View allAll Photos Tagged PowderPuffFlower
"When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive--to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love."
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
When I'm getting particularly stir crazy, depressed, anxious and all the negative feelings that come with being confined to my house or struggling to breath in a mask...I think of the above quote, and it helps me gain some perspective, get centered again.
I'm not sure what this bird is. I believe it to be some type of warbler, but just haven't been able to identify it. It was seen at Butterfly World , Coconut Creek, Fl.
THANKS TO FELLOW FLICKRITE Julie...she steered me in the right direction to correctly identify the bird as a blue waxbill. Not a warbler but a finch!!!
Thanks to all for viewing, faving and/or commenting! Much appreciated! L
Combretums are impressive plants, and this one is definitely one of the brightest of all! Powder-puff flowers are multi-colored: yellow, orange, and red. When in bloom, this vining shrub is covered with them, looks like its on fire. Can be trimmed as a shrub or grown as a vine with support. Amazing colors and shapes!
Combretum constrictum
Vine Pergola, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Miami FL
I recently met up with Vince and Loraine, Flickr friends from NSW, at the Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens in Brisbane where we took photos of flowers and plants. Vince leant me his flash which I used for this photo.
I liked how a red and a white flower were right next to each other.
I process my photos with Skylum's Luminar and find it easy to use with great results. Here is a link if anyone is interested in trying it out: skylum.grsm.io/janetteasche8660
Calliandra is a genus of flowering plants in the Family Fabaceae, subfamily Mimosoideae, having about 200 species that are native to tropical and subtropical regions of southern Asia, Africa, Australia and the Americas.
Longwood Gardens Pa.
Many thanks to all who take the time to view, comment, and favoring my images. Enjoy the day.
The Honey Bees really love the flowers in a Powder Puff Tree. The trees bloom most of the winter, and are usually 'buzzing'.
White Powder Puff Tree
(Calliandra haematocephala)
After all my winter photos posted recently, it's time for some desperately needed colour! As usual, the Calgary Zoo is where I find colourful things to see and photograph. This was my last visit before the COVID pandemic started.
I am adding the description from one of my previously posted photos from the same visit.
"I finally got as far as the Calgary Zoo, on 12 September 2019. The last time I was there was on 26 June 2018 and the time before that had been 6 October 2015. I used to go several times a year, but the long gap from 2015 to 2018 was because of major road construction and a bridge replacement right by the Zoo. Anyway, it felt good to be back there almost two months ago.
My visit only covered a small area of the Zoo, as I usually spend a lot of time in the Conservatory, enjoying the plants and tropical butterflies. I did call in to see the Giant Pandas one last time before they leave the Zoo after their five-year visit. (The cubs were due to go back to China this fall, but now will be staying in Calgary till early 2020.) How lucky we have been to have these four amazing animals visit our Zoo. They were in an inside enclosure, full of plants - and Bamboo, of course. The Zoo had another Panda visit way back in 1988, but they only stayed for seven months. The Conservation Status of the Giant Panda is Vulnerable, with fewer than 1,800 giant pandas left in the wild.
A few hours well spent, happily clicking. Hopefully, it won't be so long before my next visit, though the west entrance does close each winter, and the north entrance is out of my driving comfort zone. It felt so good to once again be back in a place full of colour and interest.
It also feels good to have some colourful photos to post this morning, as it is a very overcast day, with a temperature of 1C (windchill -2C). It must have rained last night, then snowed lightly this morning, or vice versa. More snow forecast for tomorrow and the next day. Shortly after this September Zoo visit, we had a major three-day snow storm. I reckoned there must have been about 10 inches of snow on top of my fence and, sure enough, 10.6 inches (27 cm) of snow was recorded. Further south, in Waterton, they received 37.4 inches (95 cm) of the white stuff."
This photo of a male Green Honeycreeper was taken on the last day we spent on the island of Trinidad, 20 March 2017. The species common name comes from the female, which is a very definite green, unlike the turquoise of the male.
"The green honeycreeper (Chlorophanes spiza) is a small bird in the tanager family. It is found in the tropical New World from southern Mexico south to Brazil, and on Trinidad. It is the only member of the genus Chlorophanes.
The male is mainly blue-tinged green with a black head and a mostly bright yellow bill. The female green honeycreeper is grass-green, paler on the throat, and lacks the male's iridescence and black head. Immatures are plumaged similar to females.
