tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77231196545346143962024-03-16T02:09:32.560+01:00Light Colour Shade<br><br>Catching the fleeting scenes of many splendored life <br>
'Look closely. The beautiful may be small' — KantStellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00704814568338085726noreply@blogger.comBlogger172125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723119654534614396.post-80318424033164247532016-03-20T01:04:00.007+01:002016-03-20T01:04:50.064+01:00Clivia Mirabilis Flowers<b>Clivia</b> is a genus of monocot flowering plants native to southern Africa (family <b>Amaryllidaceae</b>, subfamily <b>Amaryllidoideae</b>). Common names are <b>Natal lily</b> or <b>bush lily</b>.<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YNzMt-G3VRQ/Vu3mWkuXWMI/AAAAAAAAFHI/iBndbAifQy0IgKwDhTvkgGf1o7eUA-zcw/s1600/Clivia%2BMirabilis%2Bflowers1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YNzMt-G3VRQ/Vu3mWkuXWMI/AAAAAAAAFHI/iBndbAifQy0IgKwDhTvkgGf1o7eUA-zcw/s1600/Clivia%2BMirabilis%2Bflowers1.JPG"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clivia Mirabilis Flowers</td></tr>
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<a href="http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com/2016/03/clivia-mirabilis-flowers.html#more">It gets better after the jump...</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">For more stuff go to http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com</div>Stellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00704814568338085726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723119654534614396.post-82432353497542284432016-01-04T01:47:00.001+01:002016-01-04T01:54:36.715+01:00Birds of Prey. Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae), American kestrel (Falco sparverius), Pied Crow (Corvus albus), Turkey vulture (Cathartes aura), Harris's hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus) <b><u>Laughing kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae)</u></b> is a carnivorous bird in the kingfisher family Halcyonidae. The name is derived from Wiradjuri guuguubarra, onomatopoeic of its call which sounds like echoing human laughter. The birds are found in habitats ranging from humid forest to arid savanna, as well as in suburban areas with tall trees or near running water. Native to eastern Australia, they spread to parts of New Zealand, Tasmania, and Western Australia. The characteristic laughter serves to mark territorial borders. Most species of kookaburras tend to live in family units, with offspring helping the parents hunt and care for the next generation of offspring. Kookaburras are almost exclusively carnivorous and hunt by perching on a convenient branch or wire and waiting patiently for prey to pass by. Common prey include mice and similar-sized small mammals, large insects, lizards, small birds and nestlings, and even snakes, including venomous snakes much longer than their bodies. They can also snatch goldfish from garden ponds. <br>
Chicks have a hook on the upper mandible, which disappears by the time of fledging. If there isn’t enough food, the chicks will quarrel, with the hook being used as a weapon, and the smallest chick may even be killed by its larger siblings. If food is plentiful, the parent birds spend more time brooding the chicks, so the chicks are not able to fight.<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yI4Cjn_7Grs/VomTk7Lv31I/AAAAAAAAFGI/39L_v-L14PI/s1600/Laughing%2Bkookaburra%2B%2528Dacelo%2Bnovaeguineae%25290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="550" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yI4Cjn_7Grs/VomTk7Lv31I/AAAAAAAAFGI/39L_v-L14PI/s640/Laughing%2Bkookaburra%2B%2528Dacelo%2Bnovaeguineae%25290.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Laughing kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae). (© LightColourShade. All rights reserved)</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com/2016/01/birds-of-prey-laughing-kookaburra.html#more">It gets better after the jump...</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">For more stuff go to http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com</div>Stellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00704814568338085726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723119654534614396.post-32075334495546577122015-12-13T19:43:00.000+01:002015-12-13T19:43:55.463+01:00Elusive Guests. Black Rat (Rattus rattus), Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus) and Little Owl (Athene noctua)<b>Black rat (Rattus rattus</b>, also known as the <b>ship rat, roof rat, house rat, Alexandrine rat, old English rat, and other names</b>) is a common long-tailed rodent of the genus Rattus (rats) in the subfamily <b>Murinae </b>(murine rodents). The species originated in tropical Asia (in India and Southeast Asia) and spread through the Near East and Egypt in Roman times before reaching Europe by the 1st century and spreading with Europeans across the world. <br>
Black rats are generalist omnivores and thus not very specific in their food preferences, they feed on a wide range of foods, including seeds, fruit, stems, leaves, fungi, and a variety of invertebrates and vertebrates. Which makes them a kind of pest in nature (hmm, a lot in common with humans). They are vectors of many diseases including the bacterium Yersinia pestis, an agent of bubonic plague, (which I suspect is just another attempt to blame every mysterious disaster on an animal — the speed of propagation of the desease, as well as its geographic distribution raise doubts about the rodent’s role in the epidemics more likely caused, among other things, by the destruction of European forests, mini glaciation in the Middle Ages, overpopulation and consequent famine, and lack of hygiene).<br>
