Macro Monday – 16 January
Tag: bromiliad flowers
Re- Living the Past #21 – My first red photos
Sunday Stills Monthly Colour Challenge: Seeing #Ruby Red
A selection of red items posted from 2013 to 2016
Sorry I didn’t have any red balloon but enjoy Nena. A favourite song
Share this:
This is November 2021
Subtitle: Changing Seasons – in conjunction with Ju-Lyn
I didn’t take many photos in November. I am loving the rain. The frogs have been as well. Some nights it is so loud with all the frogs having their say. The most photographed thing, because the rain has made the garden just grow, are flowers splashed throughout the garden. I am doing a garden post as it is too good not to share. I have spent a bit time in the shed so there’s a post about that on the list as well.
The days we had with sunny blue skies which were taken advantage of, so there was lots of photos to pick from for This is November. Grab your usual drink/snack that you may like to consume at this time of your day and enjoy this bit of my world.
Here is your song to scroll to….a new one for me. I hope you enjoy my discovery. Hit play and let’s get scrolling. You can always come back up and stop the music if you don’t like it.
One Saturday morning I woke very early and there was colour in the sky, so I had to try and take a few photos for Hammad’s Weekend Sky. After taking my usual photos from the usual place, I tried to see what I could get through the trees. Most were ok but didn’t show all that much of the coloured clouds. My favourite of the lot.
The cows next door to my besties were calving. I think these two may be related.
On that hill where the calves are, a Double Bared Finch was having lunch too.
It is always lovely to see an Eastern Rosella or two when out and about.
Sacred Ibis always look spectacular as the glide overhead.
On the lookout tree, a Spangled Drongo (top) and a Dollar Bird keep an eye out for some unsuspecting breakfast to be passing by.
In my besties garden, a Pheasant Coucal was calling for a few days. One morning he decided to come out in the sun.
We went away for a few days to Soldiers Point. One day we went for a walk in a nature reserve at Nelson Bay. There’s a few photos from there following as well. A pair of Corellas were checking out the hollows in the Gum Tree to make home maybe.
This made me laugh, the Darter look so serious too.
We found this lily like plant and it has the most wonderful flower. I haven’t been able to ID it yet.
I just love Red and Green Kangaroo Paw flowers which were growing along the track in the nature reserve
At a cafe having a coffee while the waiting for the rain to ease a bit, I saw Bougainvillea flowers had fallen on a table out in the rain.
That’s all from our mini holiday. Remember the last two “This is…..” I have shown the progress of the amazing Gymea Lily flower. I don’t think it will be there next time.
Here is a few from around my garden as a bit of a teaser lol. The agapanthus in the garden have never had as many flowers ever! Mostly blues but some are from plants with white flowers that I never knew their colour.
This white Agapanthus flower stalk was so tall, well over a meter.
The Crinums or Spider Lilys are flowering well this year.
I have been trying to find the right place for the Walking Iris as I love their flowers
I have a Jacaranda tree which is a bit scraggly but this year showed itself as best it could.
Scattered around the garden are Spiny-headed Mat Rush (Lomandra) plants that have long strappy leaves most of the time but they do flower
The Paperbark Trees (Melaleuca quinquenervia) are flowering and the insects and birds are loving them.
I can’t grow roses at my place. It gets too wet and the Possums and Wallabies love them too much. My besties place is ideal. Here is a selection of Roses. This is a tiny climbing variety.
Some of the flowers are amazing. I love this pink one.
Such a deep colour, it is more orange than red in real life
Some Zinnias are appearing.
This is the flower from a Bromiliad which I found in the plant rescue section of a nursery. I took three and said these be easy. He rolled his eyes. Five years later, two survived and this one has flowered for the first time.
Sometimes Thistle flowers look so good.
I always forget to take photos of the Zig-Zag plant when it flowers.
I cannot believe this Pineapple plant. It has been in the garden for as long as I can remember. Every now and then it pops out a fruit. This is the flower stage. Pineapple plants are Bromiliads.
The Day Lilys have been wonderful this year
Even the Stingless Native Bees thinks so as well.
The Variegated Duranta has been flowering since start of Spring. Now it has rained there are flowers everywhere.
There was a break in the rain. A Blue-banded Bee decided to take advantage too.
