Ray of Light (2024)

13/10/2022

“If I had a flower for every time I thought of you... I could walk through my garden forever.” —Alfred Tennyson03

16/07/2022

Help each other. Love everyone. Every leaf. Every ray of light. Forgive.
Terrence Malick

04/07/2022

Moons and years pass by and are gone forever, but a beautiful moment shimmers through life a ray of light.
- Franz Grillparzer

18/06/2022

Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark.
Rabindranath Tagore

22/05/2022

This is my vision-what I imagine I'll pass through on my way to the light. The blue sky, the clouds, the rays of light. - Julie Anne Peters

15/12/2021

Salvia apiana

Salvia apiana, the white sage, bee sage, or sacred sage is an evergreen perennial shrub that is native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, found mainly in the coastal sage scrub habitat of Southern California and Baja California, on the western edges of the Mojave and Sonoran deserts. Salvia apiana is a shrub that reaches 1.3 to 1.5 metres (4.3 to 4.9 ft) tall and 1.3 metres (4.3 ft) wide. The whitish evergreen leaves are 3 to 9 cm (1.2 to 3.5 in) and persist throughout the year; they are opposite with crenulate margins. Leaves are thickly covered in hairs that trigger oil glands; when rubbed oils and resins are released, producing a strong aroma.[2] The flowers are very attractive to bees, which is described by the specific epithet, apiana. Several 1 to 1.3 metres (3.3 to 4.3 ft) flower stalks, sometimes pinkish colored, grow above the foliage in the spring. Flowers are white to pale lavender.

White sage is a common plant that requires well-drained dry soil, full sun, and little water. The plant occurs on dry slopes in coastal sage scrub, chaparral, and yellow-pine forests of Southern California to Baja California at less than 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) elevation. Flowers attract varied pollinators including bumblebees, carpenter bees, Bombyliidae, and hummingbirds.[3] However most of these species are ineffective pollinators, with only three species of carpenter bee and one species of bumblebee actually leading to routine pollination.

Salvia apiana is widely used by Native American peoples on the Pacific coast of the United States. The seed is a primary, traditional ingredient in pinole, a staple food. The Cahuilla people have traditionally harvested large quantities of the seed, then mixed it with wheat flour and sugar to make gruel and biscuits. The leaves and stems are a traditional food among the Chumash people and neighboring communities.

For healing use, several tribes have traditionally used the seed for removing foreign objects from the eye, similar to the way that Clary sage seeds have been used in Europe. A tea from the roots is traditional among the Cahuilla women for healing and strength after childbirth. Different parts of the plant are also used in ceremonies by several Native American cultures.

08/12/2021

Acacia pycnantha

Acacia pycnantha, most commonly known as the golden wattle, is a tree of the family Fabaceae native to southeastern Australia. It grows to a height of 8 m (26 ft) and has phyllodes (flattened leaf stalks) instead of true leaves. Sickle-shaped, these are between 9 and 15 cm (3+1⁄2 and 6 in) long, and 1–3.5 cm (1⁄2–1+1⁄2 in) wide. The profuse fragrant, golden flowers appear in late winter and spring, followed by long seed pods. Plants are cross-pollinated by several species of honeyeater and thornbill, which visit nectaries on the phyllodes and brush against flowers, transferring pollen between them. An understorey plant in eucalyptus forest, it is found from southern New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, through Victoria and into southeastern South Australia.

Explorer Thomas Mitchell collected the type specimen, from which George Bentham wrote the species description in 1842. No subspecies are recognised. The bark of A. pycnantha produces more tannin than any other wattle species, resulting in its commercial cultivation for production of this compound. It has been widely grown as an ornamental garden plant and for cut flower production, but has become a w**d in South Africa, Tanzania, Italy, Portugal, Sardinia, India, Indonesia, New Zealand, as well as Western Australia, Tasmania and New South Wales. Acacia pycnantha was made the official floral emblem of Australia in 1988, and has been featured on the country's postal stamps.

01/12/2021

Calystegia sepium

Calystegia sepium (hedge bindw**d, Rutland beauty, bugle vine, heavenly trumpets, bellbind, granny-pop-out-of-bed and many others) is a species of flowering plant in the family Convolvulaceae. It has a subcosmopolitan distribution throughout temperate regions of the North and South hemispheres.

It is an herbaceous perennial that twines around other plants, in a counter-clockwise direction, to a height of up to 2–4 m (6 ft 7 in–13 ft 1 in) m, rarely 5 m. The pale matte green leaves are arranged spirally, simple, pointed at the tip and are arrowhead shaped, 5–10 cm long and 3–7 cm broad.[2]

The flowers are white, or pale pink with five darker stripes, produced from late spring to the end of summer. In the UK, between July and September.[3] In the bud, they are covered by large green but tinged with crimson bracts which remain but scarcely overlap and do not cover the sepals of the open flower.[4]: 567 The open flowers are trumpet-shaped, 3–7 cm diameter, white, or pale pink with white stripes. After flowering, the fruit develops as an almost spherical capsule, which is hidden by the bracts. It is 1 cm in diameter, containing two to four large, dark brown,[3] or black seeds that are shaped like quartered oranges.

