View allAll Photos Tagged Freezing-Temperatures
Grey Seal sleeping on the Beach at Horsey Gap on the Norfolk Coast. Seemingly not too worried about the freezing temperatures and the fact that there was snow on the beach just behind me.
Photographed on a cold morning at my home. We had freezing temperatures a couple of nights last week. Lowest temperature was 25 F. I believe the low was 27 F Saturday morning, a few minutes before I took this photo. These plants bloom a few days after my pasque flowers.
IMG_4967
The freezing temperatures in Pine Creek Canyon in Zion provided endless opportunities of exploring small winter scenes in the frozen creek.
Poem.
Afternoon sun gleams brilliantly off of snow-laden Aonach Mor
and cotton-wool Cumulus Clouds.
Shade produces the icy-blues so typical of snow scenes.
Skiers ski, snow-boarders snow-board.
Freezing temperatures above 4,000 feet give way to a balmy, mild day near sea-level.
Leanachan Forest, miles long and wide, carpets a large area at the foot of the Nevis Range, on the floor of the Great Glen.
The mountain shimmers brightly as the changing light catches the undulating bluffs and ridges.
A stirring scene of winter splendour, captured from the Commando Memorial, near Spean Bridge, for this is where they trained.
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Photographed near the Watson family cottage on Peninsula Lake, near Huntsville, Ontario, Canada (in the Muskoka region)
* 230 km by road north of Toronto
A month after the end of summer, with winter still two months away, a cold snap brought freezing temperatures to the southern part of the Province of Ontario.
Water constantly seeps from the rock of the extreme southern Canadian Shield, freezing into icicles as it hits the cold air. This early in the cold season they are small but quite delicate. Ripples on the surfaces of the icicles are caused by wind that makes the water deflect as it runs down the icicles and freezes.
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Video Experiment No.1
A lot of people hate the idea of video on Flickr, and I don't think it needs to become the next YouTube either. But I've been interested in doing some time lapse photography for a while, and took an opportunity last night to try it out.
First, it should be noted that San Francisco had an unusually beautiful weekend after weeks of freezing temperatures. So I decided I'd try to get out and take some shots Sunday night to take advantage of both the warm temperature and the waxing half moon (which makes for good long-exposures). Naturally the fog rolled in abruptly in late afternoon and took away the sun, and I forgot to pack a watch of any sort which ruled out doing long exposures.
Regardless, I made a trip over to Treasure Island to shoot the Bay Bridge and the San Francisco Skyline for a bit. Once it got really dark out and I'd taken the shots I'd planned to take, I decided to fill up the memory card with the photo I'd framed and try my luck at building a time lapse video of the fog rolling across the skyline.
All together this is just under 300 frames, each individually snapped in succession using the little Nikon IR remote. I shot at a higher ISO to reduce shutter time, and at a wide aperture (f/5.6... wide only in the context of this lens). Since HDTV resolution is only about 1megapixel I really didn't care about the image being a little soft.
I'm happy with the effect, but disappointed in the video conversion. I shot all the frames in RAW and converted them in Photoshop to JPG, which I then also used Photoshop to assemble into a video. For some reason the video jumps around a bit and the lights seem to periodically 'pop', and both are artifacts of the conversion. If anyone can recommend a good FREE tool to assemble JPGs into a movie format, I'd quite appreciate it.
By the way, you're viewing about 1 minute real-time per second.
Nikon D40 | Nikon 18-200VR@60mm | f/5.6 | 4s | ISO400 | Tripod | 298 frames
This is a picture taken a few days ago before the freezing temperatures settled in North Texas on February 27. They do not look that nice today.
After nearly two straight weeks of sub-freezing temperatures, the Chicago River looked gorgeous as ever.
Twitter: @ChiPhotoGuy Facebook: NUPhotography Instagram: Nick_Ulivieri Chicago photography blog
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Thanks for viewing
Granville Island - Sunset - November '14
Passerbys aboard the water taxi took a good long look at the boarder paddling past their craft.
Freezing temperature, short sleeves & barefeet
Camera date was not set
Vapour trails.
