HEATH-LEAVED BANKSIA

Banksia ericifolia, the heath-leaved banksia (also known as the lantern banksia or heath banksia), is a species of woody shrub of the family Proteaceae native to Australia. It grows in two separate regions of Central and Northern New South Wales east of the Great Dividing Range. Well known for its orange or red autumn inflorescences, which contrast with its green fine-leaved heath-like foliage, it is a medium to large shrub that can reach 6 m high and wide, though is usually half that size. In exposed heathlands and coastal areas it is more often 1–2 m.

Banksia ericifolia was one of the original Banksia species collected by Joseph Banks around Botany Bay in 1770 and was named by Carl Linnaeus the Younger, son of Carl Linnaeus, in 1782. A distinctive plant, it has split into two subspecies: Banksia ericifolia subspecies ericifolia of the Sydney region and Banksia ericifolia subspecies macrantha of the New South Wales Far North Coast which was recognised in 1996.

Banksia ericifolia has been widely grown in Australian gardens on the east coast for many years, and is used to a limited extent in the cut flower industry. Compact dwarf cultivars such as Banksia 'Little Eric' have become more popular in recent years with the trend toward smaller gardens. The dwarf form is shown here.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

YAK AND YETI

Yak and Yeti

Up in the cold, cold Himalayas
Live lots of strange lumbering animals
And many nice people, (no cannibals),
Who don’t like to eat jambalayas.

Yaks are such dignified, noble beasts,
Who wander on the high, grass plateaux;
They grunt, rather than call, moo or low
And on fresh green turf they have feasts.

Yaks are so very useful and neat,
They donate so much and they live long;
Bovine and furry, sturdy and strong
They give humans their fur, milk and meat.

The yeti, supposedly, is a grim brute
Who stalks mountaineers quite astute;
“Abominable” though he may be named,
Treat him kindly and he’ll become tamed.

Poor yeti is so much misconstrued,
And his character slurs has accrued;
All he wants is a pet and a stroke
And his grateful wide grin you’ll evoke.

Both yeti and yak are fine fauna
They live simply and desire no sauna;
They do not build villas, nor drive hot rods
Content are they on the mount of the gods.

This post is part of the ABC Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

AZURE WINDOW, MALTA

The Azure Window (Maltese: it-Tieqa Żerqa), also known as the Dwejra Window (Maltese: it-Tieqa tad-Dwejra), was a 28-metre-tall limestone natural arch on the island of Gozo in Malta. It was located in Dwejra Bay, within the limits of San Lawrenz, close to the Inland Sea and the Fungus Rock, and was one of Malta's major tourist attractions. The arch, together with other natural features in the area, has appeared in a number of international films and media productions. The formation was created by the collapse of a sea cave, probably during the 19th century. It consisted of a pillar of rock rising from the sea and joined to the cliff by a horizontal slab.

Following decades of natural erosion that caused parts of the arch to fall into the sea, the slab and pillar collapsed completely in stormy weather on 8 March 2017. The Azure Window made an appearance on the popular TV series "Game of Thrones" — it was the backdrop to Khal Drogo and Daenerys’ wedding in Season One.

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.

Azure Window before collapse

Azure Window after collapse (Picture: AP/Christian Mangion)

FLOWERS

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

SMILE!

In one of Melbourne's famous alleys in the CBD.

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.

IRIS

Iris x germanica is the accepted name for a species of flowering plants in the family Iridaceae commonly known as the bearded iris or the German iris. It is one of a group of hybrid origin.

Iris x germanica grows up to 120 cm high and 30 cm wide. It is a European hybrid, rather than a true wild species. The roots can go up to 10 cm deep and it is a rhizomatous perennial that blooms mid to late spring. It is known to produce the isoflavone irilone. Hundreds of hybrids exist representing nearly every colour from jet black to sparkling whites, except bright scarlet. Varieties include I. g. var. florentina and I. g. var. germanica.

