This afternoon while taking a short walk after lunch, I spotted this red currant tree resplendent in autumnal colours! And it is only mid-September.
Photographed using an iPhone 5s, auto settings. Merely added watermark in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.
The lake made famous by William Wordsworth, Lake Grasmere in the Lake District National Park is a mile long tranquil lake. I took this picture from a low perspective and attempted to capture the natural beauty of this place. In the distance, Allan Bank, a property managed by the National Trust can be seen. A small island in the middle of the lake was Wordsworth’s favourite destination while he was staying at nearby Dove Cottage. Click on the picture for more viewing options. Photo best viewed in large size!
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A red admiral butterfly takes a brief rest on a yellow flower. At the Cambridge University botanic gardens.
Spotted at the Cambridge University botanic garden. Beautiful golden wisps of what I think are decorative grass flowers/fruit!
Nikon D7000 with a Sigma 105mm f/2.8 lens. ISO200, f/5.0, 1/1250 seconds.
This week there was a surprise flowering at the Cambridge University Botanical Gardens. The plant known variously as Titan arum or Corpse flower bloomed after a gap of 11 years. Titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum) are native to Sumatra and are one of the worlds stinkiest and largest flowers described as rotting meat, moth balls, old socks etc.
Thankfully the worst of the smells are in the night time and I conveniently missed it! The photograph above is a HDR of 3 bracketed shots at -2, 0 and +2 stops. Shot with a 35mm f/1.8 Nikon lens on a Nikon D7000. Processed in Photomatix Pro.
I purchased the rose “blue for you” last year as I was intrigued by the colour advertised. This rose is one of a few varieties of genetically engineered roses to produce delphidin – the compound that imparts blue colour to violets and other blue flowers. Finally spring arrived and the rose has flowered. It is not strictly blue but more a lavender/purple but is the closest I have seen any rose come to the as yet impossible “blue” colour.
Larger versions of these photos are available from Flickr by clicking on the photos. Comments welcome!
Found these growing on a hedgerow and it took a little while to identify as the bittersweet nightshade, a relative of deadly nightshade (Solanum nigrum). S. dulcamara is also poisonous but not as much as S. nigrum.
Straight off the iPhone camera with no post processing.
My pot bound Chinese rose (Hibiscus rosa sinensis) almost died last year due to a nasty mealy bug infestation. In desperation I chopped the branches down till I was left with a few stalks and no leaves. I left it undisturbed over the winter in the conservatory with minimal watering. This year the plant is back and has set buds like the one shown below. Needless to say, I’m extremely pleased!
Best appreciated in large size. Shot with a Nikon D7000 and a 105mm Sigma f2.8 macro lens. ISO 320, 1/250, f/4.5.
As most everyone else my visit to Keukenhof Tulip gardens 3 years ago resulted in the purchase of tulip bulbs. Many of these lasted one season only but the one below has been a repeat flowerer. The is the Estella Rijnveld Parrot Tulip with bright red and creamy wavy petals. They are indeed spectacular, are they not?
Click on the picture for a larger version on my flickr page!
A friend gifted us this plant many years ago, and it makes its yearly appearance every spring in one corner of our garden. The flowers are beautiful pink and white and arranged in long pendants. The bleeding heart plant (Lamprocapnos spectabilis) has other common names including “lady in a bath”.
Please click on the picture for more options to see this photo on Flickr.
Juridicious 