The plant thrives in hedges,[3] fields, borders, roadsides and open woods. Other vernacular names include greater bindw**d, bearbind, hedge convolvulus, hooded bindw**d, old man's nightcap, wild morning glory, bride's gown, wedlock (referring to the white gown-like flowers and the binding nature of the vine), white witches hat, belle of the ball,[5] devil's guts and hedgebell.[6] A common childhood pastime in the UK is to 'pop' the flowers from the sepals while chanting "Granny, granny — pop out of bed".

24/11/2021

Bells of Ireland or Moluccella laevis

Moluccella laevis, the Bells-of-Ireland, Bells of Ireland, Molucca balmis, shellflower or shell flower, is a summer flowering annual, native to Turkey, Syria and the Caucasus. It is cultivated for its spikes of flowers. In the language of flowers, it represents luck.

The tiny white flowers are surrounded by apple green calyces which are persistent. The rounded leaves are pale green.

Fast growing, Moluccella laevis will reach 1 metre (3.28 feet) and spread to 30 centimeters (11.8 inches) with an erect, branching habit.[1]

A member of the mint family, the blooming stems can be cut and used in fresh or dried flower arrangements. The domestic plant is self-seeding, prefers full sun and regular water and is unlikely to do well in hot, humid climates.

Moluccella is a genus of annual and short-lived perennial plants native to Central + southwestern Asia and the Mediterranean.[1] They are tall, upright, branched plants to 1 meter or more with toothed leaves and small white fragrant flowers.[2][3]

Species[1]
Moluccella aucheri (Boiss.) Scheen - Iran, Pakistan
Moluccella bucharica (B.Fedtsch.) Ryding - Tajikistan
Moluccella fedtschenkoana (Kudr.) Ryding - Tajikistan
Moluccella laevis L. - Bells of Ireland - Turkmenistan, Iran, Iraq, Caucasus, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Turkey; naturalized in scattered locations in Europe, Africa, and North America
Moluccella olgae (Regel) Ryding - Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan
Moluccella otostegioides Prain - Pakistan
Moluccella sogdiana (Kudr.) Ryding - Tajikistan
Moluccella spinosa L. - Mediterranean from Spain + Algeria to Turkey + Palestine

17/11/2021

Calla Lily

The calla lily was named after the Greek word for beautiful — calla. It is associated with the Greek goddess Hera. According to the legend Zeus brought Hercules, his son from another woman, to Hera, his wife, while she was asleep to drink her milk. When she woke up she pushed him away and drops of milk flew across the sky to create the milky way. The ones that fell on the ground grew into beautiful lilies.

When Venus, goddess of love, beauty, and desire, saw the lilies she was jealous of their beauty. She cursed their beauty by placing a large yellow pistil in the middle of the flowers. Because of this story, some associate the calla lily with Venus and thus with lust and sexuality.

However, the most common meaning for calla lilies is purity, holiness, and faithfulness. It’s commonly depicted in images of the Virgin Mary. Calla lilies are also symbols for rebirth and resurrection, tied to the resurrection of Jesus in part because they bloom around Easter and in part because they are shaped like trumpets which symbolize triumph.

10/11/2021

'Torch Pink' Begonia (Begonia aconitifolia × Begonia coccinea)

This variety falls into a subcategory of fibrous-root begonias, the angel-wing begonias, which have distinctively shaped leaves. Angel wing begonias are also classified as cane-like begonias because of their long stems that look like bamboo canes. You can pinch back these plants during the growing season to promote bushier growth. This type of begonia can tolerate somewhat more sun than the wax begonias; so grow 'Torch Pink' in bright filtered sunlight to prevent it from becoming lanky. It needs bright filtered light to grow properly indoors.

03/11/2021

Lobelia gaudichaudii

This Hawaiian plant grows in Southern Ko’olau mountains on the Oahu island.

These native hawaiian plants have a woody stem with a rosette of long leaves on its top.
The flowers grow on a long stem, usually crimson.
The petals are short, and there are usually many small flowers around one single stem.
These flowers require wet conditions to flourish.

Scientists believe that Lobelia species arrived in Hawaii around 13 million years ago.
The flowers have a peculiar, curved shape in order to accommodate bills of the native birds that feed on their nectar.
Lobelia flowers can grow up to 75 cm long.
According to the specialists’ data, there are around 1000 Lobelia gaudichaudii plants left in the whole archipelago.
A subspecies, Lobelia gaudichaudii ssp. koolauensis is almost extinct – there are less than 252 plants in total.

04/10/2021

Ludisia Orchid

Also known as the Jewel orchid, this orchid looks great whether it’s in bloom or out of bloom. Its large leaves are green and variegated with stripes, and it grows tiny white flowers in the fall and winter. There are two varieties of the ludisia orchid, “albino“, which is pure white, and “nigrescens“, which is black. They are both gorgeous and striking flowers.

These orchids are native to the most tropical areas of Asia, and so it is important that their natural growing conditions are perfectly replicated. They must exist in very hot, humid, and damp conditions, otherwise they will not perform well.

Ray of Light