...Known...

Taken at the King of Thailands Summer palace. Bang Pa-In Royal Palace, also known as the Summer Palace, is a palace complex formerly used by the Thai kings. It lies beside the Chao Phraya River in Bang Pa-In district, Ayutthaya Province 60 km north of Bangkok. The palace dates back to the seventeenth century, pre-dating the establishment of Bangkok as the capitol.

Sources: Wikipedia, thailandforvisitors.com

Thank you for visiting!

Parrot tulips are known for their large petals with bright colors that are capriciously shaped and distinctively colored.

The "Rococo" tulip is a velvety red tulip with accents of purple, yellow and green. Yes, the large flowers always have green spots somewhere.

It is still flowering in a pot in my conservatory, but I will soon move it into a bed and hope that it will come back next year.

Papageientulpe 'Roccoco' (Tulipa x Hybrida 'Rococo')

Papageientulpen sind bekannt für ihre großen Blütenblätter mit leuchtenden Farben, die kapriziös geformt und apart gefärbt sind.

Die Tulpe "Rococo" ist eine samtig-rote Edeltulpe mit Akzenten in Lila, Gelb und Grün. Ja, die großen Blüten haben immer irgendwo grüne Flecken.

Noch blüht sie im Topf bei mir im Wintergarten, aber bald werde ich sie ins Beet bringen und hoffe, dass sie nächstes Jahr wiederkommt.

Pyrostegia venusta, also commonly known as flamevine or orange trumpetvine, is a plant species of the genus Pyrostegia of the family Bignoniaceae originally endemic to Brazil, but now a well-known garden species.

It is an evergreen, vigorously-growing climber, capable of reaching 5 m in height. The foliage is made up of opposite, pinnate leaves with two or three, 4 to 8 cm leaflets,, and a 3-branched tendril, which all arise together from the end of the leaf petiole. The orange flowers, which appear from winter to spring, are 5 to 9 cm long and densely clustered. They are pollinated by hummingbirds. The fruits are smooth, 3 cm long brown capsules. 38723

Nymphaea caerulea, known primarily as blue lotus (or blue Egyptian lotus), but also blue water lily (or blue Egyptian water lily), and sacred blue lily, is a water lily in the genus Nymphaea. Like other species in the genus, the plant contains the psychoactive alkaloid aporphine (not to be confused with apomorphine). It was known to the Ancient Egyptian civilization.Its original habitat may have been along the Nile and other parts of East Africa. It spread more widely in ancient times, including to the Indian subcontinent and Thailand. The flowers open in the morning, rising to the surface of the water, then close and sink at dusk.In fact, the flower buds rise to the surface over a period of two to three days, and when ready, open around 9:30 am and close about 3:00 pm. The flowers and buds do not rise above the water in the morning, nor do they submerge at night. The flowers have pale bluish-white to sky-blue or mauve petals, smoothly changing to a pale yellow in the centre of the flower.

Dark orange & yellow crocosmia

plant.Crocosmia

Crocosmia, or Montbretias as they are colloquially known, are really valuable for adding warm red and orange tones into the summer border, a contrast in shape and form to the wealth of summer daisies in flower at that time. Given conditions where they are happy they can be rewarding and long lived. They retreat each winter to a corm – a swollen stem – each year producing new bulb like structure. Over the years these annual corms can pile up to form lengthy strings with the older corms having some role in providing nutrition to the youngest active corm. It is on account of this that the old practice of annual lifting of corms can be detrimental. Also old wisdom had you lift and replant corms late in the year, a practice that didn’t give the corms enough time to settle before winter.

Crocosmia are relatively easy to grow and it might seem that all Crocosmia are similar and require the same treatment. There is a universal desire for a warm spot in sun or dappled shade and a soil that is neither excessively heavy, nor boggy. However, a little study of the parent species can lead to a greater understanding of the condition individual varieties would really like. Several of the species are to be found growing in light woodland in the wild (C.aurea and C.potsii) or in damp grassland (C.paniculata). As a generalisation they come from environments which are moist for the growing season.

The varying hardiness of Crocosia cultivars can be attributed to the contribution the parents make to their makup. Varieties of Crocosmia potsii are considered the most cold hardy, with those of Crocosmia aurea being the least. Cold isn’t the only hardiness issue, Winter wet is also a factor, with Crocosmia potsii being exposed to a fair degree of moisture all year around in its native environment whilst other species such as Crocosmia pearsei needing a lot more exposure to warm dry conditions to be happy.

In the growing season, Crocosmia masoniorum likes it on the warm and dry side, tending to decline in rich moist soils. This contrasts with the requirement of Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora for a moist, rich warm spot to produce of its best. Cultivars of Crocosmia paniculata tend to be shy to flower in dry conditions.

If you live in an area where you need to lift Crocosmia corms against the winter cold, it is essential to keep them from drying out over winter. Store them in peat or shaving over winter to prevent them dessicating and when it comes to Spring plant them in cool conditions to allow them to rehydrate before shooting. Planting warm from a dry corm is a recipe for disaster.