This is a forest canopy species. The female green honeycreeper builds a small cup nest in a tree, and incubates the clutch of two brown-blotched white eggs for 13 days. It is less heavily dependent on nectar than the other honeycreepers, fruit being its main food (60%), with nectar (20%) and insects (15%) as less important components of its diet." From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_honeycreeper
This is a video that I found on YouTube, taken by Rigdon Currie and Trish Johnson, at many of the same places we visited on Trinidad and Tobago. Not my video, but it made me feel like I was right there still. Posting the link here again, so that I won't lose it.
This adventure was only the second holiday (or was it actually my third?) of any kind, anywhere, that I have had in something like 30 or 35 years! The other holiday was a wonderful, one-week trip with my great friends from England, Linda and Tony, when we went down south to Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons in September 2012. I have had maybe half a dozen weekends away, including to Waterton National Park, which have helped keep me going.
Six birding/photographer friends and I decided that we would take this exciting trip together (from 12-21 March 2017), spending the first two or three days on the island of Tobago and then the rest of the time at the Asa Wright Nature Centre on the nearby, much larger island of Trinidad. We decided to take a complete package, so everything was included - flights (we were so very lucky to get Black Friday prices, which were 50% off!), accommodation at both places, all our food, and the various walks and day trips that we could chose from. Two of my friends, Anne B. and Brenda, saw to all the planning of flights and accommodations, which was so very much appreciated by the rest of us. I could never have done all this myself!
What a time we had, seeing so many beautiful and interesting things - and, of course, everything was a lifer for me. Some of these friends had visited Costa Rica before, so were familiar with a few of the birds. There was a lot more to see on Trinidad, so we were glad that we chose Tobago to visit first and then spend a longer time at Asa Wright. It was wonderful to be right by the sea, though, at the Blue Waters Inn on the island of Tobago. Just gorgeous.
The Asa Wright Nature Centre, on Trinidad, is such an amazing place! We stayed in cabins up or down hill from the main building. Really, one doesn't need to travel away from the Centre for birding, as so many different species visit the Hummingbird feeders that are right by the huge, open veranda, and the trees of the rain forest high up a mountainous road. The drive up and down this narrow, twisting, pot-holed road was an adventure in itself! Never would I ever do this drive myself - we had a guide who drove us everywhere in a van/small bus. I had read many accounts of this road, lol! There was just enough room for two vehicles to squeeze past each other, and the honking of horns was almost continuous - either to warn any vehicle that might be coming fast around the next bend or as a sign that drivers knew each other. The drive along this road, from the coast to Asa Wright, took just over an hour each way.
Even after a few weeks, I still miss the great food that was provided every single day at Asa Wright and even the Rum Punch that appeared each evening. I never drink at all, so I wasn't sure if I would even try the Punch - glad I did, though, as it was delicious and refreshing. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were all served buffet-style, with a great variety of dishes from which to choose. To me, pure luxury. So very, very grateful to have been invited to be part of this amazing adventure.
I wonder,
if the white winters...
would turn green...
seeing this splash of pink...
What do you think??
PP including increasing the saturation of the yellow colour using LR. That's all. No crop or any other changes.
These fragile flowers are incredible. This one is just ready to open up and explode like fireworks.
Have a happy Wednesday. Will catch up with you all tonight.
Overslept this morning, 21 February 2018, just when I needed to be up early to go out for the day with two friends. Ran out of time after I had quickly posted my three photos. Anyway, spent the day driving the back roads NW of the city, especially hoping for any owls. No luck with Great Gray Owls, but my friends did an amazing job of spotting two extremely distant Short-eared Owls. I would never even have noticed the birds and, if I had, I would simply have thought 'Ravens'. Will add a bit more detail tomorrow, when I post three photos from today - nothing too inspiring and not the greatest shots. Posting just for the record of a very enjoyable day, thanks to my friends.
A very grainy photo, but I didn't get many chances to see and photograph a Great Kiskadee on this holiday, so I was happy to get anything. This one was seen at the Asa Wright Nature Centre, on the island of Trinidad, on 20 March 2017.
"Great Kiskadees are boisterous in both attitude and color: a black bandit’s mask, a yellow belly, and flashes of warm reddish-brown when they fly. Kiskadees sit out in the open and attract attention with incessant kis-ka-dee calls and sallying flights. Despite their small U.S. range, this is one of the most widespread flycatchers in the Western Hemisphere." From AllAboutBirds.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Kiskadee/id
This adventure was only the second holiday of any kind, anywhere, that I have had in something like 30 or 35 years! The other holiday was a wonderful, one-week trip with my dear friends from England, Linda and Tony, when we went down south to Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons in September 2012. I have had maybe half a dozen weekends away, including to Waterton National Park, which have helped keep me going.