In the nature reserve we found this amazing way the Lichen has formed. What shapes or things can you see in the photo? IN the top right hand corner is a tiny fern similar to an air plant. They grow on anything organic wood, rock etc
OK Who was paying attention as I would really like to know what was your favourite photo? Did you like the music?
The Changing Seasons is a monthly project where bloggers around the world share their thoughts and feelings about the month just gone. We all approach this slightly differently — though generally with an emphasis on the photos we’ve taken during the month.
For many of us, looking back over these photos provides the structure and narrative of our post, so each month is different. Some focus on documenting the changes in a particular project — such as a garden, an art or craft project, or a photographic diary of a familiar landscape.
But in the end, it is your changing season, and you should approach it however works for you.
There are no fixed rules around post length or photo number — just a request that you respect your readers’ time and engagement.
Tags and ping-backs
Tag your photos with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so that others can find them
Create a ping-back to Ju-Lyn at Touring My Backyard or this post, so that we can update it with links to all of yours.
Also for Cee’s FOTD
Share this:
This is July 2021 – Changing Seasons
Last month was the first post from Ju-Lyn at Touring My Backyard for The Changing Seasons. Ju-Lyn and I will be taking turns at hosting The Changing Seasons that Su from Zimmerbitch hosted with great results. We hope you will enjoy, as you have done in the past, and keep posting your Changing Seasons with us. Just add your link in the comments or pingback to this post for your Changing Seasons.
I have had an action packed July with my camera being able to get around the local area despite the Covid restrictions that the state of NSW is currently under. There has been a couple of “incidents” on the North Coast from people coming from Sydney Covid positive. A lot of businesses are starting to not allow customers from Sydney into their premises.
Enough of the doom and gloom, something I am not used to posting on my blog. Let’s start with an Aussie song you all should know to get you through the photos.
I thought we should start a bit bright and cheerful with some flowers.
My Bromiliads flowered with such unusual flowers
My besties Gymea Lily sent up a spear. It’s about three metres tall.
The flower is yet to open and as I haven’t been there for almost two weeks, I hope it waits until I can get there to show you the flower.
A while ago I was talking about my poor sad Peach Tree. It seems to enjoy July don’t you think?
The flowers have a lovely deep pink colour. I know a couple of people will love this colour.
The bees love the flowers too.
Just beside the Peach is a Nectarine Tree and the Stingless Native Bees are loving the blossoms of light pink petals with a rosy centre.
There has been a few Black Jezebel Butterflies in the garden too.
It’s not just the insects who love the flowers. The Brown Honeyeater enjoys snacking on Lions Tails flowers.
The Rainbow Lorikeets flock to the Honey Gem Grevillea in the morning.
Lewins Honeyeaters like to pick the centre from the Ornamental Ginger flowers
Can you count the number of King Parrots in the red Bottlebrush? I have lot of King Parrots in the garden.
This female King Parrot was watching me as I was walking in the garden.
There is always someone peeking through the window to see if I am home.
or peeking over the gutter
Or sitting in the tree where this Pied Currawong was outside of my office door.
One wonderful thing is that a Chatter (yes that’s the name for a group of Choughs) of White-winged Choughs have increased in number and often cackle away while picking their way through the garden.
Driving home a few days ago I heard the sounds of Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos flying overhead. I saw them start to land so jumped out of the car camera in hand. Of course they decided to fly off to a distant tree. There were a lot of Cockatoos in the flock. This is just a few as others had landed in other trees further away.
Getting out to the beach was good way to spend the day even though it was very windy.
I think that there is a system of ownership of this rock. The Crested Terns were sitting there as I walked past.
On the way back, the Cormorant had taken over
Pied Oystercatchers were combing the beach for morsels in the sand.
The Sooty Oystercatcher decided the rocks was the best place to find a snack.
A Pelican was taking a stroll along the sand.
and another Pelican enjoyed a cruise on the Clarence River
Overhead it was rather busy. A Brahminy Kite scanned the beach intent on stealing whatever the Gulls had found.
A White-bellied Sea Eagle was hovering and circling in the wind right near us looking among the rock pools where the Sooty Oystercatcher was as well.
The brown on the outer side of it’s wings is lovely
At full stretch doing a turn in the wind ready to circle back and scan once more
We were also lucky enough to see the Humpback Whales on their northerly migration even though they were not very close to the shore.
It was an amazing sight to see hundreds of Ibis heading west to the wetlands where they will spend the rest of Winter and in Spring, raise their hatchlings.