The name comes from the Greek ‘krokos’ = saffron and ‘osme’ = smell, referring to the strong smell of saffron given off by the dried flowers when immersed in water.

He wasn’t always known as Greg

He just thought changing his name would help with all the

modern dating apps.

You can’t blame him, honestly, though he won’t

divulge what his birth name was.

He claims it’s too powerful and could completely

Incinerate this fine city.

We’ll just have to trust Greg for now.

Doesn’t he just have one of those faces?!

His favorite hobbies include:

gardening, card playing, pretending he is really a horse

and juggling swords of fire!

Oh, Greg, you always know how to have a good time!!

Swipe right on Tinder!

**All poems and photos are copyrighted. Please don't use without permission**

From the Mountains to The Sea, in search of Solitude....

These boats are known as Patiya Boats( Reverse Clinker Boats) in Talsari Orissa,

Commonly known as moth orchids, is a genus of about seventy species of orchids in the family orchid. Orchids in this genus are monopodial epiphytes or lithophytes with long, coarse roots, short, leafy stems and long-lasting, flat flowers arranged in a flowering stem that often branches near the end. Orchids in this genus are native to India, China, Southeast Asia, New Guinea and Australia with the majority in Indonesia and the Philippines. A few to many, small to large, long-lasting, flat, often fragrant flowers are arranged on erect to hanging racemes or panicles. The sepals and petals are free from and spread widely apart from each other. The lateral sepals are usually larger than the dorsal sepal and the petals much wider than the sepals. The labellum is joined stiffly to the column and has three lobes. The side lobes are erect and more or less parallel to each other and the middle lobe sometimes has a pair of appendages or antennae. R_7338

Also known as a Grizzly. This healthy boar was seen and admired in the Tetons with good friends Debbie Tubridy, Jen Hall and Rodney Lange.

"Meriwether Lewis and William Clark first described it as grisley, which could be interpreted as either "grizzly" (i.e., "grizzled"—that is, with golden and grey tips of the hair) or "grisly" ("fear-inspiring", now usually "gruesome"). The modern spelling supposes the former meaning; even so, naturalist George Ord formally classified it in 1815 as U. horribilis, not for its hair, but for its character.

Occasionally a huge male grizzly has been recorded, whose size greatly exceeds ordinary, with weights reported up to 680 kg (1,500 lb). A large coastal male of this size may stand up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) tall on its hind legs and be up to 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) at the shoulder.

A grizzly bear can also be identified by its rump, which is lower than its shoulders; a black bear's rump is higher than its shoulders. A grizzly bear's front claws measure about 2–4 inches in length; a black bear's claws measure about 1–2 inches in length." Wikipedia

Was a treat to safely enjoy the scavenging, digging and hunting for more food before his time to hibernate.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Le grotte di Toirano (SV), sono un complesso di cavità carsiche,note per la varietà di forme di stalattiti e stalagmiti.

The caves of Toirano ( SV ) , is a complex of karst caves , known for the variety of shapes of stalactites and stalagmites.

Also known as the Little Banded Goshawk, this is a ferocious raptor that attacks birds in their nests and deep inside canopy. The birds are patient and will wait for the right moment to strike. Often they attack the chicks in the nests, or even the parents. The birds are common in the countryside and seen a lot, but hard to get a decent shot.

On this day, I sighted this bird pulling out worms from the ground - something that I found very surprising and was new to me. But apparently, its a normal behaviour. The worms are coming out of the soil and we sighted 2 Shikras on the ground pulling them out and consuming them. This happened for over 30 mins, but the bird moved further and further away soon due to our presence.

Thanks in advance for your views and feedback Much appreciated.

Known as Kindig-It-Design Dave Kindig is a master at high end automobile customization. He is on Motortrend TV as "Bitchin' Rides". This Buick is one of my favorite cars that he has done. Based in Salt Lake City I loved visiting his booth at the Autorama Shows and seeing his beautiful work first hand.

Commonly known as the carnation or clove pink, it is a species of Dianthus. It is probably native to the Mediterranean region but its exact range is unknown due to extensive cultivation for the last 2,000 years. It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing up to 80 cm tall. The leaves are glaucous greyish green to blue-green, slender, up to 15 cm long. The flowers are produced singly or up to five together in a cyme; they are around 3–5 cm diameter, and sweetly scented; the original natural flower color is bright pinkish-purple, but cultivars of other colors, including red, white, yellow and green, have been developed. The fragrant, hermaphrodite flowers have a radial symmetry. The four to six surrounding the calyx, egg-shaped, sting-pointed scales leaves are only ¼ as long as the calyx tube. Carnations require well-drained, neutral to slightly alkaline soil, and full sun.They are used for medical purposes, such as for upset stomach and fever. Their fragrance was historically used for vinegar, beer, wine , sauces and salads. 25699

Merci à tous pour vos gentils commentaires et favoris.

Également sous le nom de « l’échiquier commun », le Demi-Deuil Melanargia Galathea est un papillon admiré pour ses couleurs vives ainsi que sa capacité à favoriser le développement des espèces végétales des prairies ou en bord de route.

