Sunday Selections # 305

Welcome back to Sunday Selections.

Began way back in the mist of time by Kim of Frog Ponds Rock and now continued by me, with a drastic relaxation of rules.


Originally meant for showcasing old photos lost in your files, never seeing the light of day, the meme has morphed into photos of your choice, new or old, good or not-so-good, anything you please, but nothing rude please.


If you are participating, please leave me a comment so I can buzz along and have a look.
Elephant's Child always participates, and her pictures are always worth seeing.


I usually have a theme for the week and today we're just wandering around close to my home.


Angel is with us, 

pretending that he isn't watching every step we take.

this is my biggest echeveria, from which all the smaller ones have originated. Notice anything here?

It's flowering! I didn't know they did that.  😁

three stems on this side,

two more over here. Mike and Paddy, the miners, are hiding behind the flowers. I thought about moving them, but the flower stems will be cut eventually, then Mike and Paddy will be more visible again.


this miniature ground cover disappeared the first year I planted it, then popped up unexpectedly the next summer. It's flowering too and spreading...

way over to the pot on the steps!

I have self-seeded dwarf french marigolds about to flower,

two in the one pot. The almost bare stem in the middle there is the white geranium cutting from several weeks ago. It looks like it may not make it, this particular pot dries out much too fast; I'll move the geranium into a partly shaded area soon.
 

the pigface has made some strong growth,


this other succulent leaf is looking very browned off. I'm leaving it there, possibly just when I think it is dead, it may show a new baby leaf at the base. If not, I'll collect another leaf next time I'm out walking that way. And I'll photograph the plant, so maybe someone out there can tell me what it is.

the newest growth on this plant is a mass of tiny pink bubbles, they'll grow to look more like jellybeans, then longer leaves and the colour will change.

one of the pretty pink roses at the end of my front path.


we now have signs at each entrance to the complex warning motorists of the blue-tongue lizards that like to sunbake on the roadway. Many of the newer tenants haven't known about the lizards before, as they've moved into flats during the winter and spring when the lizards are still hibernating.

across the driveway from my garden is this tree with pretty, bright green new leaves

and pretty, feathered flowers.

here's a close-up, so you can see the 'feathering' is actually the stamens with yellow pollen tips. The tree was buzzing with hundreds of bees, but I couldn't catch one on camera, they were just too fast.


they begin as tight little round buds,

here's one beginning to open, you can see the stamens already pushing through.

when the flowers finish, the tree is left covered with tiny gum nuts, the dried base of each flower, which is now hard and woody.
 
they eventually fall to the ground creating a thick mulch which takes years to break down.

this whole area, which has two of these trees, is thickly carpeted with the gum nuts.

Next week, sulphur crested cockatoos.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Comments

  1. I'm fascinated by the blossoms of the gum nut! Such intricacy!
    Echeveria flowers, very pretty!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. S.J.Qualls; most of our gum trees flower and each variety has a different type of flower. I've never looked this closely at this particular one before.
      I'll be cutting the echeveria flowers soon as they begin to die off.

      Delete
  2. Replies
    1. Grace; thank you, I'm happy with it right now too.

      Delete
  3. I like the little succulent that migrated. I had one that began coming through the sidewalk, where a bit of pebble fell away from the 75 year old sidewalk.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne; the migrator is probably a leaf that dropped off my gardening fork one time and I didn't notice, but I'm happy it survived.

      Delete
  4. Love wandering the garden with you and Angel - who is a truly beautiful boy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Elephant's Child; Angel is beautiful, but you should see him sometimes when he comes in with half the garden stuck in his tail and underbelly, he leaves a trail from the front door to the kitchen.

      Delete
  5. Angel is looking very satisfied with himself and the world.

    It appears that Mike and Paddy are doing their job, too...tending to your plants. they'll be asking for a raise next!

    That's a good idea about the signs warning of lizards lounging. It hopefully will make the new tenants aware.

    I hope the coming week treats you well, River. It's been pretty hot up this way over the past few days with a few storms (not vicious, thankfully) thrown in to break things up a bit. Cuddles to King Angel. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lee; he's a spoilt cat so of course he's satisfied. and much loved. This coming week I have a dentist appointment, but that's the only flaw.
      We had some cooling rain this morning and it still is raining a bit, but the air is much warmer, so we're in for a muggy night I think. No storms though.

      Delete
  6. I am very pleased the sign went up about the lizards. Fallen gumnuts are horrible to walk on.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Andrew; I'm pleased about the signs too, one lizard was taken to the vet recently after a close encounter with a vehicle. He survived with minimal damage. some of the newer tenants see one disappearing under a bush now and again and start screaming "snake! snake!", so we go out and educate them.
      I worry about the elderly here who might slip on the gumnuts or catch a wheel of their walker frames. I sweep the footpath, but not the road.

      Delete
  7. I have two cats Ziggy and Abner.
    Coffee is on

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dora; Ziggy and Abner are wonderful cat names.

      Delete
  8. .. Lovely walk with you and Angel today River..... I love the gum blossom flowers.. xxx ... Barb xxxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barbara; it was a perfect day for wandering, sunny with a cool breeze.

      Delete
  9. You Angel is sweet.
    Flowers are lovely and it's good to see that they have flowered well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Margaret-whiteangel; I'll relay your compliment when Angel wakes up. I'm happy to see so many flowers, I was beginning to think my patch was looking a little plain.

      Delete
  10. What are you supposed to do when the lizards are on the road? Is there room to drive around them? Do people run over them? Poor lizards.

    ReplyDelete

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