Sunday Selections # 164 ***spider alert***
Welcome back to Sunday
Selections!
This once-a- week-meme
was originally begun by Kim of Frog Ponds Rock, as a way to showcase some of
the many photos we all take, but don't get around to showing on our blogs.
The rules are very
simple:-
1. post photos of your
choice, old or new, under the Sunday Selections title
2. link back to me,
River, somewhere in your post
3. leave me a comment so
that I know you've joined in and can come over and see what you've posted.
4. hop on over to TheElephant’s Child to see more of her wonderful photos.
Kath and Andrew often
join in as well, although Kath has been quite busy lately and unable to join
us.
There are several other
participants now though:
Jackie K at WorkingThrough It
Gillie at RandomThoughts From Abroad
I usually go with a
theme for my Sunday Selections and this week I'm continuing with some photos of
the gardens surrounding these flats I live in.
Not the whole garden, just the bit out the back by the clothesline this time.
I'd been out there putting garbage in my bin and saw this....
Just goes to show how little the clotheslines are used.
Reason one: the ground out there is uneven, cracked and holed. (It is supposed to be getting resurfaced....)
Reason two: clothes and/or other items have been known to disappear. Usually something that can't be identified as belonging to any specific person, such as pantyhose.
I only hang really large items out there, (sheets, quilt cover), that won't fit on my small fold-up camping line which lives in my closed in back porch.
Enough words! On with the pictures!
There is a vine that hangs over the fence out there from the yard next door (oops, more words...) and right now is is covered in hanging, tubular white flowers. Where the bees are having a wonderful time.
This vine grows from below fence height (from the ground of course), all the way to the top of the tree supporting it.
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Gorgeous spider. And I love that creeper. I don't know it - but lust after it. Those fluffy skirts are enchanting. Is it scented? For your sake I hope not, because I know how sensitive you are to such things.
ReplyDeleteAhh! The iconic old Hill's Hoist! I wish I had one. My landlord erected the most useless clothesline I've ever seen or had to use. I curse and grumble every time I have to hang out my laundry. I'll take a chainsaw to it one day...if I had a chainsaw! :)
ReplyDeleteIs that a trumpet flower? It looks like it could be, but a double or triple one...magnificent blooms.
Have a wonderful Sunday and week, River. :)
That is one spider web I would not want to walk through.
ReplyDeleteIt's a Datura, or angels trumpet. They come in single flower form or multiple, as this one is. They also come in a yellow and a mauve but the white is nicest, I think. This one looks particularly good.
People used to get high by boiling up the leaves and drinking the mixture.
Mm, I wanted to know if it is scented, must be a gorgeous sight....
ReplyDeleteOh duh, read all the posts before you comment, Gillian..... Datura, of course!
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ReplyDeleteHe is a big fellow and he has a big home,
ReplyDeleteMerle..........
I thought of trumpets, but petticoats is even better. Forget the spider.
ReplyDeleteI shudder to think what the pantyhose are getting nicked for. Hopefully something as innocuous as tying plants to stakes, rather than wearing someone else's 'hose, erk :/
ReplyDeleteSpiders are so amazing - engineers of nature.
This one is particularly lovely.
The plant is Datura (botanical name - Brugmansia), or commonly known as Angel's Trumpet. It is of the nightshade (solanaceae) family.
Very beautiful, but much maligned. Has important medicinal uses - in appropriate doses, as it is extremely toxic and hallucinogenic.
Some people have bad reactions even when going near the plant, and it should be handled with care.
Better still, admired from afar.
But fragrantly lovely nonetheless.
Perhaps the bees get a little "buzz" after collecting from them :)
What kind of WEIRDO runs away with used pantyhose and underwear and stuff?
ReplyDeleteEew. Your spider is super-scary looking.
After looking at the size of the spider, I think he might be responsible for your clothes disappearing. Datura....beautiful for hanging over a tall fence, as if it's staring at the neighbors. lol
ReplyDeleteI have been trying to identify your spider but as I think that may be its underside I'm not quite sure what it is. I am definitely not a spider person but that one is quite pretty but so BIG.
ReplyDeleteThe Datura is a member of the deadly nightshade/mandrake family and they are very beautiful but quite deadly apparently. I have an idea they are a declared plant (all species) in Western Australia. It is a plant that has long fascinated Phil with its beauty when in flower. I think when we moved here about 40 years ago there was one in the front garden next door but not longer after that it was removed, perhaps by order of our Council but don't quote me on that.
It is a pity that such beautiful plants can have such a bad reputation. Incidentally, they are toxic to stock so fortunately this one grows in an urban area.
I've really enjoyed these beautiful photos and thank you for sharing. The bees seemed to be having a wonderful time in those flowers.
Hope your weekend is going well for you.
P.S. For some reason 5 of your photos have not appeared. Not had that happen before but still enough to see how lovely the flowers are.
