants need to be protected from severe frost. Aloes will bloom every year and do not die back after flowering. One of the best known of the aloes is Aloe vera, which is used medicinally and cosmetically. The sap from this plant is useful for skin treatments, particularly for burns, and is available in many cosmetics, shampoos and ointments.

If you take part in this meme:
*Please link back to this page from your blog, with the Friday Greens logo or link text;
*In the spirit of community, please visit other participants to see their photos and leave a comment;
*Leave a comment here in the comments box, which I appreciate very much!

FRIDAY GREENS #104 - FLY

Welcome to this meme active every Friday. The theme is "Friday Greens" and you can post images, art, photos where the predominant colour is GREEN!

GREEN is the colour between blue and yellow in the spectrum; coloured like grass or emeralds.

The common green bottle fly (Phaenicia sericata or Lucilia sericata) is a blow fly found in most areas of the world, and the most well-known of the numerous green bottle fly species. It is 10–14 mm long, slightly larger than a house fly, and has brilliant, metallic, blue-green or golden coloration with black markings. It has short, sparse black bristles (setae) and three cross-grooves on the thorax. The wings are clear with light brown veins, and the legs and antennae are black.

The maggots (larvae) of the fly are used for maggot therapy. Lucilia sericata is common all over the temperate and tropical regions of the planet, mainly the southern hemisphere, Africa and Australia. It prefers warm and moist climates and accordingly is especially common in coastal regions, but it also is present in arid areas. The female lays her eggs in meat, fish, animal corpses, infected wounds of humans or animals, and excrement. The larvae feed on decomposing tissue. The insect favours species of the genus Ovis, domestic sheep in particular. This can lead to Blow fly strike, causing problems for sheep farmers, though Lucilia sericata is not a major cause of blow fly strike in most regions.

If you take part in this meme:
*Please link back to this page from your blog, with the Friday Greens logo or link text;
*In the spirit of community, please visit other participants to see their photos and leave a comment;
*Leave a comment here in the comments box, which I appreciate very much!

MADONNA LILY

Lilium candidum, the Madonna lily, is a plant in the true lily family, the Liliaceae. It is native to Balkans and the Middle East, and naturalised in other parts of Europe (France, Italy, Ukraine, etc.) as well as in North Africa, the Canary Islands, Mexico, and other places. It forms bulbs at ground level, and unlike other lilies, has a basal rosette of leaves through the winter, which die back in summer. A leafy flower stem, typically up to 1.2 metres high, sometimes up to 2 metres high, emerges in late spring and bears sweetly and headily fragrant flowers in summer. Flowers are white, flushed yellow at the base.

It has long been cultivated, but is susceptible to virus diseases of lilies, and to Botrytis fungus. One possible way to avoid problems with viruses is to grow plants raised from seed. This is the third year we have these beautiful lilies growing in our garden and they are quite healthy and flowering prolifically.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme,
and also part of the Friday Greens meme.

FRIDAY GREENS #103 - MERRY CHRISTMAS

Welcome to this meme active every Friday. The theme is "Friday Greens" and you can post images, art, photos where the predominant colour is GREEN!

GREEN is the colour between blue and yellow in the spectrum; coloured like grass or emeralds.

Cornus is a genus of about 30–60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods, which can generally be distinguished by their blossoms, berries, and distinctive bark. Most are deciduous trees or shrubs, but a few species are nearly herbaceous perennial subshrubs, and a few of the woody species are evergreen.

Several species have small heads of inconspicuous flowers surrounded by an involucre of large, typically white petal-like bracts, while others have more open clusters of petal-bearing flowers. The various species of dogwood are native throughout much of temperate and boreal Eurasia and North America, with China and Japan and the southeastern United States particularly rich in native species.

This post is also part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

If you take part in this meme:
*Please link back to this page from your blog, with the Friday Greens logo or link text;
*In the spirit of community, please visit other participants to see their photos and leave a comment;
*Leave a comment here in the comments box, which I appreciate very much!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

FRIDAY GREENS #102 - PERSIMMON FLOWER

Welcome to this meme active every Friday. The theme is "Friday Greens" and you can post images, art, photos where the predominant colour is GREEN!

GREEN is the colour between blue and yellow in the spectrum; coloured like grass or emeralds.

