Monochrome of the Day: Roses 8

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Cee’s Oddball Challenge: Impressions of Bayview

Good morning from a cool Hastings day.

It is the start of the week for me which is strange as Cee from ceenphotography.com always starts her challenge  for all our Oddball Photos on a Sunday.

Whenever I go and help my father at a market I always take my camera.  There are so many interesting things to see and take photos of.  I did see some others wandering around with cameras as well so I didn’t feel so intrusive.  I really wanted to take photos of children eyeing up Dad’s wooden cars but Dad said no, he didn’t want me to upset parents.  So instead I wandered around seeing what was for sale.

This stand with mussel shells was very popular.  I really loved the silver fern in the background.

Then the stand next door had these amazing stands made up of old teapots and lampshades glued together.  I thought they were really fun.

But the cost was too much for me.

Then they had these stands with different candle holders.  I just loved this one.

At the end when we were packing up this clown came over to get me to take his photo.

He does look a bit sad and scary as his makeup was running with the heat and wind.

You can catch up with this great challenge over at Cee’s blog:

Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge: 2015 Week #48

https://sustainabilitea.wordpress.com/2015/11/29/cees-oddball-photo-challenge-2015-week-48-dont-bug-me/

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Travel Theme: Inspiration from Hastings and Napier

Good morning from a cooler late spring day here in Hastings.

So above is a rather boring photo of Hastings.  On Friday my Social Snappers group went up Te Mata Peak for some photos of the Redwood Forest – we didn’t quite make it but found this little spot.  The only thing was, I forget that I get severe vertigo and some of the trails were steep and so were touch and go for me.  But anyway here is a view of my home town Hastings.

So looking up at the trees was rather dodgy at times.

But looking down was a breeze most of the time.

Then there is Napier – you can see how close Napier is to Hastings.

Here is a close up of the beach at Westshore.

Yesterday I had to help my father at the Bayview market where he sells his wooden toys that he makes.

I took my camera with me as I always do.  All day long I had itchy fingers and just had to walk around taking photos.  I just love this shell flowers – all real shells that have been painted.

There were a lof Art Deco inspired stands such as this one selling these gorgeous mirrors.

I get inspiration from all around me.  There is always something that catches my eye.  So today I thought I would show you some of my home for the Where’s My Backpack?: Inspiration challenge by Ailsa.

Travel theme: Inspiration

https://woollymuses.wordpress.com/2015/11/29/travel-theme-inspiration/

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Monochrome of the Day: Roses 7

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Monochrome of the Day: Roses 6

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WPC: Transitioning Roses

Good morning from another hot and muggy day. I am up early as I have to go and help my father at a market.

Which means I am really early with my WPC post.  Which this week is “Transition” set by JEN H.

For this week’s challenge, share an image that depicts transition. Perhaps a photo of your little one’s first steps, as they transition from baby to toddler. A sunset scene, as your world passes from day to night, or waves kissing a shoreline, the space between land and sea.

So, what else can I show but roses.  I tend to try and get the transitioning roses in one image – from the bud to a dying rose and different stages of blooming in between.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/transition/

Red Transit in London

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Monochrome of the Day: Roses 5

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Friday’s Florals: Aquilega

Also known as Granny’s Bonnet or Columbine.

The genus name Aquilegia is derived from the Latin word for eagle (aquila), because the shape of the flower petals, which are said to resemble an eagle’s claw. The common name “columbine” comes from the Latin for “dove”, due to the resemblance of the inverted flower to five doves clustered together.

Columbine is a hardy perennial, which propagates by seed. It will grow to a height of 15 to 20 inches. It will grow in full sun; however, it prefers growing in partial shade and well drained soil, and is able to tolerate average soils and dry soil conditions. Columbine is rated at hardiness zone 3 in the USA so does not require mulching or protection in the winter.^[7][8]

Large numbers of hybrids are available for the garden, since the European A. vulgaris was hybridized with other European and North American varieties. ^[9] Aquilegia species are very interfertile, and will self-sow.^[10] Some varieties are short-lived so are better treated as biennials. The following hybrid cultivars have gained the Royal Horticultural Society‘s Award of Garden Merit:

‘Bluebird’[11] (Songbird series) ‘Bunting’[12] (Songbird series) ‘Dove’[13] (Songbird series) ‘Florida’[14] (State series)

‘Louisiana’[15] (State series) ‘Origami Red and White’[16] ‘Origami Rose and White’[17]

The British National Collection of Aquilegia is held by Mrs Carrie Thomas at Killay near Swansea.

Columbines have been important in the study of evolution. It was found that Sierra Columbine (A. pubescens) and Crimson Columbine (A. formosa) each have adapted specifically to a pollinator. Bees and hummingbirds are the visitors to A. formosa, whilehawkmoths would only visit A. pubescens when given a choice. Such a “pollination syndrome“, being due to flower color and orientation controlled by their genetics, ensures reproductive isolation and can be a cause of speciation.^[19]

 

Aquilegia petals show an enormous range of petal spur length diversity ranging from a centimeter to the 15 cm spurs of Aquilegia longissima. Selection from pollinator shifts is suggested to have driven these changes in nectar spur length.^[20] Interestingly, it was shown that this amazing spur length diversity is achieved solely through changing cell shape, not cell number or cell size. This suggests that a simple microscopic change can result in a dramatic evolutionarily relevant morphological change.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquilegia

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Cee’s Black & White Challenge: Anything that flies

Good morning from a hot and muggy day.  Yesterday we got well over 30 degrees celsius – 90 degrees fahrenheit which is unusual for this time of the year – we are in for a cracker El Nino season which apparently means a long hot summer.  I couldn’t move yesterday – it was just too uncomfortable.

So these photos for Cee Neuner‘s black and white challenge are just the images at the moment.  At least they were taken on a cooler day.  I know I have shown these photos in colour, but I was interested to see how they looked in monochrome.

I went to Westshore with some friends just to try and improve my reflexes taking photos of the gulls and terns in full flight.  I am getting better.

Then I found this photo of a sea plane at Lake Taupo.

Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Anything that Flies from birds to airplanes

Happy Thanksgiving

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