Lifting, dividing and replanting the rhizomes is best done once flowering has finished as this is when the plant grows the new shoots that will flower the following year. The rhizomes are placed on the surface of the soil facing towards the sun and with at least 45 cm of open ground in front of them - this allows two years growth and flowering. The plant is held in place by removing half the leaf mass to reduce wind rock and by using the old roots as anchors in the soil. The rhizome is placed on well dug ground and the roots placed either side into 10 cm deep grooves. The soil is then gently firmed around the roots, so holding the plant steady. New roots and leaves are created rapidly as the rhizome moves forwards.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

THE XOLMIS

The Xolmis

The xolmis is a pretty bird
In South America dwelling;
It’s white and black, and small, I see,
With story well worth telling.

It catches flies, and flies to eat
Its lunch so very tasty;
And yet with numbers small, I know,
Extinction’s coming, hasty.

Its habitat has shrunk so much
The pampas are all dwindling;
The poor bird has no home, no more
And much will not be lingering.

The xolmis softly coos and calls
Its sad fate it is mourning;
Another species lost to us,
We’re deaf to its woeful warning…

This post is part of the ABC Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

SEATTLE, USA

Seattle is a seaport city on the west coast of the United States and the seat of King County, Washington. With an estimated 704,352 residents as of 2016, Seattle is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of North America. In July 2013, it was the fastest-growing major city in the United States and remained in the Top 5 in May 2015 with an annual growth rate of 2.1%. In July 2016, Seattle was again the fastest-growing major U.S. city, with a 3.1% annual growth rate.

The city is situated on an isthmus between Puget Sound (an inlet of the Pacific Ocean) and Lake Washington, about 160 km south of the Canada–United States border. A major gateway for trade with Asia, Seattle is the fourth-largest port in North America in terms of container handling as of 2015. The Seattle area was previously inhabited by Native Americans for at least 4,000 years before the first permanent European settlers. Mount Rainier (Mount Tacoma, or Mount Tahoma) is the highest mountain of the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest, and the highest mountain in the USA state of Washington. It is a large active stratovolcano located 87 km south-southeast of Seattle, in the Mount Rainier National Park.

Arthur A. Denny and his group of travellers, subsequently known as the Denny Party, arrived from Illinois via Portland, Oregon, on the schooner Exact at Alki Point on November 13, 1851. The settlement was moved to the eastern shore of Elliott Bay and named "Seattle" in 1852, after Chief Si'ahl of the local Duwamish and Suquamish tribes. Logging was Seattle's first major industry, but by the late-19th century, the city had become a commercial and shipbuilding centre as a gateway to Alaska during the Klondike Gold Rush.

Growth after World War II was partially due to the local Boeing company, which established Seattle as a centre for aircraft manufacturing. The Seattle area developed as a technology centre beginning in the 1980s, with companies like Microsoft becoming established in the region. In 1994, Internet retailer Amazon was founded in Seattle. The stream of new software, biotechnology, and Internet companies led to an economic revival, which increased the city's population by almost 50,000 between 1990 and 2000.

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.

FLINDERS ST STATION

Flinders Street Station is a railway station on the corner of Flinders and Swanston Streets in Melbourne, Australia. It serves the entire metropolitan rail network. Backing onto the city reach of the Yarra River in the heart of the city, the complex covers two whole city blocks and extends from Swanston Street to Queen Street. Flinders Street is served by Metro's suburban services, and V/Line regional services to Gippsland. It is the busiest station on Melbourne's metropolitan network, with some 92.6 million passenger movements recorded in 2011/12.

It was the first railway station in an Australian city and the world's busiest passenger station in the late 1920s. The main station building, completed in 1909, is a cultural icon of Melbourne, with its prominent dome, arched entrance, tower and clocks one of the city's most recognisable landmarks. It is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. The Melburnian idiom "I'll meet you under the clocks" refers to the row of clocks above the main entrance, which indicate the time-tabled time of departure for trains on each line; another idiom, "I'll meet you on the steps", refers to the wide staircase underneath these clocks. Flinders Street Station is responsible for two of Melbourne's busiest pedestrian crossings, both across Flinders Street, including one of Melbourne's few pedestrian scrambles.

The ladies in red are volunteer tourist helpers, willing to smile and lend a hand to "lost souls"! Volunteers play a vital role in the City of Melbourne’s tourism services. ​Volunteers provide information on Melbourne to around two million visitors each year. Their love and knowledge of the city and regional Victoria adds to Melbourne's reputation as a friendly, welcoming and culturally vibrant city.

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.

CITY BY NIGHT

This is part of the Weekend Reflections meme.