Nature and garden

Considered the world over as a weed, the thistle is one of the national flowers of Scotland.
It may be hated by gardeners and farmers but is an incredibly beautiful plant and flower, and being quite large does not move around in the wind too much (making it a lot easier to photograph than more delicate summer wild flowers)!

Explore 10th July 2007 # 394

Link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/foxypar4/1068695437/

Highest position: 76 on Monday, June 25, 2007

See where this picture was taken. [?]

Larnach Castle Garden in Dunedin, New Zealand

The Jardin Exotique de Monaco is a botanical garden situated in Monaco. It was opened in 1933, and has a wide variety of succulent plants, especially cactuses. Within the garden, there is a large underground cave in which there are many stalagmites and stalactites. Evidence of prehistoric human inhabitants has been found in the cave. There is a museum of Prehistoric Anthropology in the garden displaying many of those finds.

Aeonium arboreum – the genus Aeonium is distributed throughout the Canary Islands, Madeira, Morocco and eastern Africa. Each of the succulent stems will flower and fruit only once and then die back; in a single word, the plant is monocarpic.

De Jardin Exotique de Monaco is een botanische tuin in Monaco. Hij is geopend in 1933 en heeft een grote collectie succulenten waaronder veel cactussen. In de tuin is er een grote onderaardse grot met veel stalagmieten en stalactieten. Er is bewijs gevonden dat er in de prehistorie mensen leefden in de grot. Er is een museum van prehistorische antropologie die veel van de vondsten tentoonstelt.

Bárrio – Alcobaça
Portugal

source: anacm.silva

Click here to see the close-up shot of the same waterspout taken
some seconds later.

© pinoyphotog 2009 all rights reserved
.

Look closely, there is more than one insect enjoying this flower. It must be a delicious flower!

via wishymom (Stephanie Wallace Photography)

A kind of anemone…maybe…
You can see more detail on the original size.

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dolphin_dolphin/2492232890/

this flower shot is for all my “contact” people. Thank you for all your lovely comments

Source: u.kalandranis

No really it`s a macro shot of a butterfly wing. EXPLORE: Oct. 23rd #285

source: scruff35