Like tree squirrels rats prefer fruits and nuts. They are a threat to many natural habitats because they feed on birds and insects. They are also a threat to many farmers since they feed on a variety of agricultural-based crops, such as cereals, sugar cane, coconuts, cocoa, oranges, and coffee beans. The black rat is again largely confined to warmer areas, having been supplanted by the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) in cooler regions and urban areas. In addition to being larger and more aggressive (I’ve seen big fat brown rats feed with chicken and porks at the same trough and chase cats), the change from wooden structures and thatched roofs to bricked and tiled buildings favored the burrowing brown rats over the arboreal black rats. In addition, brown rats eat a wider variety of foods, and are more resistant to weather extremes<br>
Black rats adapt to a wide range of habitats. In urban areas they are found around warehouses, residential buildings, and other human settlements, especially in dry upper levels of buildings, so they are commonly found in wall cavities and false ceilings.. In agricultural areas they live in barns and crop fields. In the wild, black rats live in cliffs, rocks, the ground, and trees. They are great climbers and prefer to live in trees, such as pines and palm trees. We often see them in the neighbourhood walk up and down the trees and scutter along the power lines that serve as suspension bridges. Their nests are typically spherical and made of shredded material, including sticks, leaves, other vegetation, and cloth. In the absence of trees, they can burrow into the ground. Black rats are also found around fences, ponds, riverbanks, streams, and reservoirs.<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dHllr02BQ5M/Vhb_7nfliPI/AAAAAAAAFC4/jz7K8DnfPdo/s1600/Black%2Brat%2B%2528Rattus%2Brattus%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="457" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dHllr02BQ5M/Vhb_7nfliPI/AAAAAAAAFC4/jz7K8DnfPdo/s640/Black%2Brat%2B%2528Rattus%2Brattus%2529.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Black rat (Rattus rattus). (by-nc-nd)</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com/2015/12/elusive-guests-black-rat-rattus-rattus.html#more">It gets better after the jump...</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">For more stuff go to http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com</div>Stellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00704814568338085726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723119654534614396.post-42041331313936530702015-12-13T02:31:00.000+01:002015-12-13T19:39:19.013+01:00Flowering Trees: Koelreuteria Paniculata (Goldenrain Tree), Lace-bark Tree (Lagetta lintearia), Lagunaria patersonii (Cow Itch Tree), Parkinsonia Aculeata (Jerusalem Thorn) <u><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Summer Colours: Lemon Yellow, Purple and Pink</span></u><br>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?</strong></span><br>
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Thou art more lovely and more temperate.</span></strong><br>
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,</span></strong><br>
<strong><span style="color: yellow; font-size: large;">And summer's lease hath all too short a date.</span></strong><br>
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,</span></strong><br>
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">And often is his gold complexion dimmed;</span></strong><br>
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">And every fair from fair sometime declines,</span></strong><br>
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed.</span></strong><br>
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">But thy eternal summer shall not fade</span></strong><br>
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;</span></strong><br>
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Nor shall death brag thou wand'rest in his shade,</span></strong><br>
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st,</span></strong><br>
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,</span></strong><br>
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.</span></strong> <br>
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Shakespeare. Sonnet 18<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qpXb4VYXvRI/Vkn6JyEKXqI/AAAAAAAAFEE/RMp8o7lDSpA/s1600/Koelreuteria%2Bpaniculata%2Bvar%2Bapiculata%2B%2528Goldenrain%2Btree%252C%2BPride%2Bof%2BIndia%252C%2BVarnish%2Btree%252C%2BChina%2Btree%2529%2Bflowers1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qpXb4VYXvRI/Vkn6JyEKXqI/AAAAAAAAFEE/RMp8o7lDSpA/s640/Koelreuteria%2Bpaniculata%2Bvar%2Bapiculata%2B%2528Goldenrain%2Btree%252C%2BPride%2Bof%2BIndia%252C%2BVarnish%2Btree%252C%2BChina%2Btree%2529%2Bflowers1.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Koelreuteria paniculata var apiculata. (© LightColourShade. All rights reserved)</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com/2015/12/summer-colours-lemon-yellow-purple-and.html#more">It gets better after the jump...</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">For more stuff go to http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com</div>Stellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00704814568338085726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723119654534614396.post-58065232778455091182015-10-09T01:27:00.000+02:002015-10-09T01:27:09.498+02:00Under the Flowering Trees. Flame tree (Brachychiton Acerifolius), Date Palms (Phoenix dactylifera), Oleanders, Rosewood (Tipuana tipu), Parkinsonia aculeata (Jerusalem thorn), Trumpet vine (Campsis radicans), Purple Jacaranda, Albizia julibrissin (Persian silk, Pink silk tree), Pink Rose of Sharon, Bauhinia variegata (Camel's Foot Tree, Mountain-ebony), Silk floss tree (Palo borracho / Ceiba speciosa), Lace-bark tree (Lagetta lintearia), Lagunaria patersonii (cow itch tree), Purple Bougainvillea, Koelreuteria paniculata (Goldenrain tree), Lagerstroemia indica (Crape myrtle), European Redbud or Judas tree (Cercis siliquastrum). One of the most pleasant things you can do on a hot summer day is lie in a hammock or on the grass under the flowering trees scenting the air with their blossoms, enjoy their fragrance and watch the birds fly by high above in the sky.<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-25PG5Ftz8fU/VhGyesdAt2I/AAAAAAAAFCg/9mhAXlnn08Q/s1600/Under%2Bflowering%2Btrees.%2BFlame%2Btree%2B%2528Brachychiton%2BAcerifolius%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="398" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-25PG5Ftz8fU/VhGyesdAt2I/AAAAAAAAFCg/9mhAXlnn08Q/s640/Under%2Bflowering%2Btrees.%2BFlame%2Btree%2B%2528Brachychiton%2BAcerifolius%2529.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Flame tree (Brachychiton Acerifolius) and Yellow-Legged Gull (Larus michahellis)</span><br>