Also known as the “common checkerboard,” the Half-Mourning Melanargia Galathea is a butterfly admired for its bright colors as well as its ability to promote the development of grassland or roadside plant species.

Known as 'Cadillac Ranch' these ten Cadillacs are partially buried nose down along US I-40 just west of Amarillo, in the Texas panhandle. Spray painting is encouraged.

Also known as Wallace's Standardwing...

Endemic to Northern Moluccas in eastern Indonesia and is the westernmost species of the true birds-of-paradise.

The most difficult capture of my entire life.

We set off from a homestay located near the entrance of Aketajawe-Lolobata National Park park around 5 p.m. and walked about two kilometers along a very difficult trail full of mud. We had to climb over fallen tree trunks and huge, quite sharp volcanic rocks.

We had to cross streams walking on very slippery tree trunks, even more slippery because our sneakers were covered in mud.

We camped relatively close to the place where we were going to photograph and where we had to be at five in the morning.

The tent had no matress and as they had put palm leaves below, to avoid humidity, I believe, we could feel like stones or pits everywhere. Impossible to sleep…

We got up at 3 a.m. and walked in the darkness only with our head lamps, about a quilometre or more along a trail even worse than the previous one.

Then, finally, we reached the base of the tower, which is about 15 meters high, from where we were going to shoot. The vertical wooden ladder was very rudimentary, and the distance between the steps (crossbars...) was half a meter or more... and I had to climb to the third floor.

Besides not being in very good shape, partly due to the two recent hip surgeries and also because I hadn't prepared myself for such an effort, I am a short person and would never be able to climb those stairs without help. So, and now you can laugh, I climbed with the precious help of a nice young ranger who placed my feet step by step and with my friendly guide, Noldi, pushing my but!

I am eternally grateful to them for all the help they gave me that day, especially because the way back was even more difficult, since, due to fatigue, I had barely eaten dinner the night before and, after a sleepless night, I was completely exhausted.

Finally, I reached the top of the tower and, after a few minutes of waiting, the show began. It was not an easy session, with many obstacles between us and our subjects, but we managed to get some photos.

Many thanks to those who managed to reach the end of this tedious narrative.

Many of you, the vast majority, I believe, know well what a nature lover is capable of doing to achieve a goal. But some people have no idea :)

Aketajawe-Lolobata National Park, Halmahera, North Moluccas, Indonesia

A Yellow-rumped Warbler, affectionately known as a butter butt, posed for a closeup on the bank of Horsepen Bayou.

Tijucas, SC, Brazil.

Known locally as "maria-catarinense".

Specimens of this bird were collected in 1929 and 1950. It was not seen again until 1991.

It's endemic to the Atlantic forest in southeastern Brazil.

It's 10 centimetres (3.9 in) long and lives in forested habitat, often near rivers.

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Passeriformes

Suborder: Tyranni

Family: Tyrannidae

Subfamily: Elaeniinae

Tribe: Platyrinchini

Genus: Hemitriccus Cabanis & Heine, 1859

Species: H. kaempferi (Zimmer, 1953)

Binomial name: Hemitriccus kaempferi

Also known as the Western Reef Heron, this is a medium sized heron found on the coasts of India, but very rare in inland water bodies. In Goa where there are coasts and lots of backwaters, we sighted them in plenty.

This particular shot was taken in the Zuari river mangroves where we sighted several exciting birds. The Egret was casually walking in the morning low tide hunting for fish and other crustaceans found on the shallow banks.

Just a couple of meters away, was a large mugger crocodile with its snout barely visible and as the Heron came closer that reptile disappeared. The Reef Heron seemingly oblivious walked pretty close to the Crocodile - 2-3 meters away - and then much to our surprise suddenly flew and landed far away. None of us thought it saw the predator nearby. There was a tinge of disappointment of missing some action, but a lot of satisfaction in seeing the beautiful bird out of danger!

Thank you so much in advance for your views, feedback and faves.

The Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as Castel Sant'Angelo.

Getty Images / 500px /

Flickr Hive Mind / Fluidr / Flickeflu / Rvision

Barbed wire, also known as barb wire, occasionally corrupted as bobbed wire or bob wire, is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strands. It is used to construct inexpensive fences and is used atop walls surrounding secured property. It is also a major feature of the fortifications in trench warfare (as a wire obstacle).

Michael Kelly Invented the First Barbed Wire Fencing

The first wire fences (before the invention of the barb) consisted of only one strand of wire, which was constantly broken by the weight of cattle pressing against it.

Michael Kelly made a significant improvement to wire fencing, he twisted two wires together to form a cable for barbs - the first of its kind. Known as the "thorny fence," Michael Kelly's double-strand design made fences stronger, and the painful barbs made cattle keep their distance.

Joseph Glidden Was Considered the King of the Barb.

Joseph Glidden's design made barbed wire more effective, he invented a method for locking the barbs in place, and invented the machinery to mass-produce the wire.

