Macro Monday – 13 March

There’s nothing worse that flying all the way from the hive to your favourite Blue Ginger flower only to find a huge blockage of a Teddy Bear Bee filling its pollen sacs

The little Stingless Native Bee flying in is about 10mm in length. The pollen sacs in his rear legs are empty so it will off to find another flower.

Life of a Blue Ginger

Following on in my flower and plant series “Life of…..” Today is the the Blue Ginger flowers turn.

I have quite a number of Blue Ginger plants in the garden and some are in pots. Not an Australian native plant as I was first told, this beautiful Brazilian perennial is commonly known as Blue Ginger (Dichorisandra thyrsiflora) It is a shade lover loves the morning sun and where I have planted some, they are protected from the afternoon sun

It is a perennial plant which grows from thick, rhizomatous roots. Though known colloquially as blue ginger, it is not related to ginger plants (Zingiberaceae). It belongs instead to the Commelinaceae family of plants.

Enough of the botanical stuff, let’s get on with a few photos from around my place.

I spent time looking for some plants that showed the whole plant and I did find some that I have posted before. This post includes older photos (the larger ones) and the ones taken in Autumn this year. They are smaller as I have to reduce the amount of size in my media folders, something I didn’t think o9f until I saw the WordPress changes for the future. Thanks to Cee for letting me know about resizing my photos.

This is one group of plants at my besties old place where I have some of the these cuttings now growing at my place.

These are some of my plants

I planted this group of Blue Gingers where they don’t get much sun at all so now the flowers are looking for some sunshine. These are well over two metres tall as the roof of my shade house you can see is at least two metres tall.

The stem are also interesting. The green band are where the leaves have dropped off

The beautiful clustered flower heads are vibrant purple-blue and appear atop of spiraled, ginger-like stems of leaves, which often have purplish undersides.

I like the purple colour of the stems that hold the leaves as well. Quite often you can find a bee or other insect in the flowers.

Here are a few Stingless Native Bees feeding on the pollen

The flowers do look inviting

Even when there are some water drops and you can see right inside

No wonder Blue-banded Bees love them

Teddy Bear Bees love them too

Just an arty shot I had to include

When the flowers start to fall, it is almost time for the rest of the plant to die back for Winter. I don’t usually cut the stems back after flowering. I let the stems die back putting their nutrients back into the rhizome for late or after winter when the shoots will appear.

The flowers gradually drop leaving the stem which too will drop.

Also for Cee’s FOTD

Get some perspective

Becky’s Square Photo Challenge: Past Squares

Don’t Think I have delved into the #PerspectiveSquare yet, so why not.

Looking at Blue Ginger Flowers with a Blue-banded Bee scrunched in for a snack

My front fence

Looking down the road from my front gate

I know, don’t play with matches

Across a misty paddock

An Australian Pelican and his reflection

One to test your eyes

Re-living the past #9 – My first blues

Weekly Prompts – Colour Challenge Blue

Here’s a song while you cruise the blog posts

This is the first blue I posted in August 2012 – a Superb Fairy Wren in my garden

In April 2013 was a double blue – A Blue-banded Bee scrunching up inside of a Blur Ginger flower

Before flying off to the next flower needing attention

A favourite bit purple

Life in Colour May: Purple

Jude want’s to know “What’s your favourite purple Picture?” Perhaps this one? A Blue-banded Bee in a Blue Ginger flower. Blue Ginger flowers vary in colour from a blue to a deep purple depending on the amount of sunlight, soils etc.

Last on the Card February 2021

Last month was another record breaker. Last on the Card January 2021 had 221 views with seventy-three likes so hopefully a lot of those people had a look at your fabulous last photos. I know some of you just can’t let go and have to do a bit to the photo. Really no one cares, this is all about fun. I don’t know what the last photo is most of the time mainly on my phone and small camera.

The rules are simple:
1. Post the last photo on your SD card or last photo on your phone for the 28th February.
2. No editing – who cares if it is out of focus, not framed as you would like or the subject matter didn’t cooperate.
3. You don’t have to have any explanations, just the photo will do
4. Create a Pingback to this post or link in the comments
5. Tag “The Last Photo” or #LastOnTheCard

Here’s mine

From my Samsung Galaxy S9

From my Canon PowerShot A1200

From my Canon PowerShot SX70HS

Do join in and post your photos. Don’t be shy

Which do you prefer

Jude’s 2020 Photo Challenge #34

This week's assignment - Take a photo of a subject that you like in colour and then convert to Black & White. Show both images for comparison. Which is best? Does the image rely on colour for impact.

I snuck an extra one using selective colour