A red dahlia, backlit by the afternoon sun at Bellevue Botanical Gardens, Bellevue, Washington.
A California poppy in afternoon sunlight at Descanso Gardens, La Canada Flintridge, California.
This is another and very different view of an amazing beach, composed entirely of cockle shells, in western Australia. In the prior post, I wrote about how the shells were compacted and how deep they were. I also mentioned that, in the past, the compacted shells were mined in blocks similar to cinder blocks and used for construction. Now, I will add that, while staying in a town near the beach, we had dinner at a small restaurant with walls made of the shell blocks. Because of the shells, the acoustics in the tiny, one-story establishment were tremendous. It would have been a great place for a concert, but then there would have been no room for dining! To see the previous post, click here.
The dazzle of lights is even more enticing when a shimmering river flows through the city.
Melbourne, Australia and Yarra River viewed from the Eureka Tower
Brisbane River through Brisbane, Australia
This field of mounds built by magnetic termites in northern Australia has the look and feel of a cemetery, especially in this image taken at dusk. The magnetic termites were given their name based on the belief at the time that that they lined up their mounds according to the earth’s magnetic field. However, it is now understood that these clever termites build the mounds according to the sun’s passage in such a way that the hot rays fall on the knife-like edges of the mound rather than on its broad face. I get a little nervous about termites in general thinking they are going to eat my house! I was relieved to learn that these creatures live on grasses and other vegetation as do many of the other termites in Australia.
The bridge across the river in this Chinese provincial capital city is a fitting image for today’s challenge, which has the theme “circles”. To see all of today’s entries, go to Leanne Cole Photography. Better yet, if you like making monochrome images, read the details on Leanne’s post and join us next week!
This white rose is my contribution to today’s challenge, a weekly affair that has been curated and hosted by Australian Leanne Cole 219 times as of today. Pretty amazing! To see all of the entries in the current posting, go to Leanne Cole Photography. And consider joining in next time!
Finding your favorite boab tree while driving in the Australian outback is not easy – there are so many! You cannot possibly stop and examine all of them to decide. However, when we passed this one I said, “STOP! Turn the car around. I have found my favorite boab.”