Living patterns of the nomadic Native Americans were radically altered. Further squeezed from lands they had always used, they began calling barbed wire "the Devil's rope."

After its invention, barbed wire was widely used during wars, to protect people and property from unwanted intrusion. Military usage of barbed wire formally dates to 1888, when British military manuals first encouraged its use.

During the Spanish-American War, Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders chose to defend their camps with the help of barbed fencing. In turn-of-the-century South Africa, five-strand fences were linked to blockhouses sheltering British troops from the encroachment of Boer commandos. During World War I, barbed wire was used as a military weapon.

Even now, barbed wire is widely used to protect and safeguard military installation, to establish territorial boundaries, and for prisoner confinement.

I found this barbed wire along with the male Blue Dasher Dragonfly perched on it, at a Polk County park along Lake Kissimmee. Polk County, Florida.

Known as clematis, it is a herb widespread throughout Europe, it grows in abandoned places, near walls and hedges, and is typical of deciduous forests.

M81 - Bode's Galaxy & M82 – The Cigar Galaxy

Messier 81 (also known as NGC 3031 or Bode's Galaxy) is a spiral galaxy about 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. M81 is about 95,000 light years across, just a little smaller than the Milky Way galaxy at 100,000 light years across.

Messier 82 (also known as NGC 3034 or the Cigar Galaxy) is also located in Ursa Major. It is about 12 million light years from earth and 37,000 light years across. Known as a “starburst galaxy” due to its exceptionally high rate of star formation it is about 5 times more luminous than the entire Milky Way with a central region that is 100 times more luminous than our own galaxy.

Acquisition Date: 03/11/2015 – 03/12/2016

Location: Western Massachusetts

Camera: SBIG STF8300M @ -15°C

Telescope: Astro-Tech AT130 (f/7 – fl 910mm) reduced to f/5.6 (fl 728mm)

Mount: Astro-Physics AP1100

Guidescope: 60mm Stellarvue guide scope

Guide Camera: Starlight Express LodeStar X2 (mono)

Filters:

Astrodon Gen2 E-Series:

-Luminance: 24 x 5min (120min) bin 1x1

-Red: 12 x 5min (60 min) bin 1x1

-Green: 12 x 5 min (60 min) bin 1x1

-Blue: 12 x 5 min (60 min) bin 1x1

Total Exposure Time: 5 hours

Limiting Magnitude: 5.1

Comments:

- Stellarvue SFFR102 field flattener/reducer (0.8)

- IDAS LPS-P2-48 Light Pollution Filter

Commonly known as moth orchids, is a genus of about seventy species of orchids in the family orchid. Orchids in this genus are monopodial epiphytes or lithophytes with long, coarse roots, short, leafy stems and long-lasting, flat flowers arranged in a flowering stem that often branches near the end. Orchids in this genus are native to India, China, Southeast Asia, New Guinea and Australia with the majority in Indonesia and the Philippines. A few to many, small to large, long-lasting, flat, often fragrant flowers are arranged on erect to hanging racemes or panicles. The sepals and petals are free from and spread widely apart from each other. The lateral sepals are usually larger than the dorsal sepal and the petals much wider than the sepals. The labellum is joined stiffly to the column and has three lobes. The side lobes are erect and more or less parallel to each other and the middle lobe sometimes has a pair of appendages or antennae. 39580

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the DHR or the Toy Train, is a 2 ft gauge railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal. Built between 1879 and 1881, it is about 88 km long. It climbs from about 100 m above sea level at New Jalpaiguri to about 2,200 m at Darjeeling, using six zig zags and five loops to gain altitude. Six diesel locomotives handle most of the scheduled service, with daily tourist trains from Darjeeling to Ghum – India's highest railway station – and the steam-hauled Red Panda service from Darjeeling to Kurseong.

The line follows Hill Cart Road, which is part of National Highway 110. The track is on the roadside for long stretches, and both track and road might be blocked by a rockslide. Since a length of the road is flanked with buildings, the railway line often resembles urban tramway tracks. To warn pedestrians and drivers of an approaching train, engines are equipped with very loud horns and whistles which train drivers sound almost constantly. (Wikipedia)

We encountered this train as we were coming into Darjeeling. In some cases, it seemed to almost touch the front steps of the homes that it passed. The tracks criss-crossed the road with no signs or lights, so drivers and pedestrians have to watch out and listen to the train.

On 5 December 1999, UNESCO declared the DHR a World Heritage Site.

Known as the Gray Ghost...and it really is a ghost ..lol

Thank you very much for your kind comments, favorites and looking and please stay safe !

Also known as Mount Taranaki, this was taken from my plane window as it flew from Auckland to Queenstown. New Zealand's most perfectly formed volcano which is now dormant, it was used as Japan's Mount Fuji in the film The Last Samurai starring Tom Cruise. Today, the area around it is a national park and nature reserve.

Known as the Blue Chaser in Male Adult form as its Abdomen turns bright blue with a Black tip.

Kingfisher - Alcedo Atthis

The common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) also known as the Eurasian kingfisher, and river kingfisher, is a small kingfisher with seven subspecies recognized within its wide distribution across Eurasia and North Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but migrates from areas where rivers freeze in winter.