Elephant's Child; it isn't scented, thank goodness, not more than the bees can smell anyway.
ReplyDeleteLee; rent a chainsaw....that way you can return it and there will be no evidence.
Andrew; I thought it might be Datura at first, then thought not because I didn't know they come in doubles. So I've learned something, thank you.
Gillie; ha ha. I'm often doing the same thing, leaving comments everywhere without reading others comments first.
Merle; he's the biggest, hairiest orb spider I've seen. At least I think he is an orb spider.
Joanne; with a web that size he's kind of hard to forget. Trumpets with petticoats...
Vicki; I rather think they are not pegged securely enough and blow away in a strong wind. thankfully they're not mine, I don't wear such things and so far none of my items have gone missing.
I hadn't heard about bad reactions from going near the plant, apart from people misusing it. It doesn't appear to be scented or at least not enough for me to notice and I've never touched it. I wondered if it was from the nightshade family, the leaves look like other nightshades.
Happy Elf Christine; I don't suppose the type of weirdo matters, since all weirdos are weird...I can see pantyhose would get nicked by people wanting to tie up garden plants, but underwear? No idea.
I don't find spiders at all scary, however I do wish they'd stay outside, not get into my bathroom.
lotta joy; ha ha, a clothes eating spider. Thankfully none of my clothes have ever disappeared. There was a story going around here soon after I moved in about someone's washing being set alight, that worried me a bit, but it turned out to be someone's crazy husband/partner burning his wife's things because she'd left him or was threatening to.
Mimsie; no, that's his top side, the underside is paler without stripes.
I know Datura is toxic, just wasn't sure this was a Datura because of the double ruffles which I haven't seen before.
I used to have trouble viewing people's photos because of not loading and found that when I reloaded the page after commenting they'd be there. Or the next day.
Mimsie; my apologies, the second photo is his underside. The first photo is his topside but I didn't get in close enough.
ReplyDelete:(
ReplyDeleteA bit of a heads up first would have been good... spiders scare the crap out of me. Even photos!
Kelley; the heads up is right there in the title, I put it there just for you and everyone else who isn't fond of spiders. :)?
ReplyDeleteHoly crap, that spider is huge! yuck. Amazing web, but still yuck.
ReplyDeleteThe upside down flowers are gorgeous.
I think you are right about the spider being a Garden Orb Weaver, especially when you look at the sheer size of that web. He's a lovely looking spider. We have an orb weaver in our garden and he has a big cross on his back - he looks like he's off to fight in the Crusades :-)
ReplyDeleteI love the flowers - so delicate and frilly. I thought it might be one of the flowering tobacco plants, but I see people have identified it as an Angel Trumpet, which is not a plant that I'm familiar with. Which is unfortunate as it's a stunner. I love the last photo with them hanging like Christmas decorations!
Hi River,
ReplyDeleteAAAARRRGGGHHHHH!!!!
Spider begone!
:-(
Cheers
PM
You are so right. When I popped in there this morning I re-checked your Sunday Selections and there were ALL the pics so could see Mr (or Mrs) spider from both sides. That is one HUGE web. We had one outside our kitchen window last year (possibly similar type of spider) and we left it there 'cos we were unlikely to walk anywhere near it. The man that sometimes does some gardening for us saw it and it was gone with one swipe of the hoe or rake. I was sad 'cos obviously the spider was offended and didn't come back. Don't get me wrong I don't like spiders but if they leave me along I will do the same to them (except RED BACKS...I hate them with every fibre of my being).
ReplyDeleteP.S. Was great to see all the 'bee' pics come to life. That was as glorious collection of photos.
Jackie K; the spider wasn't all that big, about half the size of a huntsman, but the web was the biggest I've seen in a long while.
ReplyDeleteMarie; he's the biggest orb weaver I've seen so far. In my previous home I only saw the little ones with a definite cross on their backs. They still made big webs though not as big as this one. That washing line is HIGH, when I stretch my arm up I can just reach the line, even when it is fully wound down and the web went from the cross bars to the ground.
I really enjoy seeing so many blooms at once on a plant, any plant.
Plasman; hahahahahaha! got a little fright did you? :)
Mimsie; I'm glad you got to see all the photos. I usually leave spiders alone too. Any that come inside are moved out again. Redbacks, funnelwebs and trapdoors are the exceptions. They get stomped on pretty damn quickly, before they can get back to their homes and say, "hey guys! I found this nice place, follow me..." I haven't seen any funnelwebs here, they're more a Sydney spider and the trapdoors are way up north in Port Augusta and surrounding areas.
That web is amazing. Someone told me recently about an interesting art project to do with spider webs. If you lacquer them down real well with hair spray, when it dries, you can handle the web in an intact piece. Then it can be spray painted, mounted, and framed. I've never tried it, or seen it done, but I'll bet they look quite beautiful.
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