1000/371: 25 February 2011: Heralds of Spring

Missed some lovely weather yesterday while we were indoors – by all accounts – but it was still reasonably cheerful in the garden when i go home so went for a few signs of spring. In the end I couldn't decide which one to post so did a sort of montage and posted four of the best.

365/358: 12 February 2011: Snowdrops–it must be spring

We have drifts of snowdrops in and around our garden. They’ve obviously been there some time, and although they’re a bit of nuisance for a while when the lawn needs trimming I’d no sooner pull them up than pull out what remains of my hair. Could you ask for a better sign that winter is on its way out?

365/315: 31 December 2010: More roses

I know – I’ve done roses before – but I still think they’re hard to beat as a subject.

365/310: 26 December 2010: Orchids - again

Obviously food, drink and inactivity have dulled my senses ‘cos I struggled to find a subject today. These orchids came up trumps again – think this is a slightly more conventional treatment than my previous shot of these.

365/304: 20 December 2010: Poinsettia

It wouldn’t be Christmas without a Poinsettia, but how many people know why? Once again Wikipedia to the rescue.  Apparently it’s association with Christmas began with a legend from 16th century Mexico, about a young girl who was too poor to provide a gift for the celebration of Jesus' birthday so she gathered weeds from the roadside and put them in front of the altar. Crimson "blossoms" sprouted from the weeds and became beautiful poinsettias. The star-shaped leaf pattern is said to symbolize the Star of Bethlehem, and the red colour represents the blood of the crucifixion.

365/273: 19 November 2010: Phalaenopsis

Which is kind of white orchid – fairly common as a house plant – for the un-initiated. Like a lot of orchids the flowers can look vaguely erotic, vaguely threatening or just very pretty. Went for the middle one with this treatment – the strange lighting is a result of the sun coming through a window and hitting the flower from the back left as you look at the photo.

365/169: 07 August 2010: Blooming Buddleia

We have a rather large buddleia blooming vigourously in our garden, which means it’s butterfly and moth time. the red admirals are not very obliging, but this (unidentified) moth posed quite happily for several shots.

365/139: 08 July 2010: Borage…

…or borago officinalis as it prefers to be known in polite circles is a rather pretty blue flower with delightfully hairy stems which make for an interesting photo if you catch the light right. It originated in Syria, but now seems quite at home in the British isles. Apparently the leaves taste a bit like cucumber and it is widely used as a vegetable in some parts of continental Europe. According to Wikipedia the seed oil is is the highest known plant-based source (17-28%) of GLA 18:3, cis 6,9,12-octadecatrienoic acid – so now you know.

365/138: 07 July 2010: Snapdragons

Was going to write a long and rambling rant about the cost of a replacement docking lead for an i-pod this evening, but then went into the garden and saw these. While I don’t think the colour scheme would work indoors, they were so bright and cheerful I almost forgot about being ripped off.

But did you know that for only £1 more than the cost of an i-pod lead you can restore the sight of someone in the third world with a cataract operation.

365/131: 30 June 2010: Herb Robert

Geranium robertianum is another of those delightful hedgerow plants which are easy to overlook because they are small.  Apparently, in Washington State it is known as Stinking Bob, which seems a bit harsh – even if the smell of the crushed leaves is a bit acrid.

It is supposed to ease toothache and nosebleeds – although I’d be tempted to stick to a dentist and a good hanky respectively. It is also quite popular with the buff-tailed bumble-bee.

Leading candidates for the source of its name include a French monk, Robert  - Duke of Normandy, and St Rupert of Salzburg. Am I alone in thinking that if the latter was correct it would be called Herb Rupert?

365/130: 29 June 2010: Thistle Do

Spent a very pleasant 40 minutes in the market garden next door watching a barn owl hunt for food. Sadly, didn’t have the right kit  for medium sized birds at long distances – as the 20 unusable photos clearly demonstrate. So…it’s this rather thorny thistle instead. Did it in B&W because I thought it showed the thorniness better.

365/127: 26 June 2010: Walking Around Maryport

Perhaps it’s not the trendiest place in the world, but there are some lovely walks along the upper and lower prom at Maryport, and someone seems to be putting real effort into developing the network of walking and cycle paths in the area. This shot was taken on the path from the Battery (Senhouse Roman Museum) towards the golf course. Could anything be more cheerful than a foxglove in flower?

365/112: 11 June 2010: Playing with my wide-angle

Put the ultra wide zoom on when I went for a stroll tonight – just to make me think differently about the pictures I was taking. Think these azaleas were the most fun – taken at 7mm for lens geeks.

365/103: 02 June 2010: A sad day…

…so I’ll say no more than that my thoughts are with those affected by the events in west Cumbria earlier today.

365/97: 27 May 2010: Red Campion

Another spring flower – the lanes are full of them. Actually they’re probably one of my favourites.

365/95: 25 May 2010: Apple Blossom

‘The perfect blossom is a rare thing. You could spend your life looking for one, and it would not be a wasted life’ – Katsumoto; The Last Samurai

365/94: 24 May 2010: Cow Parsley

A less traditional sign of early summer for today’s post. Given that Cow Parsley is never going to win any beauty competitions – other than ‘Best Tall Straggly Plant with Small White Flowers and a Slightly Iffy Smell’ – I though I’d try something a little more experimental. It looks OK on my screen – I hope it does on yours.

365/93: 23 May 2010: Bluebells

My front garden border is a mass of bluebells at the moment – a sure sign that summer is knocking at the door. Went for a close-up rather than a shot of the whole garden as it gave a better impression of the amount of blue we currently have.

365/91: 21 May 2010: Attitude…

..that's the difference between a weed and a flower. If this was rare and expensive no-one would dream of pulling it up, spraying it, poisoning it and generally giving it a bad time. And, am I the only person in the whole world who thinks those cheerful yellow flowers add a touch of brightness and fun to the lawn? And who can resist all this fluff – certainly not the  goldfinches in our garden.

365/84: 14 May 2010: Jack-by-the Hedge..

…or Garlic Mustard as it’s more often known, is one of those native weeds that has more than a little charm when massed in hedgerows, but which you probably wouldn’t want in your garden. A quick Google suggests that in the US of A that it’s regarded as a pestilence.
For the geeks its Latin name is Alliaria petiolata , and here’s a photo.