Six birding/photographer friends and I decided that we would take this exciting trip together (from 12-21 March 2017), spending the first two or three days on the island of Tobago and then the rest of the time at the Asa Wright Nature Centre on the nearby, much larger island of Trinidad. We decided to take a complete package, so everything was included - accommodation at both places, all our food, and the various walks and day trips that we could choose from. Two of my friends, Anne B. and Brenda, saw to all the planning of flights and accommodations, which was so very much appreciated by the rest of us. I could never have done all this myself! We were so lucky with our flights, as we were just in time to get Black Friday prices, which were 50% off!
What a time we had, seeing so many beautiful and interesting things - and, of course, everything was a lifer for me. Some of these friends had visited Costa Rica before, so were familiar with some of the birds. There was a lot more to see on Trinidad, so we were glad that we chose Tobago to visit first and then spend a longer time at Asa Wright. It was wonderful to be right by the sea, though, at the Blue Waters Inn on the island of Tobago. Just gorgeous.
The Asa Wright Nature Centre, on Trinidad, is such an amazing place! We stayed in cabins up or down hill from the main building. Really, one doesn't need to travel away from the Centre for birding, as so many different species visit the Hummingbird feeders that are right by the huge, open veranda, and the trees of the rain forest high up the mountainous road. The drive up and down this narrow, twisting, pot-holed road was an adventure in itself! Never would I ever do this drive myself - we had a guide who drove us everywhere in a minibus. I had read many accounts of this road, lol! There was enough room for two vehicles to pass each other, and the honking of horns was almost continuous - either to warn any vehicle that might be coming fast around the next bend or as a sign that drivers knew each other. The drive along this road, from the coast to Asa Wright, took just over an hour each way.
I still sometimes think about the great food that was provided every single day at Asa Wright and even the Rum Punch that appeared each evening. I never drink at all, so I wasn't sure if I would even try the Punch - glad I did, though, as it was delicious and refreshing. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were all served buffet-style, with a great variety of dishes from which to choose. To me, pure luxury. So very, very grateful to have been invited to be part of this amazing adventure.
This is a video that I came across on YouTube, taken by Rigdon Currie and Trish Johnson, at many of the same places we visited on Trinidad and Tobago. Not my video, but it made me feel like I was right there still. Posting the link here again, so that I won't lose it.
I also came across the following 27-minute YouTube video of the flora and fauna of Trinidad, filmed by John Patrick Smith in February 2015.
A very grainy photo, but I didn't get many chances to see and photograph a Great Kiskadee on this holiday, so I was happy to get anything. This one was seen at the Asa Wright Nature Centre, on the island of Trinidad, on 20 March 2017. The rest of today's photos were all taken on Day 5 of our trip, 17 March 2017, which included a lovely lunch at the Brasso Seco Visitor Facility, prepared for us by local people who work there. Most enjoyable! This day was an all-day Blanchisseuse Road field trip in the Northern Range.
"Great Kiskadees are boisterous in both attitude and color: a black bandit’s mask, a yellow belly, and flashes of warm reddish-brown when they fly. Kiskadees sit out in the open and attract attention with incessant kis-ka-dee calls and sallying flights. Despite their small U.S. range, this is one of the most widespread flycatchers in the Western Hemisphere." From AllAboutBirds.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Kiskadee/id
"Plum in the middle of the lush rainforest that smothers the Northern Range, Brasso Seco is a quiet little village that once made its living from growing cocoa and other crops. Today, it has reinvented itself as a low-key base for nature lovers in search of hiking, birdwatching, cocoa-cultivation tours or just a bit of insight into the slow, slow pace of life in rural Trinidad" From Lonely Planet.
sta.uwi.edu/cru/BrassoSecoCocoaConservation.asp
www.brassosecoparia.com/visitor-facility
blog.caligo.com/2016/11/14/chocolate-making/#more-88
This adventure was only the second holiday (or was it actually my third?) of any kind, anywhere, that I have had in something like 30 or 35 years! The other holiday was a wonderful, one-week holiday with my great friends from England, Linda and Tony, when we went down south to Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons in September 2012. I have had maybe half a dozen weekends away, including to Waterton National Park, which have helped keep me going.
Six birding/photographer friends and I decided that we would take this exciting trip together (from 12-21 March 2017), spending the first two or three days on the island of Tobago and then the rest of the time at the Asa Wright Nature Centre on the nearby, much larger island of Trinidad. We decided to take a complete package, so everything was included - flights (we were so very lucky to get Black Friday prices, which were 50% off!), accommodation at both places, all our food, and the various walks and day trips that we could choose from. Two of my friends, Anne B. and Brenda, saw to all the planning of flights and accommodations, which was so very much appreciated by the rest of us. I could never have done all this myself!
