Saturday, January 2, 2010

TODAY'S FLOWERS ~ The Joy of Little Things


While the Northern Hemisphere has snow, the nearest thing to
snowflakes here are Elder blossom. Unlike the lovely icy fluff
which is hexagonal, these only have five petals but are very useful
medicinally. An infusion of Elderflowers, cooled and sponged on
welts of alergic reactions, clears them up in double quick time.






Most people would heedlessly step on these little beauties.

Less than half an inch across, they grow on paddocks or grass

verges from tiny starchy bulbs and are hard to eradicate. Their

long, tough, grass like leaves are out of place in a garden but

provide good fodder for sheep and a delight to the eye when you

bother to bend down to appreciate their beauty.


Just for contrast, a touch of blue from this tiny flower, the
Lobelia in a planter pot which even now in the hot summer
gives a touch of colour to the garden.



Please excuse the odd formatting, I cannot beat the computer
into submission, it has a very strong mind of its own.
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Many more flowers can be found by clicking the Logo.
*
To Luiz Santilly and his great flower fairies I wish another successful
year for this greaat meme.

27 comments:

  1. Ah, these beautiful flower photos are making me dream of summer! Thank you for sharing your beauty with those of us held in the grasp of winter.

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  2. Lovely photos Arija! It makes me anxious for Spring, which of course, is a very long way away.
    I have elderberries on my south acre and knew that the flowers could be used for tea but never heard about the medicinal allergic use. I shall remember that one.
    The birds usually get them before I have a chance at elderberry jam....ah well, they need them worse than my middle needs the preserves! :)

    XXOO!!
    Anne

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  3. Beautiful small flowers :) (It is also a joy to see flowers (even on the photos) in the January :) Thank You for this joy :))

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  4. Thanks for bringing us such delicate beauty. You photographed those tiny whites beautifully.

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  5. Like I tell my wife the computer only does what you tell it too :lol:

    Lobelia has been growing on me. The new types seem to better at taking some summer heat.

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  6. Thanks for learning me something. Those elder blossoms are very beautiful. Thanks.

    Happy New Year.

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  7. I have to agree ..
    The little flowers along the path are often overlooked.
    Wonderful post for our first 2010 Today's Flowers event.
    Thank you for sharing!!
    Happy New Year.
    When words escape, flowers speak.
    - Bruce W. Currie

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  8. what a great entry you have!wishing you all the best in 2010!

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  9. i love the blue or lavender ones.

    Snowy flowers is my post. Have a blessed Sunday!

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  10. Oh, these are so beautiful - especially at a time when not much is blooming in our garden here... Happy New Year, Arija!! Hugs, Silke

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  11. I know the snow has a beauty of it's own,but these flowers are even more gorgeous.Thanks for the day brighteners.
    Blessings,Ruth

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  12. Beautiful blooms, the lobelia is one of my favorites.

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  13. I love your snow flowers for that's surely what they look like. The blue lobelia is also gorgeous. Happy New Year!

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  14. Beautiful and lovely shots !! Simply nice and beautiful !!

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  15. I love these tiny little flowers and am glad you are surrounded by blooms Arija.

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  16. Beautiful!

    Thanks for sharing.

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  17. You made me smile when I read that you cannot beat your computer into submission. I KNOW te feeling!

    It's such a pleasure to see the flowers blooming in Australia while ours in Canada are dormant.

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  18. Lovely to see flowers blooming - everything here is buried under a layer of snow and ice!
    Don't let the computer issues get to you :)

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  19. OH ARIJA, I DONT HAVE FLOWERS, IN SWEDEN, NOW


    and I miss so much
    Happy NEw year, dearest and cognrats for all your shots in 2009 and taht in 2010 u will take lots excellent shtos, ok?
    http://graceolsson.se/mittliv/2010/01/02/alexia

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  20. Arija, thanks for sharing with me in 2009. I wish you and your family are very happy in 2010.

    Your photos are very beautiful, dear!

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  21. Oh my goodness these are beautiful. That is what I like about you. You know the medicinal qualities of plants.Growing up, my mother just picked some leaves or flowers from her garden to heal our wounds and bruises. It is a dying art and science. Most mothers open a little plastic bottle and sadly I am one of them.

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  22. Very nice, love the lobelia...

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  23. What a lovely post Arija! And your words makes you think also: on every little creature or little tiny flower people often overlook. I do believe that people with a camera are more aware of these things. Maybe because we always are hunting for something to "shoot"! :)

    Thank you Arija, for your great friendship in blogging! You always touch me with your words and perspective on things. So thank you for being here, and I wish you all the best for the new year!

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  24. Love the 2nd flower -- reminds me a bit of our Dwarf Crested Iris.

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  25. Happy New Year ain Arija!
    Beautiful captures!

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  26. Your flowers are so lovely! What a breath of fresh air for those of us in our cold winter months!

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  27. Arija: The beauty is shown in these small blooms.

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