<span style="font-size: small;">(© LightColourShade. All rights reserved)</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com/2015/10/under-flowering-trees-flame-tree.html#more">It gets better after the jump...</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">For more stuff go to http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com</div>Stellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00704814568338085726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723119654534614396.post-44706547023893930562015-10-05T01:06:00.000+02:002015-10-05T01:06:18.266+02:00Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides).Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) aka confederate jasmine, and Chinese star jasmine is a species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae, native to eastern and southeastern Asia (Japan, Korea, southern China and Vietnam). A valuable perfume oil is extracted from the steam distilled or tinctured flowers and used in high end perfumery. In a dilute form, tinctured flowers are much used in Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai incenses, while bast fibre is produced from the stems.<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-obSD-Z0ibEM/VX4hI5ta72I/AAAAAAAAFBA/p2t4m1CHCA0/s1600/Trachelospermum%2Bjasminoides%2B%2528star%2Bjasmine%2529%2Bclose-up.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-obSD-Z0ibEM/VX4hI5ta72I/AAAAAAAAFBA/p2t4m1CHCA0/s640/Trachelospermum%2Bjasminoides%2B%2528star%2Bjasmine%2529%2Bclose-up.JPG" width="558"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Trachelospermum jasminoides (star jasmine) close-up.</span> (© LightColourShade. All rights reserved)</td></tr>
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<a href="http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com/2015/10/star-jasmine-trachelospermum-jasminoides.html#more">It gets better after the jump...</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">For more stuff go to http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com</div>Stellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00704814568338085726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723119654534614396.post-70922402537830325982015-07-28T21:51:00.001+02:002015-07-28T21:51:16.453+02:00Freesia fucata, Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), Melia azedarach (white cedar, chinaberry tree, bead-tree, Cape lilac, syringa berrytree, Persian lilac) flowers<strong><u>Freesia</u></strong> is a genus of herbaceous perennial flowering plants in the family Iridaceae. It is native to the eastern side of southern Africa, from Kenya south to South Africa.<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iHT-jrgs5Rc/VX22qUYX-eI/AAAAAAAAE-0/--kzsCzgaJY/s1600/Freesia%2Bfucata%2Bflowers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iHT-jrgs5Rc/VX22qUYX-eI/AAAAAAAAE-0/--kzsCzgaJY/s640/Freesia%2Bfucata%2Bflowers.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Freesia fucata flowers.</span> (© LightColourShade. All rights reserved)</td></tr>
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<strong><u></u></strong><a href="http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com/2015/07/freesia-fucata-japanese-honeysuckle.html#more">It gets better after the jump...</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">For more stuff go to http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com</div>Stellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00704814568338085726noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723119654534614396.post-26633382621205336832015-06-24T00:04:00.000+02:002015-06-24T00:04:14.476+02:00The Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) and Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus).The common starling (Sturnus vulgaris), also known as the European starling, is a passerine bird in the starling family, Sturnidae. It is about 20 cm (8 in) long and has glossy black plumage, which is speckled with white at some times of year. The legs are pink and the bill is black in winter and yellow in summer. It is a noisy bird, especially in communal roosts and other gregarious situations, with a varied song that sometimes sounds like a wolf-whistle. Its gift for mimicry has been noted in literature including the Mabinogion and the works of Pliny the Elder and William Shakespeare (hmm, that would explain the wolf-whistling). Large flocks of this species can be beneficial to agriculture by controlling invertebrate pests; however, starlings can also be pests themselves when they feed on fruit and sprouting crops.<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lSrt4_uGM2E/VX4cW_z9WSI/AAAAAAAAFAE/gv9YkOSN50Y/s1600/Common%2Bstarling%2B%2528Sturnus%2Bvulgaris%2529%2Bon%2Ba%2Btwig.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lSrt4_uGM2E/VX4cW_z9WSI/AAAAAAAAFAE/gv9YkOSN50Y/s640/Common%2Bstarling%2B%2528Sturnus%2Bvulgaris%2529%2Bon%2Ba%2Btwig.JPG" width="492"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Common starling (Sturnus vulgaris) on a twig</span>. (by-nc-nd)<span style="background-color: #dddddd; font-size: small;"></span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-common-starling-sturnus-vulgaris.html#more">It gets better after the jump...</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">For more stuff go to http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com</div>Stellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00704814568338085726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723119654534614396.post-82869344998393903562015-06-19T00:58:00.002+02:002015-06-19T01:07:23.359+02:00Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) Female<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q3K9dF0PEQw/VX4cXe0OODI/AAAAAAAAFAc/8IZlxMYz7rg/s1600/Yellowhammer%2B%2528Emberiza%2Bcitrinella%2529%2Bfemale%2Bin%2Ba%2Bpuddle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="444" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q3K9dF0PEQw/VX4cXe0OODI/AAAAAAAAFAc/8IZlxMYz7rg/s640/Yellowhammer%2B%2528Emberiza%2Bcitrinella%2529%2Bfemale%2Bin%2Ba%2Bpuddle.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yellowhammer (Emberiza citronella) female in a puddle.</span> (by-nc-nd)</td></tr>