The persimmon (sometimes spelled persimon) is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus Diospyros. Diospyros is in the family Ebenaceae, and other members of the genus are grown for ebony timber. The most widely cultivated species is the Oriental or Japanese persimmon, Diospyros kaki.

In colour, the ripe fruit of the cultivated strains range from light yellow-orange to dark red-orange depending on the species and variety. They similarly vary in size from 1.5 to 9 cm in diameter, and in shape the varieties may be spherical, acorn-, or pumpkin-shaped. The calyx generally remains attached to the fruit after harvesting, but becomes easy to remove once the fruit is ripe. The ripe fruit has a high glucose content. The protein content is low, but it has a balanced protein profile.

Persimmon fruits have been put to various medicinal and chemical uses. Like the tomato, persimmons are not popularly considered to be berries, but in terms of botanical morphology, the fruit is in fact a berry.

This post is also part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

If you take part in this meme:
*Please link back to this page from your blog, with the Friday Greens logo or link text;
*In the spirit of community, please visit other participants to see their photos and leave a comment;
*Leave a comment here in the comments box, which I appreciate very much!

FRIDAY GREENS #101 - GREENGROCERY

Welcome to this meme active every Friday. The theme is "Friday Greens" and you can post images, art, photos where the predominant colour is GREEN!
GREEN is the colour between blue and yellow in the spectrum; coloured like grass or emeralds.

We are lucky here in Melbourne to have large greengrocers' shops where much fresh, local produce of good quality is sold.

If you take part in this meme:
*Please link back to this page from your blog, with the Friday Greens logo or link text;
*In the spirit of community, please visit other participants to see their photos and leave a comment;

*Leave a comment here in the comments box, which is always appreciated!

LET'S PAINT!

This post is part of the Friday Greens meme,
and also part of the Orange you Glad It's Friday meme,
and also part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday 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.

FRIDAY GREENS #100 - "YOU HAVE MAIL!"

Welcome to this meme active every Friday. The theme is "Friday Greens" and you can post images, art, photos where the predominant colour is GREEN!

GREEN is the colour between blue and yellow in the spectrum; coloured like grass or emeralds.

In these days of email, SMS, twitter, MSN, Talkatone, Viber and numerous other means of modern communication, it is wonderful to get an old-fashioned, handwritten letter. Thankfully we still have our postie who delivers such treasures right there in our mailbox...

If you take part in this meme:

*Please link back to this page from your blog, with the Friday Greens logo or link text;

*In the spirit of community, please visit other participants to see their photos and leave a comment;

*Leave a comment here in the comments box, which is always appreciated!

SLEEPING CUPID

This post is part of the Our Beautiful World meme,
and also part of the My Sunday Photo meme,
and also part of the Friday Greens meme.

FRIDAY GREENS #99 - AUSTRALIAN CUSTARD APPLES

Welcome to this meme active every Friday. The theme is "Friday Greens" and you can post images, art, photos where the predominant colour is GREEN!

GREEN is the colour between blue and yellow in the spectrum; coloured like grass or emeralds.

The Australian custard apple is a hybrid of the sugar apple (Annona squamosa) and the cherimoya (Annona cherimola), and is unique to any other custard apples grown around the world. Originally native to South America, this luscious and flavoursome fruit has Australia as its largest commercial producer.

There are four main custard apple growing regions, all found on the east coast of Australia. These regions stretch from the Atherton Tablelands in tropical north Queensland down to Lismore sub-tropical NSW, allowing for a great supply of quality and delicious fruit throughout the season.

Tropical North Queensland kicks off the custard apple season, with the first fruit of the year ripe for the picking in late January/early February, followed by Yeppoon in Central Queensland. The season then follows the coast down to the Wide Bay area, and the Sunshine Coast starts producing by mid to late February. Northern New South Wales is the last region to produce with harvest starting around May each year.

If you take part in this meme:
*Please link back to this page from your blog, with the Friday Greens logo or link text;
*In the spirit of community, please visit other participants to see their photos and leave a comment;
*Leave a comment here in the comments box, which is always appreciated!