Noordpolderzijl: Pearl in the Waddenzee
Cloud condensation nuclei or CCNs (also known as cloud seeds) are small particles (typically 0.2 µm, or 1/100 th the size of a cloud droplet ) about which cloud droplets coalesce. Water requires a non-gaseous surface to make the transition from a vapour to a liquid. In the atmosphere, this surface presents itself as tiny solid or liquid particles called CCNs. When no CCNs are present, water vapour can be supercooled below 0 °C (32 °F) before droplets spontaneously form (this is the basis of the cloud chamber for detecting subatomic particles). In above freezing temperatures the air would have to be supersaturated to around 400% before the droplets could form. The concept of cloud condensation nuclei has led to the idea of cloud seeding, that tries to encourage rainfall by seeding the air with condensation nuclei. It has further been suggested that creating such nuclei could be used for marine cloud brightening, a geoengineering technique.
(Wikipedia)
The first winter storm came without warning, bringing a very cold start to the week. Freezing temperatures have since caused leaves to fall like rain.
Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary, Anne Arundel County, Maryland
It has been over a decade since we had frozen rivers, creeks and lakes. Even our huge Potomac River that flows thru Washington DC is iced over.
Next week we will be blasted by a Siberian Polar Vortex after receiving around 4 inches of snow on Sunday.
This cold air is forecasted to dip all the way into the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas with two nights of below freezing temperatures. Butterflies (or their egg, larva or chrysalis) in this area will not be able to survive. 😥
The common redpoll (Carduelis flammea) is a small, striking finch with a unique combination of brown and gray feathers, a rosy chest, and a distinctive red cap. Thriving year-round in the harsh conditions of subarctic regions and northern forests, redpolls exhibit remarkable resilience to freezing temperatures.
Redpolls employ ingenious survival tactics, such as sleeping in snow tunnels to endure the long Arctic nights and conserve body heat. Their unique anatomical features, including an esophageal diverticulum and a throat pouch, allow them to store seeds and consume them later in warmer, safer spots. Furthermore, by fluffing their contour feathers, redpolls create an insulating layer of air to stay warm, showcasing their resourcefulness.
Observing these resourceful birds, the redpolls, hanging upside down while foraging is a powerful reminder of nature’s incredible adaptability and survival skills. Their ability to thrive in the harshest of conditions is truly inspiring.
Grey Seal dozing on the Beach at Horsey Gap on the Norfolk Coast. Seemingly not too worried about the freezing temperatures and the fact that there was snow on the beach just behind me.
:-) stars :-)
Type "L" to see it proper.
Monday night had a clear forecast for Central Oregon/Washington so I packed up the gear and skadaddled from town. Valorie stayed home due to below freezing temperature forecasts (she's a Southern Belle favoring to warmer climates). As I got on the highway, the sun began a performance of an incredible sunset. I was excited for stars and set on blasting down the highway- but damnit, now there was this sunset distraction!? It turned into a hell of a show, and I was lucky to get off a shot that I really like. Here:
www.flickr.com/photos/bencanales/5614685567/in/photostream/
So, after some crazy driving, u-turning, and jaw dropping sunset- I was back on the road heading East for some stars!
I kept checking the weather report on my phone because I ended up driving through some nasty weather! Rain, wind, THICK cloud cover, but sure enough- as I rounded the corner for The Dalles, the cover gave way and stars started to fill my windshield.
I made a few stops through the night, but ended up spending the majority of my time here.
When I first got here- it wasn't so creepy. I wondered why I had memories of this place freaking me out so much. But then, I walked into the house, and quickly had that creeped out feeling as things in the upstairs started making all kinds of noise.
It's a dumb thing to walk into a dilapidated, abandoned, collapsing structure in the dark. I question my sanity as I take steps around holes in the floor, look up to see fallen rafters, and notice 90% of the ceiling material laying on the ground. But, it is soo cool! When I step into these buildings, it's like I instantly travel to an adventure far from the 100 miles I actually drove to get there.
So, I place a light in the back. Place a light in the middle. Place a light in the front room. And then I face the stairs going up to put a light up there.
Instantly the hair on my neck stands up. I do not want to go up those stairs. First because I'll probably fall through them and end up trapped in a tangled mess of splinters and slow tetnus death, but more so because I immediately feel 10 yrs old afraid of the boogeyman again. I remind myself I am an adult man.
I remind myself again, I am an adult man.
...still standing at the base of the stairs, not haven taken anymore steps closer, I repeat my mantra of bravery again, and begin to approach the steps.
The steps going upstairs are layed out in a two tier, turn the corner style. You go up 8 steps to a landing, turn 90 degrees to the left and go another 8 steps to the upstairs. So, at the base, all you see is the landing and then craning my head, I can see the stars through the roof rafters above, but damnit, I can't see a thing up into the actual living space.