This sparrow-sized bird has the typical short-tailed, large-headed kingfisher profile; it has blue upperparts, orange underparts and a long bill. It feeds mainly on fish, caught by diving, and has special visual adaptations to enable it to see prey under water. The glossy white eggs are laid in a nest at the end of a burrow in a riverbank.

The female is identical in appearance to the male except that her lower mandible is orange-red with a black tip. The juvenile is similar to the adult, but with duller and greener upperparts and paler underparts. Its bill is black, and the legs are also initially black. Feathers are moulted gradually between July and November with the main flight feathers taking 90–100 days to moult and regrow. Some that moult late may suspend their moult during cold winter weather.

The flight of the kingfisher is fast, direct and usually low over water. The short rounded wings whirr rapidly, and a bird flying away shows an electric-blue "flash" down its back.

The common kingfisher is widely distributed over Europe, Asia, and North Africa, mainly south of 60°N. It is a common breeding species over much of its vast Eurasian range, but in North Africa it is mainly a winter visitor, although it is a scarce breeding resident in coastal Morocco and Tunisia. In temperate regions, this kingfisher inhabits clear, slow-flowing streams and rivers, and lakes with well-vegetated banks. It frequents scrubs and bushes with overhanging branches close to shallow open water in which it hunts. In winter it is more coastal, often feeding in estuaries or harbours and along rocky seashores. Tropical populations are found by slow-flowing rivers, in mangrove creeks and in swamps.

Like all kingfishers, the common kingfisher is highly territorial; since it must eat around 60% of its body weight each day, it is essential to have control of a suitable stretch of river. It is solitary for most of the year, roosting alone in heavy cover. If another kingfisher enters its territory, both birds display from perches, and fights may occur, in which a bird will grab the other's beak and try to hold it under water. Pairs form in the autumn but each bird retains a separate territory, generally at least 1 km (0.62 mi) long, but up to 3.5 km (2.2 mi) and territories are not merged until the spring.

Very few birds live longer than one breeding season. The oldest bird on record was 21 years.

They are also listed as a Schedule 1 species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act offering them additional protection.

Population:

UK breeding:

3,800-6,400 pairs

known for being quite gregarious, the pointy billed blackbirds seem to dominate the rural landscape and I'll see them in mixed flocks of grackles, cowbirds and starlings.

Their calls and robin calls I strongly associate with the emergence of spring.

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-winged_Blackbird/sounds

Thank you for your visits and inspiration!

Ostuni is known for the striking figure it cuts thrusting up through the surrounding olive groves but the gastronomical delights of the city should not be overlooked either, some of the best olive oil of the Puglian region is produced here as well they are also known for the almonds, wines and many fine eateries that serve them all.

Diet is not the only reason the locals are so fit as this scene captures another one of the reasons and a typical view if you wander further into the heart of the old town away from the main touristic areas.

I love walking on stone that could have been laid a millennia ago day dreaming about the lives of the people that have trod them and the stories it can tell if you listen carefully enough and have a little imagination.

I admire the practical design of these type of hill streets the stairs provide an easier climb when needed for Nonna but the center area was for carts or wagons now mostly for Vespas but it really comes into its own when rain comes to a hill town, it safely diverts water away from the homes while providing a safe walkway on either side shedding the overflow like water of a ducks back.

I took this on Sept 22, 2016 with my D750 and Nikon 24-85 f3.5-4.5 Lens at 24mm 1/1250s f/4.5 ISO 250 processed in LR, PS +Lumenzia, Topaz , and DXO

Disclaimer: My style is a study of romantic realism as well as a work in progress

Pisac, Peru

Pisac is perhaps best known for its Incan ruins, known as Inca Písac, which lie atop a hill at the entrance to the valley. The ruins are separated along the ridge into four groups: P'isaqa, Inti Watana, Qalla Q'asa, and Kinchiraqay.[3] Inti Watana group includes the Temple of the Sun, baths, altars, water fountains, a ceremonial platform, and an inti watana, a volcanic outcrop carved into a "hitching post for the Sun" (or Inti). The angles of its base suggest that it served to define the changes of the seasons.[4] Qalla Q'asa, which is built onto a natural spur and overlooks the valley, is known as the citadel. (Wikipedia)

Días de fulgor vivo en la intemperie

de los cuerpos: aceros convertidos

al silencio del ácido:

noches desdichadas hasta la última harina:

estambres agredidos de la patria nupcial

Pablo Neruda

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Known in Irish as the Capaillín Chonamara, the Connemara pony is a hardy, yet kind-hearted, breed of horse unique to Ireland. It is native to the area in the west of Ireland known for its rugged yet beautiful landscape.

The origins of the Connemara Pony – Ireland’s native pony – are shrouded in mystery. Some believe that today’s Connemara Ponies are descended from Viking ponies, brought here by the Celts in the 4th century B.C. Others tell the tale of Andalucian horses swimming ashore from a shipwrecked Spanish Armada in the 16th century to breed with local stock.

