Category Archives: images of flowers

Xmas so Far

Click on first photo to enlarge all.

The tree is finally up and decorated. (My plan to leave it decorated and just wrap it up didn’t work as well as it did last year. I had to rehang most of the ornaments, but at least the lights were up.) The little planter and succulent were a gift from Yolanda.  She got it on her Mexico City trip. The vase is just 4 inches high and has an interesting story behind it.  I had seen one exactly like it but a foot high in a shop in Sheridan, Wyoming and loved it but knew I could never get it back to Mexico intact. I did, however, take a photo of it which has mysteriously disappeared off my photo library.  An amazing coincidence, as I hadn’t shown the photo to Yolanda and had no idea it came from Mexico.  It is adorable and is sitting now on my desk.  The painting was a birthday gift from my friend Glenda and the flowers were a welcome home gift from my house sitter, Brad.

 

Chrysanthemum: FOTD Dec 11, 2018

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One of a flock of lovely flowers on my desk when I returned from Acapulco. Thanks, Brad.

For Cee’s FOTD

Coloration in Poinsettias: FOTD Dec 10, 2018

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I was curious about all the new colors of poinsettias I’ve been seeing this year so I did a bit of research and found this explanation by Walter Reeves. You can find a link to his website below.  Here is what I read: 

The process of making a colored poinsettia is interesting. Growers start with a plant with light colored (white or pink) bracts. You’re probably aware that the colored parts of a poinsettia are not true leaves – they are modified leaves, called bracts, that serve to attract insects to the tiny yellow flowers at the tip of each branch.

Special dyes are sprayed onto the bracts a few days before the poinsettias are shipped to the retailer. Glitter may be applied as well. A spotted effect is achieved by sprinkling alcohol onto the dyed bracts.

Dyes are available in many colors, so plants can be dyed to match indoor decor or even your college football team colors!

Poinsettia bracts will naturally fall from the plant as it ages this spring. If you keep your plant alive it will produce bracts with the “natural” light color the plant had originally.

On another site, I found this information about what are natural colors for poinsettias: The colored bracts . . .  are most often flaming red but can be orangepale greencreampinkwhite, or marbled

http://www.walterreeves.com/gardening-q-and-a/poinsettia-dyed-purple/

for Cee’s FOTD

Star Flower, FOTD Dec 7, 2018

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For Cee’s FOTD

Scattered Dreams

Scattered Dreams

She mourns the loss of everything as the crescent moon
fades away to nothing this putrescent June.
Orange blossoms drooping in their wedding urns,
an empty flag of wedding veil wafts outward and then turns
to fall from spinning fan blades where it has been tossed—
all its beauty shredded, its inspiration lost.
Her hopes and dreams now fatuous, their ending is now lore
written in tattered satin and petals on the floor.

 

The word prompts today are putrescent, floor, inspiring and fatuous.
https://ragtagcommunity.wordpress.com/2018/12/06/rdp-thursday-putrescent/
https://fivedotoh.com/2018/12/06/fowc-with-fandango-floor/
https://wordofthedaychallenge.wordpress.com/2018/12/05/inspiring/
https://onedailyprompt.wordpress.com/2018/12/06/your-daily-word-prompt-fatuous-December-6-2018/

 

Blanched Hibiscus Floating in Acapulco Pool, FOTD Dec 6, 2018

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For Cee’s FOTD

Flower of the Day, Dec 5, 2018

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For Cee’s FOTD

Poinsettia Closeup, More FOTD Dec 1, 2018

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This photo was taken yesterday. I think this is about as pretty as the blooms on the poinsettia are going to get. I like this fish lips stage the best!

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This photo was taken last night. The fish lips seem to have opened up to reveal unspectacular little flowers.  I like the ones that look like little green ducks with yellow bills, head-on, in both shots. Can you spot them? There are a couple of parrots in there, too.

 

For Cee’s FOTD, Dec. 1, 2018

Poinsettia Buds, FOTD Nov 30, 2018

Click on photo to enlarge.

What appears to be the flower on a poinsettia is actually colorful leaves. The true flower is just starting to bud out as these tiny yellow lips. Much misinformation has been spread regarding the toxicity of poinsettias.  To set the matter straight:

“As many have pointed out, it is a myth that poinsettia plants are deadly poisonous if a child or pet eats the leaves (but that does not mean that the leaves should intentionally be eaten, either, since, if eaten in sufficient quantity, they can, in fact, make a human or pet at least mildly sick). But because this fact is so widely known now, people have let down their guard and allowed a new myth to take hold, as a reaction: namely, the myth that no health issues whatsoever surround the annual displaying of poinsettia plants. Only two words need be uttered to dispel the new myth: latex allergy.

The fact is, this Christmas icon can make some people quite sick. The harm, in these cases, comes not from eating the leaves, but rather from touching the plant or even simply from being around Euphorbia pulcherrima.

The milky sap (the “latex,” if you will) that oozes from the branches can result in contact
dermatitis in some people. So unless you like to itch, avoid the sap, in case you are one of those prone to develop this rash. At the very least, be sure not to touch your eyes after touching the sap. The illnesses that some people suffer just from being around poinsettia plants (without even touching them) are worse yet (for example, difficulty in breathing). In extreme cases, anaphylaxis can result.”

Some readers with latex allergy have shared their personal stories about health problems stemming from contact with these colorful plants. You might be surprised to learn just how many people get sick due to exposure to poinsettias.” (from 5 Facts About Poinsettias That May Surprise You” by David Beaulieu.

 

For Cee’s FOTD.

Poinsettia, Flower of the Day, Nov 29, 2018

 

 

Click on photo to enlarge.

This poinsettia plant burst into full bloom while I was in the states.  It’s right next to my bedroom door and has dozens of blooms, so you will probably see a bit more of it in the weeks leading up to Christmas. I love this salmon color. I’ll show some closeups of the buds tomorrow.

For Cee’s FOTD