Repeating to myself how brave I am and this is no big deal and I'll be fine- holding the light in my right hand, headlamp on my forehead shining light wherever I look, I take the first step!
It holds. Nothing happens.
I release my held breath.
There is no Boogeyman. I am an adult. Nothing is going to jump out of the shadows to get me.
I take the second step, quickly rise to the third step, and then all evil in Hell breaks loose above me.
A barrage of sounds in the air directly over my head and scraping of sharp things rattle across the unseen floor above turns on like the trigger of Halloween trick or treat suprises at someone's front door.
Me, the adult man, the brave explorer, the night photographer, the adventurous outdoorsman- I immediately cower down, hands fly up over my head as I duck, and all in the same motion, my legs are already taking me down the three steps, running to safety outside the house- but frustratingly, my feet don't have the reaction time my legs do, so I end up more so falling back down the first three steps, stumbling and tripping to regain my balance. The light from my headlamp goes berserk, throwing a bright beam wildly as my head whips to look up, away, and then behind for a route of retreat, but also around the house in panic that all ghosts of the house are in attack mode!
Tripping, stumbling through the piled wall boards, ceiling rafters, holes in the floor, old nails sticking up and out of boards everywhere- I yell as I fall out of the house, hands still up to protect my head from whatever beastly demons were hiding in the upstairs!
Safety! I make it out of the house door, spinning around, hands immediately go up, legs wide and crouched ready to battle the ghost of the old farmer- my headlamp spastically illuminating all dark shadows and corners.
As I stand there for 10 seconds, catching my breath, no apparitions of Hell step forward from the doorway, and the noise upstairs trickles away.
After throwing sticks into the upstairs window from the field outside, yelling defiantly for the spookies to get the hell out- 4 pigeons obey me and bang into themselves and walls as they try to find the windows to escape the crazy adult man down below them throwing sticks into their roost. As for the scraping, ticking noise- I never found out. It continued to act up, so I continued to stay downstairs. I think the Washington State record for the colony of the largest rats are living in there. Big rats. Like, big, evil murderous rats. Maybe even ROU's.
Now to think of it... definitely ROU's!
What is an ROU's? Funny you ask...
Saturday Night (No) Fever Ready For Eye In The Sky - IMRAN™
“Music loud and women (hot blonde), I’ve (not) been kicked around since I was born”… Paraphrasing the words of one great late 70s-80s group (Bee Gees) and song (Stayin’ Alive) while ready to enjoy the live concert of another legend (The Alan Parsons Project) and anthem (Eye In The Sky), the sizzling Shannon next to me helped me in “stayin’ alive” because, on top of it being one of the coldest freezing temperatures nights of the year in Florida, the very high-ceilinged Ruth Eckerd Hall had “Air In The Sky” blowing down hard on my neck and head! Despite that we had a great night.
© 2022 IMRAN™
#Florida #Clearwater #AlanParsonsProject #Music #Concert #humor #winter #couples #dating #Saturday #SaturdayNight #style #lifestyle #entertainment #SongReference #wordplay #EyeInTheSky
Victoria Gardens is a pedestrian-oriented, open-air, mixed-use town center in Rancho Cucamonga, California. In 2006, the former Robinsons-May store was converted to a Macy's Men's and Home Store to complement the existing Macy's.
#55/365 You have to go thru extreme conditions to get the shot! You can see here I endured freezing temperatures in icey cold waters just to get a this photo. It was worth it because thru the lens I was able to see civilization ahead and I was soon rescued (after I made a quick stop at the Thomas the Train store).
ATTENTION FELLOW FLICKR FRIENDS: Looking for some inspiration? Leslie (Bogostick) and I are excited to announce A-Z Challenge 3.0's November themes! We hope you will consider joining us!
Group Description
A monthly challenge for doll photographers to find inspiration and contribute. Three themes based on each letter of the alphabet will be presented each month.
Members can submit a photo for one, two, or all themes. At the end of the month, members will vote for their favorite photos.
Participation is based on your time and inspiration. While we hope everyone can create a photo for each month, it is not required. Come and go as you like!
Submit just one photo per theme. Last day to submit photos for these themes is November 30th!