It’s strength and surefootedness made it ideal for negotiating the rough and inhospitable terrain of mountain, bog and seashore. It’s strong, broad back carried turf and seaweed in creels. It provided transport between the shafts of a cart or a trap. Natural hardiness helped it to survive the harsh winters, with little food or shelter.

Connemara ponies are famed for their kind eye and good nature, making them perfect for children's trekking as they are gentle, trusting, honest, and willing.

Despite their smaller stature, Connemara ponies adapted to the terrain in their local area by becoming fabulous jumpers, a trait they carried with them when they left the work fields behind them and entered the equestrian ring.

Commonly known as moth orchids, is a genus of about seventy species of orchids in the family orchid. Orchids in this genus are monopodial epiphytes or lithophytes with long, coarse roots, short, leafy stems and long-lasting, flat flowers arranged in a flowering stem that often branches near the end. Orchids in this genus are native to India, China, Southeast Asia, New Guinea and Australia with the majority in Indonesia and the Philippines. A few to many, small to large, long-lasting, flat, often fragrant flowers are arranged on erect to hanging racemes or panicles. The sepals and petals are free from and spread widely apart from each other. The lateral sepals are usually larger than the dorsal sepal and the petals much wider than the sepals. The labellum is joined stiffly to the column and has three lobes. The side lobes are erect and more or less parallel to each other and the middle lobe sometimes has a pair of appendages or antennae. 21295

Acer rubrum, the red maple, also known as swamp maple, water maple, or soft maple, is one of the most common and widespread deciduous trees of eastern and central North America. The U.S. Forest Service recognizes it as the most abundant native tree in eastern North America. The red maple ranges from southeastern Manitoba around the Lake of the Woods on the border with Ontario and Minnesota, east to Newfoundland, south to Florida, and southwest to East Texas. Many of its features, especially its leaves, are quite variable in form. At maturity, it often attains a height around 30 m (100 ft). Its flowers, petioles, twigs, and seeds are all red to varying degrees. Among these features, however, it is best known for its brilliant deep scarlet foliage in autumn.

The Memphis Pyramid, initially known as the Great American Pyramid, formerly referred to as the Pyramid Arena and locally referred to as The Pyramid, the Tomb of Doom[5] and the Bass Pro Shops Pyramid,[6] was originally built as a 20,142-seat arena located in downtown Memphis, in the U.S. state of Tennessee, at the banks of the Mississippi River. The facility was built in 1991 and was originally owned and operated jointly by the city of Memphis and Shelby County; Shelby County sold its share to Memphis in April 2009.[7] Its structure plays on the city's namesake in Egypt, known for its ancient pyramids. It is 321 feet (98 m) (about 32 stories) tall and has base sides of 591 feet (180 m); it is by some measures the tenth-tallest pyramid in the world.

The Memphis Pyramid has not been regularly used as a sports or entertainment venue since 2004. In 2015, the Pyramid re-opened as a Bass Pro Shops "megastore", which includes shopping, a hotel, restaurants, a bowling alley, and an archery range, with an outdoor observation deck adjacent to its apex.

Kingfisher - Alcedo Atthis

The common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) also known as the Eurasian kingfisher, and river kingfisher, is a small kingfisher with seven subspecies recognized within its wide distribution across Eurasia and North Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but migrates from areas where rivers freeze in winter.

This sparrow-sized bird has the typical short-tailed, large-headed kingfisher profile; it has blue upperparts, orange underparts and a long bill. It feeds mainly on fish, caught by diving, and has special visual adaptations to enable it to see prey under water. The glossy white eggs are laid in a nest at the end of a burrow in a riverbank.

The female is identical in appearance to the male except that her lower mandible is orange-red with a black tip. The juvenile is similar to the adult, but with duller and greener upperparts and paler underparts. Its bill is black, and the legs are also initially black. Feathers are moulted gradually between July and November with the main flight feathers taking 90–100 days to moult and regrow. Some that moult late may suspend their moult during cold winter weather.

The flight of the kingfisher is fast, direct and usually low over water. The short rounded wings whirr rapidly, and a bird flying away shows an electric-blue "flash" down its back.

The common kingfisher is widely distributed over Europe, Asia, and North Africa, mainly south of 60°N. It is a common breeding species over much of its vast Eurasian range, but in North Africa it is mainly a winter visitor, although it is a scarce breeding resident in coastal Morocco and Tunisia. In temperate regions, this kingfisher inhabits clear, slow-flowing streams and rivers, and lakes with well-vegetated banks. It frequents scrubs and bushes with overhanging branches close to shallow open water in which it hunts. In winter it is more coastal, often feeding in estuaries or harbours and along rocky seashores. Tropical populations are found by slow-flowing rivers, in mangrove creeks and in swamps.

Like all kingfishers, the common kingfisher is highly territorial; since it must eat around 60% of its body weight each day, it is essential to have control of a suitable stretch of river. It is solitary for most of the year, roosting alone in heavy cover. If another kingfisher enters its territory, both birds display from perches, and fights may occur, in which a bird will grab the other's beak and try to hold it under water. Pairs form in the autumn but each bird retains a separate territory, generally at least 1 km (0.62 mi) long, but up to 3.5 km (2.2 mi) and territories are not merged until the spring.

