Saturday Gardening And Puttering Thread - Solstice to New Years Edition [KT]

Hello, gardeners, photographers and putterers of all descriptions. Today we are featuring night skies, as well as a few animals and plants. And a mystery solved. Going outdoors may be an act of bravery in some parts of the country, but we persist.

The lovely photo of northern lights above is from Jake Holenhead, as are the ones below. We are saving a few more for later.

These show some of the different shapes and colors I've seen. They were taken from 2002-2004 from Northern Alberta and The Northwest Territories. Some nights the display lasted only about 15 minutes with slowly moving bands of ribbons and other nights it lasted for hours with an explosion of lights that were so bright they cast shadows. Really cool to see.

Yes, they are cool to see. Must be much better in person.

By-Tor took some wildlife shots:

Some wildlife spotted today in Southern Utah: Mule deer, Red Tailed Hawk and Desert Bighorn Sheep.

Canon EOS 50D
Sigma 100-300mm EX lens

Mystery plant from last week

Larro did some investigation and found out what the red-tipped plants by the cactus were. And also that the mall he visited is quite famous for its plants. We will feature a few more photos later. They worked on getting those red-tipped plants from Israel for two years.

Here are a couple more shots of our mystery plants from Larro:

Somebody else was curious, apparently:

This plant is Sansevieria cylindrica, AKA 'Spear Plant'. The special velvety paint on the tips is not only colorful, but probably protects the tips of the leaves from damage.

They come in a variety of colors for New Years, as well. Apparently, the colored tips can survive for more than a year.

It is related to that favorite, hard to kill (except with water) houseplant called mother-in-law's tongue, snake plant, or viper's bowstring hemp. There are also other cousins grown as house plants, like the whale fin plant.

More night shots

Larro also sent us the following message and photo:

I look outside westward and recognize the gift laid upon my our feet

It is all of ours ... we all share this gift... a gift that was given to all of us...

If someone knocks and you hear the knock and open the door...

If you are by the door and feel the need to open the door and walk through it to see the gift.

The gift is a special gift; a memorial of light and colors changing so fast - if you look away.. if you even leave to alert your friend of the glory... the fleeting moment of beauty . . .

This photo was taken by the Davis County Sheriff's Department (Utah) during a mountain rescue. The Great Salt Lake is out there beyond the lights somewhere.

And Le Garde Vieux sent in the following beautiful photo of a sunset by the lake with a Christmas greeting for us.

And he sent in this camellia:

And this jasmine. Do you recognize the species?

Hope you have a wonderful weekend and New Year.

If you would like to send information and/or photos for the Saturday Gardening Thread, the address is:

ktinthegarden
at g mail dot com

Include your nic unless you want to remain a lurker.

posted by Open Blogger at 01:02 PM

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