Read below for information about each theme. You can also visit the following discussion post: www.flickr.com/groups/2962397@N20/discuss/72157711633871233/
Themes for the month of November:
D - Doppelgänger
Look-alike. Clone. Spitting image. They say everyone has a twin, and the same is true in the dolly world! For this theme, you must photograph two dolls that bear a strong physical resemblance to each other. You can achieve this through identical face sculpts, similar hair styles, and/or matching outfits. How you choose to approach this theme is entirely up to you. Just be sure we think we are seeing double!
*Special note: This doppelgänger theme was a suggestion from Smitten www.flickr.com/photos/131751222@N07/. Thank you so much for this terrific theme idea!
E - Everything ‘80s
Let’s travel back to the future and revisit the outrageous, eccentric decade of the 1980s. From iconic to over-the-top, the ‘80s was one of the most influential decades in fashion, pop culture, and even politics. You can approach this theme from any perspective you can think of: No idea, shoulder pad or hairstyle is too big! Your doll could pay tribute to one of her favorite style or music icons of the '80s as seen on a teen magazine or music cassette cover. She could be a mallrat, shopping for a punk leather jacket and lace gloves. Is your doll getting physical by sporting leotards and leg warmers like video workout queen/actress Jane Fonda, or is he about to cut footloose a la Kevin Bacon at an '80s themed costume party? From your doll sitting in a room with Duran Duran and Princess Diana posters on the wall, to riding in a sleek, "talking" Pontiac Trans AM, let your imagination go as wild as the decade!
F - Frozen
Brrr! Baby, it's cold outside! This theme is all about feeling the chill of winter. Show your doll doing his or her best to enjoy the freezing temperatures outside with activities like ice skating or skiing. Think magazine photoshoots featuring crisp menswear amid snow-covered landscapes and gray blue skies, or capture the magic of the season with ice castles and snow queen makeup editorials. From frosted cabin windows to glistening ice caves, snowmen and polar bears, there are lots of "cool" possibilities for this theme.
Make sure to title your photos with the theme you are representing. (example: A-Z challenge: A - Apple)
D - Doppelgänger
E - Everything ‘80s
F - Frozen
Most importantly, have lots of fun! Let's get those creative juices flowing! :)
Not a member? Visit A-Z Doll Photography Challenge to join. Hope to see you there! :)
The collage is my creation, but the photos used are not mine. please see below for web links
Photo credits for the collage:
D - www.pinterest.com/pin/93449760991313066/?lp=true
E - www.lovika.com/lookbook-fashion-back-to-80s/
F - www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/photography/g4940/soo-joo-p...
The sunsets in LA have looked like Armageddon for the last week (since New Years Day). I finally had a camera with me to capture one. I figured since two thirds of the US has below freezing temperatures today, all of the cold people might enjoy the sunshine!
Destination (Un)Known 2023.1: Frozen Smile & Hands, On Ferry New London CT To Long Island NY - IMRAN™
As the sun set and the ferry got underway, I made my way from the aft upper deck to the foredeck. Again, I was there with not a single other soul nearby.
I was freezing from the below-freezing temperature and strong wind. With the added effect of the ferry speeding into the headwind, I got my own personal dose of an Arctic blast.
It was then that a young fellow also braved the elements to show up there. He came to see the open water views for a few minutes. It was not long before even his Boston-blood could not handle the cold wind anymore.
Before he was going to shiver and shrivel away belowdecks, I offered to take some pictures for him if he took some for me. It was a fair trade he accepted.
There was very low light for a portrait. The iPhone worked harder on capturing the background colors, less on the brown guy in black jacket in the dark foreground.
There were some cool dusk shots that created, but my face is completely blurry in them. That was caused by the low light atop the ferry plus the movement.
This one photo was taken with the iPhone's flash. It made the background less vivid. But you can at least see my genuine but frozen smile, and hands! The one visible in the cold air looks like a giant frozen claw!
The slight ghost image also made my salt and pepper covered head look darker. It made it look like I had a wet or jet black wig on! You can see the effect of several days of little to no sleep, and travel day stubble.
The motion blur and gentle roll of the vessel are clearly seen in the almost circular rings that the land-side lights appear as. But, frigid as it was, I loved every minute of it.
Reconnecting with the North Atlantic Ocean at sunset and into the night,..... a magic re-experienced after too long.
© 2023 IMRAN™
A really severe snowstorm and below freezing temperatures hit central Texas in the last 48 hours. In between dealing with frozen pipes at my water well, I pulled out my infrared camera. This was with a blue filter.