What a time we had, seeing so many beautiful and interesting things - and, of course, everything was a lifer for me. Some of these friends had visited Costa Rica before, so were familiar with some of the birds. There was a lot more to see on Trinidad, so we were glad that we chose Tobago to visit first and then spend a longer time at Asa Wright. It was wonderful to be right by the sea, though, at the Blue Waters Inn on the island of Tobago. Just gorgeous.
The Asa Wright Nature Centre, on the much larger island of Trinidad, is such an amazing place! We stayed in cabins up or down hill from the main building. Really, one doesn't need to travel away from the Centre for birding, as so many different species visit the Hummingbird feeders that are right by the huge, open veranda, and the trees of the rain forest high up a mountainous road. The drive up and down this narrow, twisting, pot-holed road was an adventure in itself! Never would I ever do this drive myself - we had a guide who drove us everywhere in a van/small bus. I had read many accounts of this road, lol! There was just enough room for two vehicles to squeeze past each other, and the honking of horns was almost continuous - either to warn any vehicle that might be coming fast around the next bend or as a sign that drivers knew each other. The drive along this road took just over an hour each way.
I still miss the great food that was provided every single day at Asa Wright and the Rum Punch that appeared each evening. I never drink at all, so I wasn't sure if I would even try the Punch - glad I did, though, as it was delicious and refreshing. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were all served buffet-style, with a great variety of dishes from which to choose. To me, pure luxury. So very, very grateful to have been invited to be part of this amazing adventure.
This photo was taken while we were staying at the Asa Wright Nature Centre, on the island of Trinidad, for five days. These birds were always around. Spectacular birds when in flight, as the underneath of the tail is brilliant yellow. Wish this photo had been sharper, but I love that blue eye. The pink in the bokeh was from Powder Puff flowers. I added a previously posted photo of hanging Oropendola nests in a comment box below.
"The crested oropendola also known as the Suriname crested oropendola or the cornbird (Psarocolius decumanus) is a New World tropical icterid bird. It is a resident breeder in lowland South America east of the Andes, from Panama and Colombia south to northern Argentina, as well as on Trinidad and Tobago.
It is a common bird, seen alone or in small flocks foraging in trees for large insects, fruit and some nectar. The male is 46 cm long and weighs 300 g; the smaller female is 37 cm long and weighs 180 g.
The plumage of the crested oropendola has a musty smell due to the oil from the preen gland. Adult males are mainly black with a chestnut rump and a tail which is bright yellow apart from two dark central feathers. There is a long narrow crest which is often difficult to see. The iris is blue and the long bill is whitish. Females are similar but smaller, duller, and crestless.
The crested oropendola inhabits forest edges and clearings. It is a colonial breeder which builds a hanging woven nest, more than 125 cm long, high in a tree." From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crested_oropendola
This adventure was only the second holiday (or was it actually my third?) of any kind, anywhere, that I have had in something like 30 or 35 years! The other holiday was a wonderful, one-week trip with my great friends from England, Linda and Tony, when we went down south to Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons in September 2012. I have had maybe half a dozen weekends away, including to Waterton National Park, which have helped keep me going.
Six birding/photographer friends and I decided that we would take this exciting trip together (from 12-21 March 2017), spending the first two or three days on the island of Tobago and then the rest of the time at the Asa Wright Nature Centre on the nearby, much larger island of Trinidad. We decided to take a complete package, so everything was included - flights (we were so very lucky to get Black Friday prices, which were 50% off!), accommodation at both places, all our food, and the various walks and day trips that we could choose from. Two of my friends, Anne B. and Brenda, saw to all the planning of flights and accommodations, which was so very much appreciated by the rest of us. I could never have done all this myself!
What a time we had, seeing so many beautiful and interesting things - and, of course, everything was a lifer for me. Some of these friends had visited Costa Rica before, so were familiar with some of the birds. There was a lot more to see on Trinidad, so we were glad that we chose Tobago to visit first and then spend a longer time at Asa Wright. It was wonderful to be right by the sea, though, at the Blue Waters Inn on the island of Tobago. Just gorgeous.
