Friday, 25 February 2011

Roadside Beauties

At this time of the year lots of our trees and shrubs are beginning to burst into life after their Winter sleep. Here is a collection of photos I took near the hotel where we stayed last weekend, just by the side of the road. Wild trees, totally untended, but sources of real beauty when inspected closely...

These are the flowers of the Hazel tree, commonly referred to as "Catkins".


These ones are fully open, dispersing yellow pollen all over the place
 

These ones are only just opening

These are the flowers of the Willow tree. We call them "Pussy Willows".





Is it just me, or does that remind you of a toothbrush?



These are the flowers of the Blackthorn tree, which will eventually produce the fruits called Sloes.




Nearby there was a big patch of what I think were Privet trees, with masses of glossy black berries - inedible, perhaps poisonous, I'm sure  - but looking for all the world like miniature bunches of grapes.



And what about this luridly-coloured lichen? It certainly brightens up the surroundings!





All these photos were taken at the side of a busy public road, not a garden. It's amazing how many nice things there are out there, sometimes in the most unlikely places.
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10 comments:

  1. Sue Garrett25 February 2011 at 17:45

    I wonder if our hazels on the plot have any catkins yet? I'm hoping the new cob nut will flower at the same time so I can use a branch from a native species to pollinate it.

    I agree about the toothbrush look-a-like

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  2. Egretta Wells blog25 February 2011 at 19:34

    Mark, I really love this post! There is beauty everywhere...all we need to do is look. Often we look, but really don't see or don't notice things that are beautiful all around us!
    I adore pussywillow, but we don't have it in Florida. One can buy a few sprigs at the market, though, and I do so to welcome in Spring. Pussywillow makes me think of Spring bunnies, for some reason!

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  3. garden girl in SA26 February 2011 at 04:45

    Beautiful, as I think you know I love posts about flowers, especially in their natural wild state.

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  4. Open Kitchen Concept26 February 2011 at 07:45

    These look like flowers we buy here for Chinese New Year.. If they flower you are supposed to be very lucky!! :)

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  5. Malay-Kadazan girl26 February 2011 at 08:13

    I am sure all the wildlife will also be very happy to see new greens and buds for spring.

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  6. Damo26 February 2011 at 08:15

    It's a great time of year with everything coming back to life!

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  7. Janet/Plantaliscious26 February 2011 at 12:56

    I've just been photographing my own hazel's catkins - wonderful aren't they? You're taking some great macros with your camera Mark, and you are right, the wild natives in our hedgerows deserve their moment in the spotlight, they are beautiful, and so varied. Great post!

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  8. David P. Offutt - The Gastronomic Gardener26 February 2011 at 14:04

    Great eye for detail. Thanks for sharing!

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  9. miruku 26 February 2011 at 15:18

    Nice pics Mark, and nice meeting you :)

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  10. Jo26 February 2011 at 15:52

    I remember loving pussy willow when I was a child, so soft and tactile.

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