The sun is about to rise on this cold morning with freezing temperatures of around -30 Celcius and snow everywhere
A friend was transporting me after work today during a heavy snowfall to pick up my car from the shop. This guy, dressed like the Statue of Liberty, was standing out in front of this strip mall, in the freezing temperature and blowing snow, to advertise Liberty Loans. All I had was my phone camera, which unfortunately isn't high-quality, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity; so I rolled down the window and called out, "mind if I take your picture?" I kept wondering how much he was being paid. 3 February 2009, Project 365
Séchoir à maïs de Saint-Hélix-Theux (Gers) en pleine action.
Le froid accentue la condensation de la vapeur d'eau exhalée par les séchoirs, ce qui permet la formation de panaches particulièrement denses.
Pentax K-5, Sigma 70-200 EX et son doubleur de focale assorti, 2 décembre 2013.
Corn driers in full action on a cold december night, in southern Gascony. Freezing temperatures allow dense condensation of the water vapor exhausts.
Pentax K-5, Sigma 70-200 EX and Sigma 2x converter.
Hamamelis vernalis is a native shrub that blooms during winter months (January-March). This example was photographed yesterday with freezing temperature at Blackburn Park in Webster Groves, Missouri.
can you see the difference of what is frozen water--and what is not? brrrr...freezing temperatures!
captured in Fox Lake, Wisconsin
120111
Heavy fog, freezing temperatures and a recent ice/snow storm combine to make this idyllic winter scene to frame the MNPAH-02 at LaFox, IL.
Guemes Channel. Dakota Creek Industries.
F/V Blue North Album:
www.flickr.com/photos/-jon/sets/72157649227730729
"At the heart of this program is a unique, low-impact sustainable boat that will be among the most environmentally friendly and technologically advanced fishing vessels in the world. This innovative “green” boat is being specifically developed for the Alaska cod hook-and-line fishery. "
bluenorth.com/home/#/fishing/fishing-vessels
"This longliner is specifically developed for the Alaskan cod fishery and is designed by Skipsteknisk AS in Norway. This new ST 155L design has a moon pool in the center line for one fish to be caught at a time through the internal haul station, which is a first in the United States. The vessel will efficiently utilize proteins onboard- the fish wastage that is commonly ground up and discharged overboard. The internal haul station allows for the release of non-target species, as well as the crew to accomplish their work inside the boat without being exposed to rough seas or freezing temperatures and with no more risk of falling overboard during hauling."
dakotacreek.com/project/fv-blue-north-freezer-longliner-v...
I spent two days up in the mountains to get this photo. The other time I attempted an 8 hour drive only to have the road closed, and a 5 hour detour on top of it.
It is an amazing place, and amazing to think that stockmen spent the night here in snow, wind and rain in freezing temperatures up in the high country.
I think this shot is about as good as conditions will allow with the sun rising and setting where it does, short of a blanket of snow covering everything.
With the combination of freezing temperatures and snowfall comes the formation of icicles, especially with them being an old-time problem for railroad tunnels as northbound CSX freight train Q692-27 illuminates those problems as they prepare to exit the portal of Martin Tunnel on January 30, 2021, in Martin, VA.
A bifurcated Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) glows in the morning light. Saguaro cacti are renowned for their longevity, living up to and possibly exceeding 200 years, and their size, achieving heights of 40 to 60 feet (12-18 m). They are native to the Sonoran Desert of Arizona and the Mexican state of Sonora. Their northern geographic range correlates with the probability of having more than two straight days of sub-freezing temperatures. Saguaros are one of the classic symbols of the American west, such that movie directors will use plastic models on locations outside of their normal geographic range. A pink Saguaro-like alien was used in an episode of Star Trek during the Capt Kirk era.
A Happy New Year to everyone in Flickr-land; hope you have great light and photographic opportunities in 2015
Well it was still below freezing temperature wise ... but with the warm sunlight in the sky hitting the clouds, it looks at least warm.
f11 @ 4 seconds (ISO 100)
Another angle of the sunrise at Seaburn on boxing day. Once the tide went out a little I managed to get down to the beach & took this pic just below the promenade with the lighthouses in the distance. The sunrise was just amazing, making up for the freezing temperature :-)
Exif info... iso 100, exposure 1.7 sec, aperture f22, focal length 17mm, manual mode, white balance auto.