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<a href="http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com/2015/06/yellowhammer-emberiza-citrinella-female.html#more">It gets better after the jump...</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">For more stuff go to http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com</div>Stellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00704814568338085726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723119654534614396.post-60935432158230107362015-06-18T01:50:00.002+02:002015-06-18T01:50:32.572+02:00Iris Pseudacorus (Yellow Flag, Yellow Iris, Water Flag) FlowersIris pseudacorus (yellow flag, yellow iris, water flag) is a species in the genus Iris, of the family Iridaceae. It is native to Europe, western Asia and northwest Africa. The rhizome has historically been used as an herbal remedy, but when applied to the skin or inhaled, the tannin-rich juices can be acrid and irritating. Not only is yellow iris a beautiful ornamental plant, but also a form of water treatment since it has the ability to take up heavy metals through its roots.<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v3SZTt4p2eY/VX25YT5rTZI/AAAAAAAAE_s/2jRpuuypJBQ/s1600/Iris%2Bpseudacorus%2B%2528yellow%2Bflag%252C%2Byellow%2Biris%252C%2Bwater%2Bflag%2529%2Bclose-up.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v3SZTt4p2eY/VX25YT5rTZI/AAAAAAAAE_s/2jRpuuypJBQ/s640/Iris%2Bpseudacorus%2B%2528yellow%2Bflag%252C%2Byellow%2Biris%252C%2Bwater%2Bflag%2529%2Bclose-up.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Iris pseudacorus (yellow flag, yellow iris, water flag) flower close-up.</em></span> (© LightColourShade. All rights reserved)</td></tr>
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<a href="http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com/2015/06/iris-pseudacorus-yellow-flag-yellow.html#more">It gets better after the jump...</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">For more stuff go to http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com</div>Stellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00704814568338085726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723119654534614396.post-89116634000286483162015-05-25T01:43:00.005+02:002015-05-25T01:43:42.048+02:00Rabbit suite. European rabbit or common rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)<strong><u>The European rabbit or common rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)</u></strong> is native to south-western Europe (Spain and Portugal) and northwest Africa (Morocco and Algeria). The animal’s decline in its native range (caused by the diseases <strong>myxomatosis</strong> and rabbit <strong>calicivirus</strong>, as well as overhunting and habitat loss), has, in turn, caused the decline of its highly dependent predators, the Iberian lynx and the Spanish imperial eagle.” <br>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-84U_98qHhAY/VQ8SSOnN0eI/AAAAAAAAE7c/qG6_QePv1-E/s1600/European%2Brabbit%2C%2Bcommon%2Brabbit%2B(Oryctolagus%2Bcuniculus)%2Bclose-up.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="566" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-84U_98qHhAY/VQ8SSOnN0eI/AAAAAAAAE7c/qG6_QePv1-E/s1600/European%2Brabbit%2C%2Bcommon%2Brabbit%2B(Oryctolagus%2Bcuniculus)%2Bclose-up.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>European rabbit or common rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) close-up.</i></span> (© LightColourShade. All rights reserved)</td></tr>
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<a href="http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com/2015/05/rabbit-suite-european-rabbit-or-common.html#more">It gets better after the jump...</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">For more stuff go to http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com</div>Stellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00704814568338085726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723119654534614396.post-60018633600267536782015-03-04T21:01:00.000+01:002015-03-04T21:01:33.295+01:00Schlumbergera Russeliana<b>Schlumbergera</b> is a small genus of cacti (although they don’t really look like common cacti) with six species found in the coastal mountains of south-eastern Brazil. Plants grow on trees or rocks in habitats which are generally relatively cool, shady and of high humidity. <br>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uKNQIPtAb8k/VNlGh-1GNLI/AAAAAAAAE6g/QNjPHJRZwmI/s1600/Schlumbergera%2Brusseliana%2Bflower.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uKNQIPtAb8k/VNlGh-1GNLI/AAAAAAAAE6g/QNjPHJRZwmI/s1600/Schlumbergera%2Brusseliana%2Bflower.JPG" height="426" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Schlumbergera russeliana flower.</i></span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> (© LightColourShade. All rights reserved) </span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com/2015/03/schlumbergera-russeliana.html#more">It gets better after the jump...