Trailing Ice

 This I believe is Delosperma cooperi a Hardy Ice Plant or Trailing Ice Plant. It is a stunning magenta coloured flower that just caught the light perfectly  for this shot.

I am not sure why it has the name Ice Plant given that it blooms in the summer and loves full sun but I guess the name is not really important.

Echinops

I liked the picture of the bees feasting on the Echinops yesterday so I decided to post a few more images of this amazing flower today.

I like the first shot, taken from a low vantage point it gives the impression of balloons floating away. 

I also really like the third shot getting in close to show the detail of the spiky blossoms.

I can't decide which I like best, do you have a favourite? If so leave a comment below.

Three On Top

This fabulous plant is an Echinops. The spiky seed head has a curly flower coating which quite clearly provides a feat for bees as you can see from this shot with three busy bees feasting on the nectar. There is barely enough space for them but they were too busy to notice...

Verbena

I have photographed this type pf flower before but didn't know what it was but after visiting Ness Gardens I now know it is Verbena. I love the purple flowers and if you zoom in on the the first image you will see that the centre glistens and has fine filaments and the petals appear to have a dusting of something shiny which glitter as the sunlight hits them.

Peaceful Purple

I'm not sure what to say about today's flower, I'm not sure what it is although I think it may be a species of Cornflower (if anybody knows please feel free to leave a comment and let me know). It was growing against a backdrop of dark green foliage so the soft purple shades in the strong sunlight made it really stand out. The way the petals spread out like fireworks make this quite a spectacular specimen.

Not Gloves for Foxes

So for today I wanted to share this picture of a woodland glade with a mass of beautiful foxgloves. It was really nice walking along the edge of the woodland and looking out across the open fields and farmland and then as I turned back into the woods I spotted this lovely quiet and secluded spot which provided a nice splash of colour in contrast to the varied greens.

Then just as I got back to the car park I used the last space on my memory card for the second of today's images. Again this is a beautiful purple foxglove. I have had another go at choosing a monochrome background and highlighting the colour in the flowers, it was quite fiddly given the shape of the flowers and my limited skill with this technique but after several attempts I don't think this is too bad. Let me know what you think.

Cool Clematis

I love the bold colours of these large and striking Clematis flowers. I have got it wrong in the past when I have described the colours in some of my pictures so before I started to write anything I checked out with my youngest son so now I can say with confidence how much I love the different shades of pink and yellow.



Only kidding, purple and cream :)

These are such beautiful flowers and so that is why I have posted several shots .

Cool as a Cyclamen

Although the main reason for heading to Chirk on Saturday was to see the Snowdrops (and I will be posting some pictures of the Snowdrops in the next few days) one thing that I hoped to see was this wonderful cyclamen. There had been a couple in this spot last year but they were past their best so to find this one was a real treat. I have always been fascinated by the way these flowers slowly unfurl. They look so delicate and beautiful.

Another Lavender Fix

So on Sunday I posted a few shots of some beautiful lavender and I decided to post a couple more today because I really like them a lot, almost as much as the bumblebee in the first picture that was busily collecting pollen.

It was very difficult capturing the bee because it was moving around such a lot, I particularly like the sheen, and the clarity of the veins in the wings which look so crisp.

Delicate Tendrils

I love the different shades of purple in this beautiful clematis which was also tempting for the tiny little beetle which in the first shot is climbing up one of the tendrils and then in the second shot is walking away from the centre. 

I hope you love it too.

Whats the Buzz

There is so much that I love about summer and I really feel for anybody who suffers with hay fever because there is so much they can miss out on. Last weekend my daughter and I went walking in the Peak District (pictures to follow soon) and she really struggled with streaming eyes and runny nose for much of the time. Luckily I don't usually suffer like that but yesterday I did and I felt rough. I cheered myself up by listening to the song The Pop Singer's Fear of the Pollen Count 

But there is a safe and sneeze free way to enjoy a little bit of the outdoors and summer colour and that is to look at my blog...

Grass pollen is a killer for some people but the first picture is pollen free, guaranteed.

I love the colours of the next three pictures and the humble bumble bee is making the most of the abundance of pollen so you don't have to.

It's A Cornflower...

Today sees the start of a run of colour as I post pictures of some of the flowers I saw at Towneley Hall and gardens in Burnley on a recent visit.  I had a recommendation to visit and at first it seemed a long way to go but it was well worth it. The gardens overall were quite quiet, even though it was the start of a bank holiday weekend and there were ots of different flowers to see, and a nice lawn to sit and relax on for a while doing some people watching.

So for today I have chosen a selection of pictures of Cornflowers. I love the vibrant blue and deep purple and I love the bud with serrated leaves that fold away to expose the beautiful flower. I'm sure you will agree it's a beauty...

All Spruced Up

For most of us when we think of pine cones we think of the hard woody cones on the forest floor, often stripped of their seeds by squirrels so to see these really colourful cones was a real treat. They look soft and delicate and I love the rich purple.

Spring Is Springing

Last Saturday was particularly cold but at least it was dry so I took the opportunity to visit Erddig near Wrexham in North Wales. It is a fine stately home with a reputation that the servants of the household were highly valued and well treated by the home owners.

There are lovely formal and informal gardens at Erddig but because of the intense cold I didn't spend too much time outside.  I did however see these hopeful signs of spring in these lovely catkins  and crocus.and couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a few shots to share with you.

Foxgloves

I picked today's images because I think they're good specimens of foxgloves.  I really like the rich colours and I like the patterns inside each of the flowers.

When I saw the flower in the third image I thought the head of the plant looked like a mummer's costume.  Maybe that is a bit hard to see but have a look at this link and hopefully you will see what I mean. 

Alium too

This is my last selection from my recent visit to Bodnant.  I had started off my visit with some pictures of these Alium and as I was walking towards the exit I decided to get a few final shots.  I like the way the long seemingly fragile stem supports what is effectively a colony of small flowers at the top. I like the different shades of purple and the contrast against the green of the hedge and of the lawn.

I have really enjoyed posting these pictures over the past couple of weeks and hopefully you have been inspired by some of the images that I have shared. 

Now I will move onto another theme or selection so if you like what you have seen come back tomorrow to see what I choose.

Purple Alium

Today is my 250th blog.  I'm surprised in some ways that I have kept it going all this time and that I have had so many pictures to post over that time but it has been very rewarding for me and I enjoy sharing pictures from my various trips.

Today's pictures are all of Purple Alium from Bodnant.  The first picture is a crop from the second picture showing the fine detail of the tiny flowers that make up each head.  The wind made it difficult to get these shots but patience has paid off.