One afternoon in the grey afternoon sky, a pair of Ibis were heading to roost.
Speaking of roosting. Down at the beach there is a colony of Red-Headed Flying Foxes who were squabbling over the best places and getting ready to fly off for their nightly foraging.
While in the trees, for Becky’s July Square Trees photo challenge, I posted the avenue of Fig Trees but from one end, I commented to Becky that I should have taken a photo in the middle. Yesterday in the late afternoon I did just that – and it’s even square.
Sitting in the garden the sun reflected off something that caught my eye. It was a rather ragged spiders web which had the most amazing colours.
Only a little bit of rain for July but thee is always the opportunity for a water drop photo.
One thing I like to photograph is rusty things. The steel and the rivets plus their shadow on the Grafton Bridge.
While looking on the other side, the setting looked rather idyllic
I love clouds and these in horizontal layers with varying colours one afternoon looked wonderful.
OK folks it time for sunset and to reach the end of my July and Changing Seasons.
I hope you enjoyed a scroll though my July and enjoyed the sunset as much as the cows do.
Did you have a favourite photo? See you next month for This is August 2021 and Ju-Lyn will be hosting The Changing Seasons
Share this:
So many reds to pick from
Terri’s Sunday Stills: A Rosy Outlook
I was wondering what I should post – perhaps flowers, perhaps berries, perhaps man made stuff or blimey lets go with all of them.
Share this:
Triangles
The word prompt from Terri for Sunday Stills: Triangles
I had to think but yes there are triangles everywhere
Bromiliad flower
The rooster has triangles
I have no idea lol
Blue Triangle Butterfly
Can you guess the link?
Share this:
In My Garden
The Ragtag Daily Prompt for Tuesday: Garden
Have a quick wander about my garden.
Blue-banded Bees like dropping in
When the pink Crocus flowers the Stingless Native Bees all come around
One of the wheelbarrow gardens with Hippeastrums
The Frangipanni flowers scent fills the air
The Bromiliads flower too
One of my favourite flowers – Cats Whiskers
The Dietis look great buit trhey are taking over in places in the garden
One of the many Hibiscus flowers
The Agapanthus put on a show around the garden borders
The garden is a place to relax
Even Long-necked Tortoise stroll through heading to the dam
Every now and then when working in the garden, I surprise a frog. The Broad-palmed Frog took a while to wake before hopping off
Lots of Bottlebrush flowers
The Pelagoniums add colour
There is always help in the garden
So many Grevilleas too
The Native Wisteria winds its way among the foliage
Always wear gloves and shoes as you never know who you might disturb. The Mouse Spider was rather fiesty
The Bullants let you know if you are getting too close to their nest
Every now and then another variety of fungus appears
The garden is a lovely place to raise a family
The fruit trees look wonderful in Spring
and of course the garden is home to lots and lots of birds from the smallest Honeyeater, the Scarlet Honeyeater
to the larger birds like the Satin Bowerbirds
Share this:
Contrasts
Weekly Prompts – Green
The word prompt from Sue is Green
A bit of green from my part of the world
Sometimes everything is so green
A patch of green among a circle of red
Here’s that blasted grasshopper again
I love the green among the other colours in the King Parrots feathers
The Green Tree Snake looking for something to eat
OH….those eyes
Emerald Doves certainly make the place look bright
Green just shoots out from the pine tree
Praying Mantis are always on the look out for anything that may be delicious
I miss the Green Catbirds that live at my besties old place
Share this:
This is November 2018
My last post Time #6 was post number 1,000. I was hoping this one would be number 1,000 but it has taken a lot of time getting it together.
November was where Spring really came to life. Rain in the previous months led to life appearing, flowers brightened, the little native flowers, some only 10mm in diameter sprung up in the paddocks and in the bush. Birds who come to my place over Spring and Summer appeared, in some instances with their chicks.
This is another long post as I couldn’t cut back and also have had a couple of double ups. I have a some things left out as they deserve their own post.
So I recommend getting your drink of choice, perhaps a snack and if you are lucky, someone to bring refills. 😀
I have tried to arrange the photos in some sort of grouping. OK off we go………
Some days saw the storm clouds appear bring some destruction but also welcoming rain
The water plants on the dams are pleased that the water levels are up
The Bromiliads in the garden are sending their flower spikes up.
or just colouring while the flower appears in the watery centre
One of my favourite flowers, the Cats Whiskers flowered after the rain.
