Little hummingbirds like this one like to browse the puffy flowers of the Chinese Lantern Bush at the Botanic Garden. I walked up to within five feet of this one and snapped this photo before it flitted away. Cute little thing – about three inches in length.
Today we will be going back to the South Coast Botanic Garden for a plant sale and to visit the rest of the garden.
One of the prettiest flowers growing in the Garden is this striking red and white Dahlia. I took this picture last week at the orchid show. Click for the big picture (which hardly does this beautiful flower justice – you had to be there).
Here are some interesting facts about Dahlias:
Aztecs collected or cultivated Dahlias as early as the 15th century. Flowers were depicted in cave drawings and hieroglyphics credited to the Aztecs of the 14th and possibly of the 13th century. It was used as a religious symbol and for medicinal and cultural rather than aesthetic purposes. Dahlia tubers were an important food source for the Aztecs indeed to this day. the Indians of central Mexico rely on the tubers as a valuable part of their diet. It was woven into clothing for the Royal family, warriors shields, breast plates, necklaces, etc.
The first encounter by other than the peoples of Mexico seems to be well established as made by a Spanish citizen, Francisco Hernandez who was sent to Mexico in 1570 to investigate the “natural resources of “New Spain.” The first published pictures were drawings by an Hidalgo Gentleman, Francisco Dominguez who accompanied Hernandez on at least some part of his explorations. Both the report and drawings were published at Rome, but not until 1651, about seventy five years after first produced. Prior to publication the report was translated to Latin, and later to English. Little recorded information is found concerning the next 126 years.
(Source: dahlia.org.)
My new camera arrived on Monday; yesterday and today I’ve been busily reading the owners’ manual and playing with some of the camera’s new and improved features.
Meanwhile, check out this purple orchid that I photographed using my old camera at the orchid show last Saturday.
Just a few steps away from the orchid show we went to over the weekend, is the botanic gardens. One of our favorite sections is the cactus and succulent garden. You will find many strange and beautiful varieties such as this beautifully symmetrical member of the agavaceae family, which is closely related to yucca, aloe and agave. Click on the image below for the larger version.
We went to the botanic garden yesterday and enjoyed the magnificent orchids on display. The two pictures below were of a couple of prize winners. Both are as beautiful as they are exotic.
The annual gathering of the Southern California Orchid Society is this weekend. We are members of the South Coast Botanical Gardens and since our facility is host to the event, we plan to attend today. All I can say is the show and the orchids and flowers on sale last year were breathtaking. I took this shot last year. Click the image for the large view.
I’ll be posting today’s pictures here later.
Asian lilies are noted for large flowers, vigorous growth, and sweet perfume, ‘Casa Blanca,’ an Asian Lily variety, is a standout among them. The huge flowers are pure, gleaming white and delicately flocked in a way that adds richness and texture. When these lilies are in our vase, we find excuses to wander nearby.