Nature Photography by Richard L. Bowman

October 17, 2016

Checking Out a Year's Worth of Flower Photos

It is hard to believe that it has been a year since I last posted to this flower and plant blog. But it is, so here are a number of photos in which I have identified as many of the flowers as I could.

bottle brush bloom opening up

Bottle Brush Blooms Just Beginning to Pop Our of the Buds (17-Apr-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

bottle brush bloom now open

Some Bottle Brush Flowers Open in All Their Beauty with a Few to Go (17-Apr-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

At a reception held on the lawn of Lezha Academic Center, several friends gather around a table with a flower in the middle.

LAC friends gather around a red zinnia

Friends Gather Around a Red Zinnia (17-Apr-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

At different locations around Lezhë, we found Amaryllis plants in full bloom this past spring. While preparing for this blog post, I discovered that there are really two different Amaryllis plant branches. The plant that we are most acquainted with is the winter-blooming in-door/out-door plant. This comes originally from South America and has many different cultivars. I think these there are from that branch of the family. Hippeastrum is a genus in the family Amaryllidaceae This is the genus we generally know. The other Amaryllis (scientific name) is also a genus in the tribe Amaryllideae and appears to have come from South Africa originally. These later flowers emerge on tall spikes which appear to be much narrower than the common Amaryllis. For more info read the Wikipedia pages for Hippeastrum and Amaryllis.

A Red Cultivar of the Common Amaryllis (7-May-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Close-up of This Red Cultivar of the Common Amaryllis (7-May-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Another Red Cultivar of the Common Amaryllis (12-May-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Roses are also common in Albania. The one below was growing along a wall of a family's homestead in a village in Lushnjë district about an hour or an hour and a half south of Tirana.

red rose at the Koloshi family home Ferras, Albania

A Red Rose Growing in Ferras, Albania (21-May-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Klementina Shahini, principal at Lezha Academic Center, always makes sure we have plenty of blooming plants at the school This is one of them.

red geranium at LAC school

A Red Geranium at LAC (25-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

A flower that has grown on me over the years is the Coneflower. Below is one I captured in Harrisonburg just before we returned to Albania.

Light Lavender Coneflower with a Orange-colored Raised Center (30-Jul-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Now I move from the red flowers to the yellows. First is the simple Buttercuup.

buttercup

Buttercup Flowers in Albania (25-May-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Back in Harrisonburg for July (arriving a week or so earlier), we saw these Calla Lilies at the home of Elsie's sister, Alice Brubaker.

beautiful calla lily flower

Calla Lily Flower in Harrisonburg, VA, USA (23-Jun-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

close-up of a calla lily flower with rain drops

Close-up of Calla Lily Flower (23-Jun-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Going back almost a half year, I found the following five-petal flowers in Albania, but I have not been able to come up with an identification for these plants. Anyone have an idea?

unkno0wn creeping plant with yellow flowers

Wonderful Yellow Flowers in Albania (22-Nov-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

close-up of yellow flowering plants in Albania

Close-up of These Yellow Flowers from Albania (22-Nov-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

A couple of days earlier, I had captured some photos of the morning glories growing along the alley into LAC from the main street.

blue morning glory blossom

Blue Morning Glory Blossom, Lezhë, Albania (20-Nov-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

close-up of blue morninng glory blossom

Close-up of the Blue Morning Glory Blossom, Lezhë, Albania (20-Nov-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

In Virginia, USA, I found some other purple blossoms. This time they were on the Clematis vine.

blooms on a Clematis vine

Blooms on a Clematis Vine, Harrisonburg, VA, USA (3-Jul-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Another purple flower, this time from our time in Albania, is shown below.

a variety of purple sweet pea flower

A Variety of Purple Sweet Pea Flowers (22-Feb-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

In trying to order these plants by color, I made us jump around in the calendar. Moving up to early June in Albania allowed me to capture this succulent in full bloom.

purplle ice plant

Purple Ice Plant Growing in Albania (2-Jun-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

close-up of the purple ice plant

For several years the succulent plant below has intrigued me with its colors. Itg does very well as an outdoor potted plant at LAC. It is not blooming, but the plant itself goes from almost black to green. But now I am finally sure that it is a Tree Aeonium (or Aeonium arboreum or a few other common names).

tree aeonium succulent

I do love Hydrangea bushes. This color of bloom is very appealing to me.

white edged in purple Hydrangea blooms

There are more white flowers to be seen. The first are some bloom from a vine in Albania. My amateur identification says these are from a Jasmine related vine. It might be Sampaguita or Arabian Jasmine, common names for Jasminum sambac. I took these photos along the alley to LAC in May.

Itfollowed by photos of some flowers at our house in Harrisonburg, VA, USA.

white daisies with yellow centers

closer view of white daisies with yellow centers

A couple of years ago, a neighbor gave us a Yucca plant, and this summer it was in full bloom.

our yucca plant in full bloom

white flowers on the yucca plant

In retirement and after my back and hip are repaired, I hope to have even more time to find and photograph the beauty of the flowers and plants that God has provided for us to enjoy. A big thank you to all who have planted and maintained any of the above plants.

Response Form