</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">For more stuff go to http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com</div>Stellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00704814568338085726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723119654534614396.post-75176308983340686032015-02-09T03:04:00.003+01:002015-02-10T00:58:10.746+01:00Homing pigeon (Columba livia domestica), Common Blackbird (Turdus merula), Eurasian Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus), Common Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus), Common Pochard (Aythya ferina), and Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)<b><u>Homing pigeon</u></b> is a variety of domestic pigeon <b>(Columba livia domestica)</b> derived from the rock pigeon, selectively bred to find its way home over extremely long distances (up to 1,800 km). The wild rock pigeon has an innate homing ability, meaning that it will generally return to its nest and mate. Their average flying speed over moderate distances is around 80 km/h (50 miles per hour) but speeds of up to 140 km/h (90 miles per hour) have been observed in top racers for short distances. Homing pigeons are called messenger or carrier pigeons when they are used to carry messages. Pigeons can find their way back from distant places they have never visited before. Most researchers believe that homing ability is based on a "map and compass" model, with the compass feature allowing birds to orient and the map feature allowing birds to determine their location relative to a goal site (home loft). While the compass mechanism appears to rely on the sun, some researchers believe that the map mechanism relies on the ability of birds to detect the Earth's magnetic field. Scientists discovered on top of pigeon's beak large number of particles of iron which remain aligned to north like manmade compass, thus it acts as compass which helps pigeon in determining its home, and it looks like the trigeminal nerve plays a role in magnetoception, too. Some studies showed that pigeons also orient themselves using the spatial distribution of atmospheric odours, known as olfactory navigation, as well as low frequency infrasound. In areas they have previously visited, pigeons are probably guided by visual landmarks, such as roads and other man-made features, just like humans. However, various experiments suggest that different breeds of homing pigeons rely on different cues to different extents.<br>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-arDNUUDCeWo/VNfACLIUziI/AAAAAAAAE5U/Nf93iHqQPlo/s1600/Homing%2Bpigeon%2B(Columba%2Blivia)%2Bportrait.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-arDNUUDCeWo/VNfACLIUziI/AAAAAAAAE5U/Nf93iHqQPlo/s1600/Homing%2Bpigeon%2B(Columba%2Blivia)%2Bportrait.JPG" height="640" width="601"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Homing pigeon (Columba livia domestica) portrait.</i></span> (© LightColourShade. All rights reserved)</td></tr>
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<a href="http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com/2015/02/homing-pigeon-columba-livia-domestica.html#more">It gets better after the jump...</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">For more stuff go to http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com</div>Stellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00704814568338085726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723119654534614396.post-39788167313282257282014-12-21T02:15:00.002+01:002014-12-21T02:15:45.635+01:00European Robin (Erithacus rubecula)<b><u>European robin (Erithacus rubecula)</u></b>, is a small insectivorous passerine bird -- a chat that is now considered to be an Old World flycatcher. It is found across Europe, east to Western Siberia and south to North Africa. British robins are usually resident but a few, usually females, migrate to southern Europe during winter as far as Spain, while Scandinavian and Russian robins migrate to Britain and western Europe. These migrants can be recognised by the greyer tone of the upper parts of their bodies and duller orange breast. In autumn and winter, robins add to their usual diet of terrestrial invertebrates, such as spiders, worms and insects, berries, fruits or seeds. Despite their cute look, male robins show highly aggressive territorial behaviour not only attacking other males that stray into their territories, but also other small birds without apparent provocation.<br />
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While humanity is generally bedazzled by space exploration perceived as pushing new boundaries, I believe this planet contains the most inextricable mysteries of the Universe (unless there are more planets like earth), the great bulk of which is still beyond our ken -- after all Universe is a dark cold and deadly empty place. This tiny bird is one of such marvels -- like many other birds robins have the ability to sense the magnetic field of the earth for navigation which is affected by the light entering the bird's eye.<br />
The physical mechanism of the robin's magnetic sense is not fully understood, some scientists even throw in theories like quantum entanglement of electron spins. There exist two main hypotheses to explain the phenomenon of <u>magnetoreception</u> in animals. One hypotheses holds that, cryptochrome, when exposed to blue light, becomes activated to form a pair of two radicals (molecules with a single unpaired electron) where the spins of the two unpaired electrons are correlated. The surrounding magnetic field affects the kind of this correlation (parallel or anti-parallel), and this in turn affects the length of time cryptochrome stays in its activated state. Activation of cryptochrome (a class of blue light-sensitive flavoproteins found in plants and animals. Cryptochromes are involved in the circadian rhythms of plants and animals, and in the sensing of magnetic fields in a number of species) may affect the light-sensitivity of retinal neurons, with the overall result that the bird can "see" the magnetic field. The Earth's magnetic field is only 0.5 Gauss and so it is difficult to conceive of a mechanism by which such a field could lead to any chemical changes other than those affecting the weak magnetic fields between radical pairs. (Cryptochromes are thought to be essential for the light-dependent ability of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster to sense magnetic fields.) According to another model, Fe3O4, also referred to as iron (II, III) oxide or magnetite, a natural oxide with strong magnetism remains permanently magnetized when its length is larger than 50 nm and becomes magnetized when exposed to a magnetic field if its length is less than 50 nm. In both cases the Earth's magnetic field produces a transducible signal via a physical effect on this magnetically sensitive oxide.