Very few birds live longer than one breeding season. The oldest bird on record was 21 years.

They are also listed as a Schedule 1 species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act offering them additional protection.

Population:

UK breeding:

3,800-6,400 pairs

A Smith’s Bush Squirrel, also known as the Yellow-footed Squirrel or simply Tree Squirrel, sniffs / eats the seed of a local Namibian tree.

“Diurnal. Arboreal. Lives in small family units but forages alone, sometimes on ground. May move into roofs of houses. Eats wide range of vegetable matter, including insects; caches excess food. Litters of up to 3 mostly born in summer.”

Source: Wildlife of Southern Africa, edited by Vincent Carruthers

(Location: Etosha National Park, Namibia)

Thank you for your interest, views, faves, comments and awards ! This image was captured in Namibia 納米比亞. (Better viewed on a larger screen.)

© This Image is under full copyright Rick C. Graham. © All rights reserved Rick C. Graham. © This image is subject to international copyright laws and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transferred or manipulated without the express written permission of Rick C. Graham.

Commonly known as the carnation or clove pink, it is a species of Dianthus. It is probably native to the Mediterranean region but its exact range is unknown due to extensive cultivation for the last 2,000 years. It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing up to 80 cm tall. The leaves are glaucous greyish green to blue-green, slender, up to 15 cm long. The flowers are produced singly or up to five together in a cyme; they are around 3–5 cm diameter, and sweetly scented; the original natural flower color is bright pinkish-purple, but cultivars of other colors, including red, white, yellow and green, have been developed. The fragrant, hermaphrodite flowers have a radial symmetry. The four to six surrounding the calyx, egg-shaped, sting-pointed scales leaves are only ¼ as long as the calyx tube. Carnations require well-drained, neutral to slightly alkaline soil, and full sun.They are used for medical purposes, such as for upset stomach and fever. Their fragrance was historically used for vinegar, beer, wine , sauces and salads. 27333

Sonnenberg Gardens, also known as Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park, Canandaigua, New York, USA, at the North end of Canandaigua Lake, in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York. The house and gardens are open to the public every day, May through October.

The property was once the summer home of Frederick Ferris Thompson, a prominent banker in New York City, and his wife Mary Clark Thompson, whose father, Myron Holley Clark, was Governor of New York State in 1855. The Clark family was from Canandaigua, NY. Mr. & Mrs. Thompson's main home was in NYC in a large townhouse on Madison Avenue. The Thompsons purchased the Sonnenberg property in 1863, keeping the name, Sonnenberg (which means "sunny hill" in German). In 1887, they replaced the original farmhouse with a forty-room Queen Anne style mansion. The property also had a 100-acre farm to the east. Sonnenberg's gardens were designed and built between 1902–1919, and originally consisted of nine gardens in a variety of styles.

NRHP Reference#:73001240

The northern cardinal, known colloquially as the redbird, common cardinal, red cardinal, or just cardinal, is a bird in the genus Cardinalis. Wikipedia

Scientific name: Cardinalis cardinalis

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Sony ILCE-7RM5

Echinopsis pachanoi (syn. Trichocereus pachanoi) — known as San Pedro cactus — is a fast-growing columnar cactus native to the Andes Mountains at 2,000–3,000 m (6,600–9,800 ft) in altitude.[2][3] It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru,[4][5] and it is cultivated in other parts of the world. Uses for it include traditional medicine and traditional veterinary medicine, and it is widely grown as an ornamental cactus. It has been used for healing and religious divination in the Andes Mountains region for over 3,000 years.

See my "About" page on Flickr for the link to support my efforts... just the price of a cup of coffee is appreciated. Thank you. www.flickr.com/people/jax_chile/

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Cactus Flower - Santa Gemita - 011622 - Enhanced-9

From Sonnet 18

It is well known now as Shakespeare's phrase "The Darling Buds of May" was used as the title for his novel by H.E. Bates... which has since been adapted for television too 😊

Apologies for using my Japanese plum in 3 successive photos - I am enjoying it before it freezes (-2.6c last night)

For the Smile on Saturday challenge: "picture with added text"

HCC and HSoS ;o)

Cliché and Smile on Saturday: Here

my Plum blossom set: Here

Blend and Merge: Here

Sonnet 18

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer’s lease hath all too short a date;

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd;

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;

Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

FXT23815_P1

The Rakotzbrücke (also known as Teufelsbrücke, meaning "the Devil's Bridge") is 35 meters long and spans Rakotz lake. The bridge features artificially-formed basalt columns selected and shipped from distant quarries. It was commissioned in 1860 "by the knight of the local town". As of 2018, crossing the bridge was "strictly prohibited" as dangerous for the bridge The bridge was being renovated in 2018 and 2019 but construction work was reportedly complete as of May 21 2021.

