DESKTOP 3279 - GOATSBEARD

Tragopogon, also known as goatsbeard or salsify, is a genus of flowering plants in the Asteraceae (sunflower) family. It includes the vegetable known as salsify, as well as a number of common wild flowers, some of which are usually regarded as weeds. Salsifies are forbs growing as biennial or perennial plants. They have a strong taproot and milky sap. They generally have few branches, and those there are tend to be upright. Their leaves are somewhat grass-like.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

DESKTOP 3208 - SPENT

Empty receptacle of a Protea flower, which has released all of its seeds.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

DESKTOP 3167 - SEASONAL CONTRAST

North and South Hemisphere seasons collide!

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

DESKTOP 3037 - SAMARA

A samara (/səˈmɑːrə/, UK also: /ˈsæmər-/) is a winged achene, a type of fruit in which a flattened wing of fibrous, papery tissue develops from the ovary wall. A samara is a simple dry fruit and indehiscent (not opening along a seam). The shape of a samara enables the wind to carry the seed farther away than regular seeds from the parent tree, and is thus a form of anemochory. In some cases the seed is in the centre of the wing, as in the elms (genus Ulmus), the hoptree (Ptelea trifoliata), and the bushwillows (genus Combretum). In other cases the seed is on one side, with the wing extending to the other side, making the seed autorotate as it falls, as in the maples (genus Acer) and ash trees (genus Fraxinus). 

 

A samara is sometimes called a key and is often referred to as a wingnut, helicopter or whirlybird, whirligig, polynose, or, in the north of England, a spinning jenny. During the autumn months, they are a popular source of amusement for children who enjoy tossing them in the air and watching them spin to the ground. Some species that normally produce paired samaras, such as Acer pseudoplatanus, also produce them in groups of 3 or 4.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

DESKTOP 3000 - SEASONS

Southern vs Northern Hemisphere, Spring vs Autumn! Flowers and seeds, an ascent into Summer and a descent into Winter. Enjoy the antipodean teasing, all in seasonal fun.

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

DESKTOP 2953 - CASUARINA FRUIT

Casuarina is a genus of 17 tree species in the family Casuarinaceae, native to Australia, the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, islands of the western Pacific Ocean, and eastern Africa. It was once treated as the sole genus in the family, but has since been split into four genera.

 

They are evergreen shrubs and trees growing to 35 m tall. The slender, green to grey-green twigs bearing minute scale-leaves in whorls of 5–20. The apetalous flowers are produced in small catkin-like inflorescences. Most species are dioecious, but a few are monoecious.

 

The fruit is a woody, oval structure superficially resembling a conifer cone, made up of numerous carpels, each containing a single seed with a small wing. The generic name is derived from the Malay word for the cassowary, kasuari, alluding to the similarities between the bird's feathers and the plant's foliage, though the tree is called rhu in current standard Malay. 

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

DESKTOP 2950 - ROSEHIPS

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

DESKTOP 2902 - CASUARINA SEEDS

Some casuarina seeds I found. Many people call them "cones", although these are flowering plants and not conifers. More on casuarinas here:

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

DESKTOP 2891 - ROSE HIPS

Most of the roses are now dormant and rose hips abound. Now is the time to be cruel to be kind: Prune, prune, prune!

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 2862 - BY THE POND

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

DESKTOP 2806 - DANDELION

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

DESKTOP 2727 - GROWTH

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

DESKTOP 2652 - GRASSES

With Summer approaching, many of the grasses in the Parklands are flowering and setting seed. The cycle of the year is nearing completion and the great dry will spread the new generation far and wide; wind, animals and humans helping to disseminate the tiny packets of genetic information to new sites. Seeds to lie in wait for the Autumn rains, so as to sprout and start the cycle all over again.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

DESKTOP 2587 - IN THE GARDEN

As the weather improves, we venture into the garden...

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme.

DESKTOP 2575 - GONE TO SEED

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

DESKTOP 2477 - SEEDY

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

DESKTOP 2454 - MYSTERY

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.
and also part of the Blue Monday meme.

DESKTOP 2436 - ROSE HIPS

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 2421 - DANDELION

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme.

DESKTOP 2372 - THISTLEDOWN

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World.