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gWQZ2rTQvzc/VJYU0VbMegI/AAAAAAAAE38/8CkdHjbxHTo/s1600/European%2Brobin%2B(Erithacus%2Brubecula).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gWQZ2rTQvzc/VJYU0VbMegI/AAAAAAAAE38/8CkdHjbxHTo/s1600/European%2Brobin%2B(Erithacus%2Brubecula).JPG" height="416" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>European robin (Erithacus rubecula).</i></span> (by-nc-nd)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="blogger-post-footer">For more stuff go to http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com</div>Stellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00704814568338085726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723119654534614396.post-53505412076825222902014-11-16T18:56:00.001+01:002014-11-16T20:52:57.467+01:00FireworksFireworks date back to 7th century China, where they were used to accompany many festivities. Fireworks implemented rocket propulsion common in warfare. In 1240 the Arabs acquired knowledge of gunpowder and its uses from China.<br>
Eventually Chinese fireworks became popular in Europe around the mid-17th century on recreational and ceremonial occasions, and have been an indispensable part of any celebration worth its salt ever since. George Frideric Handel composed Music for the Royal Fireworks in 1749 to celebrate the peace Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, which had been declared the previous year.<br>
And on a humorous note:<br>
<span style="color: #ffd966;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">“The Chinese used gunpowder to make fireworks for celebrations, and the white man came along and said, Holy shit, we can use this to kill people. What better way to celebrate than that?</span><span style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="color: #ffd966;">”</span> <br>
― Jarod Kintz</span><br>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RcjQZowwZRU/VGJfhveKKcI/AAAAAAAAE3c/wODCAvKSUss/s1600/Fireworks0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RcjQZowwZRU/VGJfhveKKcI/AAAAAAAAE3c/wODCAvKSUss/s1600/Fireworks0.jpg" height="214" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Fireworks red.</i></span> (© LightColourShade. All rights reserved)</td></tr>
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<a href="http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com/2014/11/fireworks.html#more">It gets better after the jump...</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">For more stuff go to http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com</div>Stellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00704814568338085726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723119654534614396.post-12931279698328032502014-11-11T00:54:00.000+01:002014-11-11T20:10:35.133+01:00Summer Colours: Yellow and Pink. Golden Trumpet Tree (Handroanthus Balbus), Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) and Mirabilis jalapa (The four o'clock flower)<strong><u>Handroanthus albus, the Golden Trumpet Tree</u></strong>, is a tree with yellow flowers native to the Cerrado (tropical savannas) of Brazil ( ipê-amarelo-da-serra), namely in the states of Bahia, Espírito Santo, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, and São Paulo.. It is used as an urban tree, as well as a medicinal plant.<br>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QUJqHWqC4bc/VE09rnY_E2I/AAAAAAAAE0M/sY2gmz1molc/s1600/Handroanthus%2Balbus%2B(Golden%2BTrumpet%2BTree)%2Bflowers%2Bclose-up0.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QUJqHWqC4bc/VE09rnY_E2I/AAAAAAAAE0M/sY2gmz1molc/s1600/Handroanthus%2Balbus%2B(Golden%2BTrumpet%2BTree)%2Bflowers%2Bclose-up0.JPG" height="416" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Handroanthus albus (Golden Trumpet Tree) flowers close-up.</i></span> (© LightColourShade. All rights reserved)</td></tr>
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<a href="http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com/2014/11/summer-colours-yellow-and-pink-golden.html#more">It gets better after the jump...</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">For more stuff go to http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com</div>Stellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00704814568338085726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723119654534614396.post-9837044514242151112014-11-03T01:06:00.000+01:002014-11-03T01:06:27.057+01:00Little Egret (Egretta garzetta garzetta) and Common Grasshopper Warbler (Locustella naevia)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n4Ysa-wE1qY/VE0_TfbYX5I/AAAAAAAAE2M/rv1WmS-vK_k/s1600/Little%2BEgret%2B(Egretta%2Bgarzetta%2Bgarzetta)%2Bsnapping%2Bfish.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n4Ysa-wE1qY/VE0_TfbYX5I/AAAAAAAAE2M/rv1WmS-vK_k/s1600/Little%2BEgret%2B(Egretta%2Bgarzetta%2Bgarzetta)%2Bsnapping%2Bfish.JPG" height="640" width="531"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Little Egret (Egretta garzetta garzetta) snapping fish</em></span><br>
(© LightColourShade. All rights reserved) </td></tr>
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<a href="http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com/2014/11/little-egret-egretta-garzetta-garzetta.html#more">It gets better after the jump...</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">For more stuff go to http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com</div>Stellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00704814568338085726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723119654534614396.post-78493948817671563302014-10-28T01:20:00.003+01:002014-10-28T01:20:21.503+01:00Summer Colours: Scarlet Red. Hibiscus (Rosa Sinensis) Hybrid<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NdH8Rk70L5c/VE08j9qlq_I/AAAAAAAAEzo/yc7S5dSjMSY/s1600/Hibiscus%2B(Rosa%2Bsinensis)%2Bhybrid%2Bred%2Bflower%2Bclose-up.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NdH8Rk70L5c/VE08j9qlq_I/AAAAAAAAEzo/yc7S5dSjMSY/s1600/Hibiscus%2B(Rosa%2Bsinensis)%2Bhybrid%2Bred%2Bflower%2Bclose-up.JPG" height="426" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Hibiscus (Rosa sinensis) hybrid red flower close-up</em></span>. (© LightColourShade. All rights reserved)</td></tr>
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<a href="http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com/2014/10/summer-colours-scarlet-red-hibiscus.html#more">It gets better after the jump...</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">For more stuff go to http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com</div>Stellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00704814568338085726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723119654534614396.post-68870167852183475112014-09-19T19:16:00.002+02:002014-11-10T03:33:02.544+01:00House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) Suite<br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-enFjDFcrdYo/VBxdK0dMvNI/AAAAAAAAEyI/0QlPuy8rEnQ/s1600/House%2Bsparrow%2B(Passer%2Bdomesticus)%2Bchick.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-enFjDFcrdYo/VBxdK0dMvNI/AAAAAAAAEyI/0QlPuy8rEnQ/s1600/House%2Bsparrow%2B(Passer%2Bdomesticus)%2Bchick.JPG" height="412" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) chick.</span></i> (by-nc-nd)</td></tr>
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<a href="http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com/2014/09/house-sparrow-passer-domesticus-suite.html#more">It gets better after the jump...</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">For more stuff go to http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com</div>Stellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00704814568338085726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723119654534614396.post-17831116445176593942014-08-10T18:42:00.001+02:002014-08-10T18:42:04.463+02:00Tabby Cat on a WindowsillPraying<br>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vx9l1jO4mz8/U-VhehSLcfI/AAAAAAAAEl0/0bJgJYNlKUY/s1600/Tabby+cat+looking+out+of+the+window.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vx9l1jO4mz8/U-VhehSLcfI/AAAAAAAAEl0/0bJgJYNlKUY/s1600/Tabby+cat+looking+out+of+the+window.JPG"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tabby cat looking out of the window</span>. (by-nc-nd)</td></tr>
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<a href="http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com/2014/08/tabby-cat-on-windowsill.html#more">It gets better after the jump...</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">For more stuff go to http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com</div>Stellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00704814568338085726noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723119654534614396.post-22352885652559616142014-07-21T01:50:00.002+02:002014-07-21T01:50:10.429+02:00Summer Colours: Scarlet Red and Yellow/Pink. Flame tree (Brachychiton Acerifolius) and Mirabilis jalapa (The four o'clock flower)In the dark, the red glow of these baroque style bell shaped flowers looks especially suggestive.<br>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aQGjPkrGaHw/U8wSCLyWsoI/AAAAAAAAEh4/G7Rr4nVazdE/s1600/Flame+tree+(Brachychiton+Acerifolius)+close-up1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aQGjPkrGaHw/U8wSCLyWsoI/AAAAAAAAEh4/G7Rr4nVazdE/s1600/Flame+tree+(Brachychiton+Acerifolius)+close-up1.JPG" height="426" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Flame tree (Brachychiton Acerifolius) close-up. </i></span> (© LightColourShade. All rights reserved) </td></tr>
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<a href="http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com/2014/07/summer-colours-scarlet-red-and.html#more">It gets better after the jump...</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">For more stuff go to http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com</div>Stellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00704814568338085726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723119654534614396.post-5861910167166694662014-07-18T20:24:00.000+02:002014-09-14T18:05:54.951+02:00Supermoon<span style="color: #ffd966; font-size: large;">“The moon is friend for the lonesome to talk to.” ― Carl Sandburg.</span> <br />
<br />
These days <b>Moon</b> is at its closest point to Earth and full moon looks 14% bigger and 30% brighter than usual according to NASA. A <b>supermoon</b> is the coincidence of a full moon or a new moon with the closest approach the Moon makes to the Earth on its elliptical orbit, resulting in the largest apparent size of the lunar disk as seen from Earth. The technical name is the <b>perigee-syzygy</b> (from the Ancient Greek suzugos (σύζυγος) meaning "yoked together" is a straight-line configuration of three celestial bodies in a gravitational system) of the Earth-Moon-Sun system.<br />
Well, for the scientists Moon is just a round piece of rock that revolves around the Earth, but according to Greek mythology, Selene, the goddess of Moon, is in love with mortal Endimion, eternally sleeping in a cave on Mount Latmus. Various myths tell different stories as to the cause of his eternal sleep, but the exact origin of this oneiric state and Selene’s role (if any) in it is unclear. <br />
"Selene watched him from on high, and slid from heaven to earth; for passionate love drew down the immortal stainless Queen of Night." (Quintus Smyrnaeus' The Fall of Troy). And so Selene keeps pouring her sad light from high above, pining over her unrealizable love. The satellite’s “sorrowful face” created by dark volcanic maria that fill between the bright ancient crustal highlands and the prominent impact craters might, at least in part, have inspired the tales.<br />
Every time I look at its wistful visage I wonder why would it turn precisely the doleful side to us (the far side is plain and inexpressive). Is it mourning our fate?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hedAzAEyco0/U8lhVk2ONKI/AAAAAAAAEhY/P3Tnscojy_8/s1600/Full+moon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hedAzAEyco0/U8lhVk2ONKI/AAAAAAAAEhY/P3Tnscojy_8/s1600/Full+moon.JPG" height="568" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Supermoon. </i></span> (© LightColourShade. All rights reserved)</td></tr>