From Wikipedia

Commonly known as the carnation or clove pink, it is a species of Dianthus. It is probably native to the Mediterranean region but its exact range is unknown due to extensive cultivation for the last 2,000 years. It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing up to 80 cm tall. The leaves are glaucous greyish green to blue-green, slender, up to 15 cm long. The flowers are produced singly or up to five together in a cyme; they are around 3–5 cm diameter, and sweetly scented; the original natural flower color is bright pinkish-purple, but cultivars of other colors, including red, white, yellow and green, have been developed. The fragrant, hermaphrodite flowers have a radial symmetry. The four to six surrounding the calyx, egg-shaped, sting-pointed scales leaves are only ¼ as long as the calyx tube. Carnations require well-drained, neutral to slightly alkaline soil, and full sun. They are used for medical purposes, such as for upset stomach and fever. Their fragrance was historically used for vinegar, beer, wine, sauces and salads. 25897

Also known as Gayfeather, Blazing Star or Meadow Blazingstar, this lovely flower is a wildflower, but can also be found in gardens. I spotted a few blooms of liatris in a local park's garden this past summer. Background texture from Topaz Studio 2.

Thank you for your visits and comments, they're all greatly appreciated. Have a great day!

Commonly known as moth orchids, is a genus of about seventy species of orchids in the family orchid. Orchids in this genus are monopodial epiphytes or lithophytes with long, coarse roots, short, leafy stems and long-lasting, flat flowers arranged in a flowering stem that often branches near the end. Orchids in this genus are native to India, China, Southeast Asia, New Guinea and Australia with the majority in Indonesia and the Philippines. A few to many, small to large, long-lasting, flat, often fragrant flowers are arranged on erect to hanging racemes or panicles. The sepals and petals are free from and spread widely apart from each other. The lateral sepals are usually larger than the dorsal sepal and the petals much wider than the sepals. The labellum is joined stiffly to the column and has three lobes. The side lobes are erect and more or less parallel to each other and the middle lobe sometimes has a pair of appendages or antennae. 22186

На святую землю Херсонеса Туманный колокол впервые прибыл в 1803 году. Позднее он стал символом не только знаменитого музея древности под открытым небом, но и самого Севастополя. Сегодня бронзовый гигант весом 2,4 тонны гордо возвышается на берегу Херсонеса, восхищая туристов и своей красотой, и – не в меньшей степени! – удивительной судьбой..На колоколе сохранилась надпись о том, что в 1778 году он был отлит в Таганроге из турецких пушек, взятых в качестве трофея. Доподлинно известно, что в 1803 году Александр I подарил колокол Севастополю. Его поместили на звоннице Никольского собора, где он и пробыл до тех пор, пока англичане и французы не вывезли после Крымской войны бронзового гиганта и еще 12 колоколов из Севастополя в качестве трофеев. Наш колокол повесили на звонницу знаменитого собора Парижской Богоматери...Исторический факт от красивой легенды спустя столько лет отличить непросто, но доподлинно известно, что 106 лет назад, к 300-летию императорского дома Романовых в знак союзнических отношений между Россией и Францией колокол-пленник вернулся в Севастополь и был поднят на звонницу Херсонесского монастыря в 1913 году. В советское время, когда монастырь был закрыт, колокол оставили для звона в туманную погоду – его звуковые сигналы вместо маяка помогали ориентироваться проходящим мимо судам, предупреждая о прибрежных отмелях и скалах. За эту благородную службу монастырский «звуковой маяк» прозвали «туманным».

Пережив вторую героическую оборону города Севастополя, дождавшись его освобождения, Туманный колокол до сих пор встречает жителей и гостей нашего города на древнем берегу Херсонеса!...................................

The Fog Bell first arrived in the holy land of Chersonesos in 1803. Later it became a symbol not only of the famous open - air museum of antiquity . Today, a bronze giant weighing 2.4 tons stands proudly on the shore of Chersonesos, delighting tourists with its beauty and amazing fate....There is an inscription on the bell that in 1778 it was cast in Taganrog from Turkish cannons taken as a trophy. It is known for certain that in 1803 Alexander I presented the bell to Sevastopol. He was placed on the belfry of St. Nicholas Cathedral, where he stayed until the British and French took out the bronze giant and 12 more bells from Sevastopol as trophies after the Crimean War. Our bell was hung on the belfry of the famous Notre Dame Cathedral.It is not easy to distinguish a historical fact from a beautiful legend after so many years, but it is known for certain that 106 years ago, on the 300th anniversary of the imperial house of Romanov, as a sign of allied relations between Russia and France, the captive bell returned to Sevastopol and was raised to the belfry of the Chersonesos Monastery in 1913. In Soviet times, when the monastery was closed, the bell was left to ring in foggy weather – its sound signals instead of a lighthouse helped guide passing ships, warning of coastal shoals and rocks. For this noble service, the monastery's "sound lighthouse" was nicknamed "foggy".

Having survived the second heroic defense of the city of Sevastopol, having waited for its liberation, the Fog Bell still greets residents and guests of our city on the ancient shore of Chersonesos!