Andrew Bernardin on September 8th, 2010

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A spider lily reflecting so much light that the texture of the petals is washed out. Or is that petal singular?

What is a petal? According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the history of the meaning of the term is:

1726, from Mod.L. petalum “petal” (1649), from Gk. petalon “leaf, thin plate,” originally neut. of adj. petalos “outspread, broad, flat,” from PIE base *pet- “to spread out.”

Andrew Bernardin on September 6th, 2010

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Just an aesthetically pleasing photo. To my eyes, anyway.

I don’t even know what type of plant it is. Location was Albuquerque, NM. Plant height was less than knee level.

Andrew Bernardin on September 4th, 2010

nmviews19 zoom

The above is a zoomed section of a photograph. It’s a part of a scene. Can you recognize anything in the scene? What do the shapes and colors suggest?

The full photo below the fold.

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Andrew Bernardin on September 2nd, 2010

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I like Spanish Moss. But it’s not. Moss, that is. Technically, it’s an epiphyte. Here’s some of what the Wikipedia entry says about it:

Spanish moss is an epiphyte (a plant that lives upon other plants; from Greek “epi”=upon “phyte”=plant), which absorbs nutrients (especially calcium) and water from the air and rainfall. Spanish moss is colloquially known as “air plant”.

That this plant absorbs water from the air and rainfall explains why it’s found here in Florida. We’ve got air “thick” with humidity and rainfall.

Andrew Bernardin on August 31st, 2010

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The palm trees in my area are in little danger from the current line-up of tropical storms. If a windstorm does hit during the coming weeks of hurricane high-season — well, you’d think they were just about designed to weather the bad weather. Give one point to natural selection!

Andrew Bernardin on August 28th, 2010

puzzle pix

What the hay is in pic that got zoomed to near oblivion?

Hint’s: not hay; the above visual swatch is inches by inches; you won’t find it in northern climates.

Answer and non-zoomed photo below the fold.

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