The Asa Wright Nature Centre, on Trinidad, is such an amazing place! We stayed in cabins up or down hill from the main building. Really, one doesn't need to travel away from the Centre for birding, as so many different species visit the Hummingbird feeders that are right by the huge, open veranda, and the trees of the rain forest high up a mountainous road. The drive up and down this narrow, twisting, pot-holed road was an adventure in itself! Never would I ever do this drive myself - we had a guide who drove us everywhere in a van/small bus. I had read many accounts of this road, lol! There was just enough room for two vehicles to squeeze past each other, and the honking of horns was almost continuous - either to warn any vehicle that might be coming fast around the next bend or as a sign that drivers knew each other. The drive along this road, from the coast to Asa Wright, took just over an hour each way.
I still miss the great food that was provided every single day at Asa Wright and the Rum Punch that appeared each evening. I never drink at all, so I wasn't sure if I would even try the Punch - glad I did, though, as it was delicious and refreshing. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were all served buffet-style, with a great variety of dishes from which to choose. To me, pure luxury. So very, very grateful to have been invited to be part of this amazing adventure.
Calliandra is a large genus of tropical plants that consists of about 200 species of small trees, evergreens, and flowering shrubs. Calliandra haematocephala, commonly known as the Powder Puff Tree, is native to South America.
This is just one of the many beautiful flowers on display at the Gage Park Spring Tide show that is currently on in Hamilton.
Thank you, my kind Flickr friends, for visiting my site and taking the time to leave a comment. Truly appreciated!
Explore Dec 11, 2011 #127
This bee was so intent on getting nectar that I was able to get within inches to get this macro! I love the sheen of its body, the stripes and membranous wings. The crewcut head and silvery dot like pollen balls at the end of each of its rosy filament stamens.
Calliandra haematomma is a species of flowering plants of the genus Calliandra in the Fabaceae family.
Calliandra haematocephala
Honey bee, Apis mellifera
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Miami, FL
Explore Dec 3, 2011 #28
Paper wasps will defend themselves if disturbed... as I know all too well! In my environmental zeal, a few months ago I picked a discarded bag in the woods where I walk and discovered all too soon ( and too painfully) that it had a Chinese honey sauce packet inside it... and a swarm of Wasps that attacked and stung me repeatedly!
Paper wasps are 3⁄4 to 1 inch long. They gather fibers from dead wood and plant stems, mix them with saliva, and use the resultant gray or brown papery material to construct water-resistant nests. Paper wasps are also sometimes called umbrella wasps due to their nests' distinctive design.
Their nests are constructed in protected places, under the eaves of buildings or in dense vegetation. There are 22 species of paper wasps in North America and about 700 worldwide. Most are found in the tropics of the western hemisphere. Paper wasps are black, brown or reddish in color with yellow markings.
Adults forage for nectar, their source of energy, and for caterpillars to feed their young so they are natural enemies of many garden insect pests.
A widespread North American species is the Golden Paper Wasp. Paper wasps are in the genus Polistes in the family Vespidae, which also includes potter wasps, yellow jackets, and hornets.
Golden Paper Wasp, Polistes fuscatus
Pink Powderpuff, Calliandra surinamensis
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Miami FL
Folkloric
• No reported folkloric medicinal use in the Philippines.
• In Nigeria, roots used in the treatment of hemorrhoids. (7)
• Elsewhere, decoction of the flowers used as blood purifier and tonic.
source: stuart xchange
Yesterday my flower photo in Sea World got into some other world. But these are not macros; they are just the world in my eyes from a distance, as much as 200 millimeters away. I'm sure in time I will join the party of micro distance where everything is as big as an elephant. For now, I will look from the outside...
Sea World, San Diego, California
I saw these flowers everywhere in Southern California, but in my world, they are as fresh as a child seeing the world for the first time.
One more below.
Caliandras Blancas/White Calliandras
Los pétalos de la flor son finísimos hilos cual hermosas luces de neón
Copyright (C) 2012 Delia O Unson
(3677)
Canon EOS 60D with Canon EF 100-400 zoom at 400 mm; 1/500 sec; f/5.6; ISO 800; Manual mode; hand-held
Beautiful Nature Closeup Scene Pink Powder Puff Flower, This Flower Like a Shaving Bursh, Scientific Name: Calliandra haematocephala Hassk.
I photographed this at the Wellesley Horticultural Center today. The background is a white sky through the green house glass. I think it’s called a “Powder Puff Flower”. I thought it has a bit of an Asian look and I thought it would be fun to try the Orton effect on this image. Normally I just blur a layer then change the opacity to create the effect. A friend suggested I over expose the image then use the “Multiply” blend layer to make the colors “pop” more. Let me know what you think! Thank you.
Caliandras Blancas/White Calliandras
Los pétalos de la flor son finísimos hilos cual hermosas luces de neón