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">For more stuff go to http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com</div>Stellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00704814568338085726noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723119654534614396.post-71066113752909039282014-07-17T19:37:00.000+02:002014-07-17T19:41:45.973+02:00Summer Colours: Scarlet Red. Red Garden Geranium (Pelargonium hortorum) with Dewdrops<span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: large;">"The flower is the poetry of reproduction. It is an example of the eternal seductiveness of life" </span>[Jean Giraudoux The Enchanted]<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zEnr96IMXNo/U7NV7t8S0mI/AAAAAAAAEeE/dFZe-qjsI9Q/s1600/Red+Garden+Geranium+%2528Pelargonium+hortorum%2529+with+dewdrops1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zEnr96IMXNo/U7NV7t8S0mI/AAAAAAAAEeE/dFZe-qjsI9Q/s1600/Red+Garden+Geranium+%2528Pelargonium+hortorum%2529+with+dewdrops1.JPG" height="490" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Red Garden Geranium (Pelargonium hortorum) with dewdrops</i></span>.<br>
(© LightColourShade. All rights reserved)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><a href="http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com/2014/07/summer-colours-scarlet-red-red-garden.html#more">It gets better after the jump...</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">For more stuff go to http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com</div>Stellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00704814568338085726noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723119654534614396.post-88581731174257822542014-06-10T19:58:00.001+02:002014-06-12T01:04:53.083+02:00Spring Treats. White Mulberry (Morus alba) fruits<u><b>Morus alba (family Moraceae)</b></u>, known as <b><u>white mulberry</u></b>, is a species native to northern China, and is widely cultivated and naturalized elsewhere.<br>
It turns out that apart from being widely cultivated to feed the silkworms employed in the commercial production of silk, the plant has analgesic, emollient and sedative properties and has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries as a remedy for surprisingly wide range of conditions: the fruit — to treat prematurely grey hair, constipation, diabetes, to "tonify" the blood; the bark — to treat cough, wheezing, edema, fever, headache, red dry and sore eyes, and to promote urination.<br>
Extracts of the plant possess antibacterial and fungicidal properties. The root bark, for example, exhibits antibacterial activity against food poisoning micro-organisms, is antitussive, diuretic, expectorant and hypotensive. The roots are harvested in the winter and dried for later use.<br>
The leaf extract has been studied against the Indian <u>Vipera/Daboia russelii</u> venom induced local and systemic effects. The leaves are antibacterial, astringent, diaphoretic (increasing perspiration), hypoglycaemic, odontalgic and ophthalmic, they are taken internally in the treatment of colds, influenza, eye infections and nosebleeds. The leaves are collected after the first frosts of autumn and can be used fresh but are generally dried.<br>
The stems are anti-rheumatic, diuretic, hypotensive and pectoral. A tincture of the bark is used to relieve toothache. The branches are harvested in late spring or early summer and are dried for later use.<br>
The fruit has a tonic effect on kidney energy and is used internally in the treatment of asthma, coughs, bronchitis, oedema, hypertension and diabetes.<br>
Almost all parts of the plant are used in one way or another: recent research has shown improvements in elephantiasis when treated with leaf extract injections and in tetanus following oral doses of the sap mixed with sugar. Finally, it's not widely known that in some Central Asian countries a spirit (a kind of vodka or strong liquor) is distilled from mulberry fruits. <br>
However, the fresh fruits are seldom available at the greengrocer's (probably due to their high perishability). So enjoy this wonder of Nature, even if just in pictures.<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Tnn4p8D4g94/U4ZqhqjL_qI/AAAAAAAAESA/OxiIhXtT6qA/s1600/White+Mulberry+(Morus+alba)+fruit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Tnn4p8D4g94/U4ZqhqjL_qI/AAAAAAAAESA/OxiIhXtT6qA/s1600/White+Mulberry+(Morus+alba)+fruit.JPG" height="426" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">White Mulberry (Morus alba) fruit.</span> (© LightColourShade. All rights reserved)</td></tr>
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<a href="http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com/2014/06/spring-treats-white-mulberry-morus-alba.html#more">It gets better after the jump...</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">For more stuff go to http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com</div>Stellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00704814568338085726noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723119654534614396.post-60158510771607249932014-06-01T01:18:00.000+02:002014-12-22T00:41:00.451+01:00Gatherings. Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), Black-headed gulls (Chroicocephalus ridibundus), Yellow-bellied sliders (Trachemys scripta scripta) and Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) A get together.<br>
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<tr><td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v0f9y9WsFi4/U4Y6sPQP8aI/AAAAAAAAEQ8/t5YnEHPf1Pc/s1600/Great+Cormorant+(Phalacrocorax+carbo)+in+a+tree.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v0f9y9WsFi4/U4Y6sPQP8aI/AAAAAAAAEQ8/t5YnEHPf1Pc/s1600/Great+Cormorant+(Phalacrocorax+carbo)+in+a+tree.JPG" height="426" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) in a tree</i></span>. (by-nc-nd)</td></tr>
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<a href="http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com/2014/06/gatherings-great-cormorant.html#more">It gets better after the jump...</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">For more stuff go to http://lightcolourshade.blogspot.com</div>Stellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00704814568338085726noreply@blogger.com2