SOCIETY GARLIC

Tulbaghia violacea, also known as society garlic or pink agapanthus, is a species of flowering plant in the onion family Amaryllidaceae, indigenous to southern Africa (KwaZulu-Natal and Cape Province), and reportedly naturalised in Tanzania and Mexico. Growing to 60 cm tall by 25 cm wide, it is a clump-forming perennial with narrow pungent-smelling leaves and large clusters of fragrant, violet flowers from midsummer to autumn. When grown as an ornamental, this plant requires some protection from winter frosts. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Tulbaghia violacea grows very easily in most soils. It can be used as an edging plant, along a pathway, or can be displayed to great advantage in a rockery and can also be mass planted to form a groundcover, in sunny or partially shaded positions. It thrives in well-drained soil containing plenty of compost. Propagate from seed or by dividing larger clumps. The hard black seeds are best sown in spring in deep seed trays and can be planted out during their second year. Once the clumps that have been divided are planted, they should be left undisturbed for as long as possible. First flowering can generally be expected in the second or third year. Tulbaghia seldom falls prey to pests and diseases, but slugs and snails can cause considerable damage to the foliage.

This attractive plant is ideal for the herb garden, as both the leaves and flowers can be used in salads and other dishes. The Zulus use the leaves and flowers as spinach and as a hot, peppery seasoning with meat and potatoes. They also use the bulb to make an aphrodisiac medicine. The crushed leaves may be used to help cure sinus headaches and to discourage moles from the garden (by their strong smell). The smell repels fleas, ticks and mosquitoes when crushed on the skin. Wild garlic is a very good snake repellent and for this reason the Zulus plant it around their homes.

Recently it was demonstrated to have androgenic and anti-cancer properties in vitro. T. violacea exhibited antithrombotic activities which were higher than those found in garlic. Wild garlic may prove to have the same or similar antibacterial and antifungal activities as has been scientifically verified for real garlic. In herbal medicine, the fresh bulbs are boiled in water and the decoctions are taken orally to clear up coughs and colds. The bulb has been used as a remedy for pulmonary tuberculosis and to destroy intestinal worms. The leaves are used in adjunctive treatment of cancer of the oesophagus.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme,

and also part of the Friday Greens meme.

POND REFLECTIONS

A pond on Darebin Creek in the Darebin Parklands, in suburban Melbourne. Goldie had lots of fun!

This post is part of the Friday Greens meme,

and also part of the Weekend Reflections meme,

and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme,

and also part of the Saturday Critters meme,

and also part of the Camera Critters meme.

FRIDAY GREENS #98 - STRAWBERRY FIELD

Welcome to this meme active every Friday. The theme is "Friday Greens" and you can post images, art, photos where the predominant colour is GREEN!

GREEN is the colour between blue and yellow in the spectrum; coloured like grass or emeralds.

This post is also part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

If you take part in this meme:

Please link back to this page from your blog, with the Friday Greens logo or link text;

In the spirit of community, please visit other participants to see their photos and leave a comment;

Leave a comment here in the comments box, which is always appreciated!

MAGENTA CRANESBILL

Geranium sanguineum ‘Ann Folkard’ (cranesbill USDA Zone: 4-9) in the family Geraniaceae is a hybrid selection of cranesbill that is a superb choice for meandering through the front of a partly shaded border or woodland garden. Plants form trailing stems of chartreuse-yellow leaves, bearing shocking magenta-pink flowers with a black eye. May be used as a trailing groundcover. Wonderful in pots or tubs. Appreciates cool summer regions, and evenly moist soil. Clumps may be easily divided in early spring.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme,
and also part of the  Friday Greens meme.

WERRIBEE RIVER

The Werribee River is a perennial river of the Port Phillip catchment that is located on the plain West of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The headwaters of a tributary, the Lerderderg River, are north of Ballan near Daylesford and it flows across the basalt plain, through the suburb of Werribee to enter Port Phillip.

A linear park follows the Werribee River along much of its course. In total the Werribee River completes a journey of approximately 110 kilometres. The river flows through the Werribee Gorge State Park before being utilised for irrigation of market gardens at Bacchus Marsh, then through Werribee where it is crossed by the Maltby By-pass. It then flows through the Werribee Open Range Zoo in Werribee Park, and finally the small coastal settlement of Werribee South before entering Port Phillip.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Friday Greens meme,
and also part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme,
and also part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme.