Flowers

Flower Friday – Renanthera

~ laura lecce ~ 5 Comments
Renanthera - Photograph by Laura Lecce
Renanthera – Photograph by Laura Lecce

This is an orchid that I photographed while at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. A magnificent tropical garden which stretches as far as you can see. It was a bit of an effort walking around all day, on what was an incredibly hot day with 100% humidity. Though, as much as the people suffered in these stifling weather conditions, it is perfect for these orchids. They belong to a group of plants which are collectively called epiphytes, meaning that they love to grow harmlessly attached to another plant or tree with their roots free to absorb nutrients and moisture from the air and rain. These plants grow as a single, unbranching stem with leaves alternately growing on either side. They produce multiple branching flower stems with many flowers (pinkish-red, fiery red, orange or yellow) dancing on either side. Seeing a group of fully grown plants in flower is like looking at a brilliant firework display of heated colors exploding into the sky. Needless to say, this is one of my very favorite orchids.

For other orchid posts, please click here.

Flower Friday – Aussie Star

~ laura lecce ~ 7 Comments
Aussie Star - Photograph by Laura Lecce
Aussie Star – Photograph by Laura Lecce

This flower is an unknown that I photographed in Tasmania. A little, orange, star-shaped flower on a small shrub in the Tassie grasslands. Even though I spent a very long time trawling through Google images under many search terms, the flower and the name remained elusive. I am surely not the only person to have photographed this little gem, so if anyone can shed some light on this flower, that would be very much appreciated. It is fitting that I introduce a star in a month where the talk of planets has been quite abundant. The five planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn have been visible this month in the night sky, together, shortly after sunset. I hope some of you have been out sky, star and planet gazing this month. Happy Friday everyone!

Flower Friday – A Sweet Scent

~ laura lecce ~ 12 Comments
A Sweet Scent - Photograph by Laura Lecce
A Sweet Scent – Photograph by Laura Lecce

I think I’m starting to see a trend amongst my favorite flowers…. they’re mostly pink (I must be a girly girl after all, who knew?). This beautiful orchid is a phalaenopsis hybrid with a name I can no longer remember. I do however remember vividly the sweet aroma that this gorgeous flower produced every morning when it would see the sun. The fact that I remember the specific scents and not the names of most of my orchids is likely due to the fact that our sense of smell is the sense most closely linked with the memory areas of our brain. We thus associate those smells with specific memories and emotions. The scent of orchids reminds me of watering my plants in the morning sun while enjoying a cup of tea. Happy memories everyone!

For other flower Friday posts click here.

Flower Friday – Pink Perfection

~ laura lecce ~ 9 Comments
Pink Water Lily Perfection - Photograph by Laura Lecce
Pink Water Lily Perfection – Photograph by Laura Lecce

Considering there are about 70 known species of water lily in five different genera, it’s easy to see how there is such a range of colors, shapes and sizes. This image was taken at the Nan Tien Temple, a Buddhist temple in Wollongong (80km south of Sydney). It is a very beautiful and tranquil place to visit, with lovely gardens and many water lilies silently floating in their ponds. Although both pink, this water lily is quite subtle and is very different to seemingly intense one that I have posted previously (click here to see). Have a pretty pink weekend everyone!

Flower Friday – Tasmanian Waratah

~ laura lecce ~ 10 Comments
Tasmanian Waratah - Photograph by Laura Lecce
Tasmanian Waratah – Photograph by Laura Lecce

I don’t think many of us from mainland Australia would know that Tassie has its very own type of Waratah. The waratah is a very special flower to those of us from the state of New South Wales, as it is our state emblem. The Tasmanian variety is called Telopea truncata (seen in the photo above), which has different flowers to Telopea speciosissima that we are used to seeing. Through pure chance, this photo also includes a damselfly which might be one of three different types (apparently commonly mistaken) called Austrolestes annulosus (the blue ringtail), Coenagrion lyelli, or Caliagrion billinghursti. After looking through many photos of them on Google, I am most definitely not taking the chance at picking which one! Sometimes we are better off not knowing and just enjoying, have a great weekend everyone!

For other posts about Tasmania, click here.

Flower Friday – Aussie Gumnuts

~ laura lecce ~ 15 Comments
Aussie Gumnuts - Photograph by Laura Lecce
Aussie Gumnuts – Photograph by Laura Lecce

Dried gumnuts are commonly used as ornamental decorations in Australia, as they come in a huge variety of different shapes and sizes. They were made famous when Australian writer and illustrator May Gibbs (who was born in England) wrote about two adorable gumnut babies, Snugglepot and Cuddlepie as the main characters of her books. The eucalyptus trees which produce these gumnuts inhabit forests which are incredibly flammable. They constantly drop dry leaves and peeled bark onto the floor around them, and together with the eucalyptus oil within, can quickly turn a small fire into a fast moving and raging inferno. Every summer Australia battles bushfires to some degree, but however devastating these fires are for the animals and people living in those areas, the trees are actually adapted to be the most successful survivors. The release of seeds from the gumnuts are triggered by fire, and they fall onto the nutrient-rich ash covered ground, free from competing plants and damaging insects. They will quickly repopulate the forests, and continue to be the dominating species of the Aussie bush. Happy weekend everyone!

Click here to see my other post on Eucalyptus Flowers.

Flower Friday – Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’

~ laura lecce ~ 11 Comments
Crocosmia Lucifer - Photograph by Laura Lecce
Crocosmia Lucifer – Photograph by Laura Lecce

Every day on my way to and from work I pass through a beautifully maintained courtyard garden which is always alive with color. Commonly in Manhattan, garden beds get replanted every few months with plants that reflect the current season (unlike Sydney which is temperate enough to keep most plants all year round, or a summer/winter change of annuals). New York summer brings high heat and humidity, and a fitting reflection of that is this fiery red flower belonging to Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’. The flowers catch my eye every day due to the contrast of the intense red against a background of large, deep green leaves. This plant, along with many others, is now bookmarked in my head as a “must have” in my currently imaginary, beautifully tranquil, future garden of my own. Happy weekend everyone!!!

Flower Friday – Eucalyptus

~ laura lecce ~ 19 Comments
Aussie Natives - Photograph by Laura Lecce
Aussie Natives – Photograph by Laura Lecce

For those of you wondering why my blog has been quiet lately, I have been on vacation to my home country of Australia. So on my return, I thought it fitting to share with you some photos I took along the way. Todays flower is from the eucalyptus tree. There are many varieties of these beautiful trees and shrubs and most are native to Australia. They play a vital role in  Australia’s natural environment and are found abundantly throughout the country, the only major environment they do not inhabit is Australia’s rainforests. Interestingly they release biochemicals which can influence the growth, reproduction and survival of other organisms, and thus inhibit other plant species growing nearby (this is called allelopathy). Planting these trees and shrubs in your yard are a great way to encourage Australian wildlife to visit your garden, as they attract and support a multitude of Australian wildlife. The most well known eucalyptus eater is the koala, but they also attract cockatoos, rainbow lorikeets and other parrots, gliders and possums. The flowers alone are beautiful to photograph, and even once they fall off, the remaining gum nuts still make for interesting subjects (seen in the photo below). Happy weekend everyone, its a long one in the USA… enjoy!

Eucalyptus - Photograph by Laura Lecce
Eucalyptus Gum Nuts – Photograph by Laura Lecce

Flower Friday – Frangipani

~ laura lecce ~ 12 Comments
Frangipani - Photograph by Laura Lecce
Frangipani – Photograph by Laura Lecce

The frangipani (Plumeria) is a beautiful plant with gorgeous flowers that come in varieties of whites, yellow, oranges and pinks. Although native to Central and South America, they are a popular plant that can now be found in most tropical places around the world. This plant however, is not without its quirks, being related to Oleander, both produce an irritating sap similar to Euphorbia plants (click here to see my post on Euphorbia). Frangipanis are also fragrant, most heavily at night, to attract the sphinx moth under the false pretense that the flowers contain a sweet smelling nectar. As the moth goes from flower to flower in search of the non-existent nectar, it is in fact being duped into pollinating the flowers. Cheeky frangipanis…. Have a great weekend everyone!

Flower Friday – Pink Speckled Phalaenopsis

~ laura lecce ~ 12 Comments
Pink Speckled Phal - Photograph by Laura Lecce
Pink Speckled Phal – Photograph by Laura Lecce

Actually the proper name for this orchid is Doritaenopsis Ackers Sweetie ‘Dragon Tree Maple.’ It is one of my favorite hybrids to grow at home, mostly because the flowers were so big (the size of my palm) and so interesting to look at. Every time I look into the pink speckles of this flower it looks like a huge colony of bats flying away from the cave in the center and getting further and further into the distance as they fly away. Maybe I just have a vivid imagination, but either way the pattern on this flower really does come alive! Have a fantastic weekend everyone!

If you’d like to see more Flower Friday posts, please click here.