Day lilies flowered some with multiple buds
The Dietes, which are all through the garden, showed the borders with their white and purple flowers. If you look on the left side of the flower, you can see a little native bee.
The pink Pentas were planted two years ago and this year the flowers were prolific.
I thought these were the last of the Pandoreas but when I walked past today, more have appeared
I have a miniature Native Frangipanni in a pot at the front of the house. The warm breeze send a delightful scent into the house. The flowers start as white flowers and gradually turn yellow
Also in the garden is quite a big Native Frangipanni. It is constantly flowering through November. You can see the various stages of flowering from the white and yellow buds, white flowers and then the yellow flowers on their way out.
The Gardenias are looking good this year
Had to show the buds too
This Pentas is great for attracting insects
The original red Hibiscus that my Mother bought from her garden when the gardens were first planted many years ago. This was one of my Mums favourites
This is the bush still in the part of the place where gardens and the old house once were
Another Hibiscus that had a good flowering too.
The Grevilleas took a while to flower compared to other gardens around the area.
This Grevillea flower hangs downwards
The second year for the Ivanhoe Grevillea and the first flower
Two Grevilleas in the front garden that always have birds squabbling over the flowers
I love the pastel colours of this Grevillea
The Bottlebrush flowers add splashes of red throughout the garden
The Balsam flowers appear in many places in the garden. The just pop up
A Bottlebrush just starting to flower
One of my favourite small trees is Jacksonia. They add touches of yellow through the bush
Another small tree in an old part of the garden. The last few years it has taken to flower for months
A large tree in the garden, a Silky Oak, which is also one of the biggest Grevilleas
The Eucalypts are flowering following a prolonged dry spell. Some are flowering now and I haven’t seen them flower at this time of year before
A ground cover flower that I thought had gone but has reappeared. I had an orange version as well. I wonder if that one will come back?
The Duranta flowers are another flower with soft pastel colours
I planted this native in a rockery. The Red-necked Wallabies love it. The constant trimming looks like a benefit as it is covered with flowers this November
The flowers appear on soft stalks and the spots seem to darken too
The Hippeastrums looked wonderful this November. The wheelbarrow gardens looked a treat. There is a post about them earlier this month
The red Hippeastrums seemed very red this year
A tiny native flower about 10mm in diameter
You can see how small this native flower is by the grass and size of the leaves
I love clover flowers
A Calathea I have in a pot flowered this year with tiny flowers with delicate colour
This Native flower is called a Smooth Parrot Pea
Even the patch of Spider Plants flowered
With the flowers growing well the flower sellers at the market were selling bunches and most market days, sold out before the end.
Saw this car and just had to get a photo. It is a ute as well as a tad rusty
The clouds one day were quite spectacular
What a tiny Grasshopper on the Brunsfelsia flower
The Caper White Butterflies are migrating. This one is the first to arrive at my place
The Stingfless native Bees are loving collecting pollen from the orange Hippeastrum
A Crab Spider showed me his scary end when I disturbed its rest. Not a very big spider either
Meet Gus, my axolotl. He is always happy looking
A Noisy Friarbird snacking on a Honey Gem Grevillea
Noisy Friarbirds always have something to say
A female Figbird contemplates her next meal
Always singing around the house and in the forest, a Grey_shrike Thrush was looking through the window
Aren’t the Masked Lapwings strange looking. They are also called Plovers
but their eggs are quite pretty. They lay their eggs anywhere. These were on a walkway to the beach.
Peaceful Doves are always around the house
Royal Spoonbills were another of my quests to photograph
The ferry cable is as good as anywhere to hang out to dry
On a visit to a small degraded wetland I was amazed to see the amount of birds there. The flock of Hardhead Ducks was rather large
On another wetland, where the Royal Spoonbills were, some Pink-eared Ducks also were paddling around
Eurasian Coots paddled about looking for food
I was surprised to see a Crested Tern so far from the coast. A Purple Swamp Hen strode around the edge of the water
Aren’t Australasian Grebe chicks cute
A pacific Black Duck was closely followed by a young one
When you go calling on your girlfriend always take flowers
The Superb Fairy Wrens hopped around us at the lookout
Well the sun is going down so it’s time for me to go. Thanks for hanging around with me. I hope you enjoyed my November
bushboys world 