It is called "snowshoe" because of the large size of its hind feet. The large footprint prevents it from sinking into the snow when it hops and walks. Its feet also have fur on the soles to protect it from freezing temperatures.
For camouflage, its fur turns white during the winter and rusty brown during the summer. The snowshoe hare is also distinguishable by the black tufts of fur on the edge of its ears. Its ears are shorter than those of most other hares. (Wikipedia)
An eastbound Trenton to New York local crosses the frozen waters of the Raritan River at Highland Park, NJ. Days of below freezing temperatures have caused the river to freeze over.
NJT 3846 @ Raritan River Viaduct, Highland Park, NJ
NJTR ALP-46 4602
Worthing is one of the most dull, chav-infested lifeless places in the world, ever. As I stared at this photograph in Lightroom however, all I could think of was some Sci-fi building site; a Mars base being built of steel.
Since I started exploring derelict buildings, I've had an unending twitch for building sites. Some similar effect drew me to them; whereas derelict sites are falling down, these are rising up. However, I'd never been able to get into one.
Until now! These flats have been going up for what feels like years now. They've had a 10-foot-odd high fence around them which has always put me off. But thanks to my Northern friend Michael (who likes to imply that, because he's from up North, that he is some kind of unstoppable force...) we were able to scale the beast.
Anyway, I had a great time and got some nifty shots. This one is (mostly) worth the freezing temperatures...
Freezing temperatures, cold winds blowing from north.
Winter approaching.
Agile fox, sensitive to sounds and movements around.
With near freezing temperatures yesterday, activity at WWT Arundel was much reduced, but the light was of excellent quality with plenty of people in attendance.
But quality won over quantity in the afternoon with two Snipe feeding in front of the Ramsar Hide, from where a distant Cattle Egret was also visible. Behind at one point were a quartet of Buzzards over the elevated terrain of Offham Hanger.
Arundel, West Sussex
10th January 2024
20240110 2I8A 3021
Nourished by the rain, our camellia bush is showing life again. Once loaded with buds when the below freezing temperatures hit I thought I'd lost them all. But then it recovered and now more new buds are starting to bloom.
And now the squirrels and chipmunks are eating them almost as fast as they start to bloom. Thought I'd better try to get a few shots... just in case.
The appearance of the first crocus flower is always a great event. While it never means the end of snow and freezing temperatures, it indicates warmer days are coming.
In our area of the US the appearance of crocus flowers is occurring earlier than the long-term averages according to the National Phenology Network (www.usanpn.org) - by around a week or two. This is well outside the average from past decades, and a substantial biological signal almost certainly linked to climate change.
I've been keeping an eye out for these beauties, in part because of my interest in the science of climate change, but also because I wanted to get a picture of them on the first day they appeared. Not only are the colors more brilliant, but the birds and squirrels love to eat the petals and collect the pollen to season their rice.
3 shot focus stock, using a very narrow range of dof to selectively get the closest petals and stigmata in focus
I would rather be a candid street photographer than any other style on any given day. Spending half a day below the freezing temperature sometimes is worthy.
The flowers of the Ceropegias are, in my opinion, among the most bizarre and highly specialized of any in the plant kingdom. The flowers are characterized by very long floral tubes, ending in a markedly bulbous base, intricately folded petals which are frequently united at the tips to produce a distinctive bird cage, or egg beater shaped flower (as in C. linearis v woodii, or C. bosserii). The interior of the floral tube is often lined with backward pointing pointing hairs, and many species produce distinctive scents. All of these adaptations insure that only very specific insects are attracted to the flowers, and only these can actually penetrate into the deep interiors of the flowers where pollination will actually occur. Unlike the flowers of many plants, the flowers of the Ceropegias do not offer the pollinators any rewards - the flowers are not known to produce significant (if any) nectar, and the pollen is concentrated into compact pollinia, and is seldom (if ever) consumed by the pollinators. As a rule, only a few species of insects can successfully pollinate the flowers of any given species of Ceropegia - the scents produced by the flowers, flower colors, and other visual cues will only attract a fairly specific group of insects, and the shape and size of the flowers will screen out all insects which are not of the proper size - I would not be surprised to discover that some plants may only be pollinated by a single species of insect in habitat.
The Ceropegias are a members of the milkweed family: Approximately 200 species are recognized, virtually all are native to tropical and sub tropical regions of the old world, with a majority of species originating from southern Africa and Madagascar. Most species are vining perennials, with a good number of succulent species - many produce tuberous roots, while some are stem, and occasionally, leaf succulents; a few species are shrubby perennials.
