Living Spikes...

You cannot imagine how full of life these plants were - it was just humming and buzzing - bees, bumblebees, wasps, bugs, flies - all of them in perfect harmony without molesting each other, simply feeding on the nectar...

"Echinops ritro" (Asteraceae)
globe thistle, Blaue Kugeldistel

The Colour is Blue, Blue, Blue and very poisonous...

This is one of the most poisonous plants in Europe and its toxins can be adopted already via the skin. Famous for "Chinese" murders - but the colour is an incredible blue....

"Aconitum napellus" (Ranunculaceae)
monkshood, Eisenhut

Arte y Pico Award

Today the Arte y Pico award was given to me by Strider from Life Quest. Thank you very much, Strider!



According to the rules and - because I love to do it - I am passing this on to following bloggers:

Deborah Paris A Painting Life for her inspiring and awesome landscape paintings
Jana Bouc Jana’s Journal and Sketch Blog who is giving me now and again a wonderful laugh with her vivid sketches
Lorelle Miller Lorelle Miller Fine Art who does not only wonderful portraits but vibrating plein air paintings
Mark Graf Notes from the Woods for his incredible talent as a wildlife photographer
Judy Olson Count Backwards for her unusual and extraordinary sensible photographic works

The Rules:
The Arte y Pico award was created and to be given to bloggers who inspire others with their creativity and their talents, also for contributing to the blogging world in whatever medium. When you receive this award it is considered a "special honor". Once you have received this award, you are to pass it on to 5 others.

The rules for passing this honor on:

1) Pick 5 blogs that you would like to award this honor to.
2) Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.
3) Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.
4) Award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of "Arte y Pico" blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award. http://arteypico.blogspot.com.

A Rose in Orange...

Thou may shine in golden and orange
Thou may lift my senses with your fragrance
Thou may ever last in memories
of summer love until the end of time (pv)

"Rosa" (Rosaceae)
rose, Edelrose

Dahlia in Orange...

"Dahlia" (Asteraceae)
Dahlien

Garden Dreams...

I cannot call a garden to be my own - not yet. Therefore I have to be content with looking at the ones of others. Well - my images are available through the whole year - isn't that comforting???

"A Garden somewhere"

La Rose - the Woman...

These roses remind me of the ongoing process of maturity of a woman:

from the bud of wonderful youth...

to the beauty of a teenager promising to become a mature woman...

then developing into a full grown beauty at the zenith of her life...

and finally into a woman in all her glory and the experience of a whole life...

and what is left of her are wonderful memories about her colour, her fragrance and her love...

"Rosa"

Can you smell these...

I must admit it - I am a rose junkie. But honestly - each time I am working on these photos I have that lovely and incredible fragrance in my nose - you really can get addicted to it...

"Rosa"

Roses in Red...what else

"Rosa"

The Rose dancing Flamenco...

This reminds me very much of a Spanish Flamenco dancer with the robes flying....

"Rosa"

The magic Spell of Roses...

I don't know really how many roses I have photographed in the meanwhile but each and everyone is different and their colours are always changing and again and again they put a magic spell on me...

"Rosa"

Pink Roses...

Look at these colours...

"Rosa" (Rosaceae)
rose, Edelrose

Poison packed in an Angel's Dress...

Who would ever assume that these beautiful blooms are deadly poison? But also used for healing. Don't plant them when you have kids... they contain several poisonous substances such as Digitoxines, Gitaloxines, Gitarines, Digitalines and Gitoxines.

"Digitalis purpurea alba"(Plantaginaceae)
thimble, folks glove, Fingerhut

Garden Dreams...

Now look at these garden images - aren't they a dream?


and these images are only from outside the fence...

Sunflower and Gerbera

The flowers of the sun...

"Helianthus" (Asteraceae)
sunflower, Sonnenblume

"Gerbera" (Asteraceae)

Yucca again...

"Yucca" (Agavaceae)

I could not help but show you this magnificent bloom again - of a yucca. I have never in my life seen soooo many of them blooming here in Munich...

Summer Flower...

Another summerflower which I love very much because of their intense colours - gerbera.
Now look at the close-up - there are flowers within the flower...

"Gerbera" (Asteraceae)

A messenger of Summer

Dahlia is a native plant from Mexico. Today they are cultivated everywhere in the world and appear in many different colours and forms. For me the perfect summer flower with their happy faces in the warm colours of the sun...

"Dahlia" (Asteraceae)

Dahlien

Heaven's Blue...

Did you ever realize that nature does not supply us with many blue flowers? They are rare in comparison to all the reds, yellows, pinks. The more I am quite happy to see more of these cornflowers again, be it in gardens or at the streets or even within the cornfields. Long enough they have been considered being nasty weeds and farmers did forget that they deliver nutrition for bees and other insects which are so necessary for our fruit and vegetables to prosper. Instead they have been killed and tried to be entincted as anything else that has been considered useless for so many years.
Yes - I am happy to see them again - everywhere. Memories of childhood and maybe a change in thinking ...

"Centaurea cyanus" (Asteraceae)
cornflower, Kornblume