Hmmm... although looking it up in Wikipedia turns out this date is only marked in the U.S., elsewhere we get a different date. Oh well, any excuse is a good excuse to stop and think about this ball of rock we live on and the impact we have on the rest of the biosphere!So just take a moment to think about your lifestyle and see if you can spot things that need improving in the environmental domain. Do you separate your trash? Recylce? Remember to turn off unnecessary lights around the house? Not over-heat nor over-cool your living space?
Every little bit counts!
I'm going to sign off with a reminder of some of the beauty to be seen around us... particularly in Spring, and even in such an arid region as the one I live in.
Cheers!.
Mimosas in bloom:
New growth on a tree felled by a storm last winter:
Mediterranean pine Pinus halepensis:
Teeny, tiny flowers on a willow tree (¿? at least I think it's a willow... trees aren't my forte!)
And this one I have no idea what kind of tree it is (other than a member of the Leguminosa family due to those seeds), but just love it because of its beautiful Spring colours!
Note the 3 seasons on one branch:
dried seed husks from last fall,early spring pink/purple flowers, and green summer leaves that are already starting to take over...
Beautiful pictures! I wish I lived in a less populated area so that we had more greenery. I always feel like the poor trees growing out of circles cut in the sidewalk or trimmed off so they don't interfere with power lines look sort of forlorn.
ReplyDeleteAnd...that did look like a willow tree, or a close relative, but the leaf shape reminded me of mesquite trees - but mesquites are the weed/pirates of the tree world and I think they only grow here. -.- It's been a while since I've studied plant biology (and then we just looked at the basics: this is what makes plants green) and I can only accurately identify oak and pecan trees!
Well I'm actually a biologist, studied here too, so you'd think I'd be able to recognise local trees but... nada! They mostly just went in one eye and out the other! Plus my botany classes were last century... :p
ReplyDeleteAnd believe me, it's very arid here too! I had to choose good angles for those pictures so you wouldn't notice the dirt lot some of the trees are in! We're sorely lacking in parcs, and those we do have are dominated by shrubs so... I miss the greenery from farther north. But then when I was north I missed the Mediterranean sunshine and the blue seas and skies. We can't have it all!
These are just beautiful. I love the "three seasons on one branch" one. The sea picture is also very beautiful. Thanks for the tour.
ReplyDeleteAnother day I'll do a "sea" selection... so many great shots -it's hard to chose! It's one of the big advantages of living a few blocks from the Mediterranean! Whenever I get any itchy shutter finger, I can wander over and photograph the ever changing sea! :o)
ReplyDeleteIs it true if you tap a mimosa leaf, it curls up on itself? Try it for me - there are none I can test for myself here!
ReplyDeleteIt is true! But not for all varieties of mimosa. I know it works with Mexican mimosas (I've done it), but don't remember what the result was with these... I'll have to remember to try it the next time I take the dog down to the park!
ReplyDeleteI'll report back on that... :p
nope, no curling of leaves for these trees! :p
ReplyDelete