Ceropegia cimiciodora is native to South Africa: the stems are dimorphic - producing thick, very succulent scrambling stems during its vegetative phase; these stems are cryptically colored, and may grow to several feet in length. Minute, ephemeral leaves are produced on widely spaced nodes on the stems. As the flowering season approaches, the stems transition into extremely long, thin, twining stems which produce multiple racemes of flower buds during its flowering phase. Stem growth at this time can be remarkably rapid - my plant produced a vining stem in excess of 6 feet in a period of about 4 months.
The flowers are somewhat atypical for the Ceropegias, with spreading petals instead of petals which are united at their tips, but exhibit other traits which are typical of the Ceropegias. The flowers are comparatively large, with floral tubes in excess of 2 inches, and petals spreading to about 1.5 inches across. The inside petal surfaces are covered with fine purple to magenta hairs. The flower colors are variable in this species: on my plant, the inside petals are a greenish beige with minute purplish spots, the floral tube and outside petals are beige with purplish splotches, but in the photographs of other plants, the flowers may also be chartreuse. This species was named for the unusual scent emitted by the flowers - "cimiciodora" translates "smelling like a bed bug". I am able to say that the flowers do in fact emit a scent reminiscent of a crushed bedbug (please do not ask me how I would know), however, this scent is not especially strong, and I have only detected it on a few occasions on my plant. The scent appears to be emitted only at certain times of the day, and temperature and light intensity may also play a factor on when or even if this plant will produce a noticeable scent on any given day. I wasn't sure what sort of insect would be attracted to the flowers of this plant - I can report that I have never seen any bedbugs on this plant, and none of the literature has cited any evidence that this plant can attract these pests. While taking a close-up of one of flowers, I noticed some activity deep in the floral tube, and eventually captured this image of a gnat sized fly that was attracted into the flower:
www.flickr.com/photos/glochidman/21937422609/in/album-721...
This fly showed no difficulty in negotiating its way into the deep interior of the flower, and back again, (some authorities suggest that some insects may become trapped inside of Ceropegia flowers for hours and even days). I was hopeful that this fly (and several others which I observed) would have succeeded in pollinating the flowers of this plant, but to date, I have not seen any evidence of developing fruits.
This plant is easy to grow: It responds well to my general guidelines on growing cacti and other succulents, with a few considerations. This plant needs full sun to thrive, and should be grown outdoors whenever temperatures permit to benefit from exposure to direct sunlight and higher growing temperatures. Flowering seems to be initiated by changes in the daylength; flower buds begin to appear in late summer, and flowers are produced from late summer through fall. Without a significant change in day length, this plant may never produce flowers - which may be important information if you intend to grow plants under artificial lights. While this plant will take very cool temperatures, and will survive brief exposure to nearly freezing temperatures, I do not believe that it will survive even brief exposure to freezing conditions. Extended cold conditions will probably weaken this plant, even during its winter dormancy, I would recommend maintaining somewhat warmer conditions in winter; above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Plants are easily propagated from cuttings taken while the plant is actively growing - it can probably be propagated by some variation of air layering. To date, I have not seen any seed production on any of the plants which I have observed, so I cannot report on how easy it is to grow this plant from seed.
This plant is not for most growers, the plant itself is not particularly attractive; the stems are typically scrambling, and will spread some distance from its pot. Grown in a hanging basket, the succulent stems will hang to a length of several feet. During its flowering phase, the twining stems will grow upright many feet, and will insinuate themselves through anything that will provide any support. While some people will appreciate the curious flowers of this plant, those persons who prefer flowers with more classical beauty, and more flamboyant colors will probably be unimpressed with these. This a great plant however for those growers who seek out the great oddities of the plant kingdom, and who can appreciate this plant for its curious traits - I'm sure that it will have an appeal to those growers who's tastes are on the gothic side (imagine the Adams Family), for everyone else, it may be best to appreciate this plant vicariously through photos.
As a stark contrast to the previous upload, this was shot at the beach three hours ago in freezing temperatures (-10°C/14°F). The fjord is not yet frozen and three swans were searcing the sea bed for food. The companion shot to this (see comments field or previous upload) is called The Butts-Up :-)
Its the Skyline of Shanghai Pudong district. It's a great spot for experimenting but due to freezing temperatures (it was Winter) I had to escape from that spot soon.