PhotoFriday :: Flowering

For PhotoFriday‘s topic Flowering

Not a Flower

Bougainvillea in the morning light. There are two interesting things about this plant. First the bright "petals" at the end of new shoots are not flowers at all, they are juvenile leaves, the actual flowers are the two very small white/yellowish dots (you will need to zoom in). Second whilst it is a tropical rainforest plant it isn't from New Guinea or Bougainville Island. It was named by a grateful botanist who accompanied Bouganinville on his circumnavigational voyage of discovery. The thorny but colourful plants originate in South America.
 

Softly Softly

 
Using the Focal B&W filter in Picasa to take attention away from the inevitable truncated leaves and buds on the edge of the photo

Jo would be proud

 
Sir Joseph Banks should be proud of this banksia flower

Rainforest Fantasy

Rainforest Fantasy, originally uploaded by imageo.

This fantastic rainforest flower was photographed in the Bicentennial Conservatory house at The Botanical Gardens of Adelaide

The tea tree flowering myth

There was a myth when I was a boy growing up in beaumaris (just south of melbourne) that the snapper would start biting as sson as the tea tree started to flower. All the boats boobing around out on the bay suggested to me it may just be a truthful bit of folk lore. This weekend I saw the first tea tree bloom of this year and the beach was packed with fisherman. The myth must work for the salmon running as well.