COREOPSIS

Coreopsis (common names include tickseed and calliopsis) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. They range from 46–120 cm in height. The flat fruits are small and dry and look like bugs. Many of its 35 to 114 species are cultivated. 28 species are native to North America and the others come from Central and South America. The flowers are usually yellow with a toothed tip. They have showy flower heads with involucral bracts in two distinct series of eight each, the outer being commonly connate at the base. The name Coreopsis is derived from the Greek words κορις (koris), meaning "bedbug," and ὄψις (opsis), meaning "view," referring to the shape of the achene. The cultivar illustrated here is Coreopsis grandiflora 'Early Sunrise'.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

FLOWERING BASIL

Basil, or Sweet Basil, is a common name for the culinary herb Ocimum basilicum, of the family Lamiaceae (mints), sometimes known as Saint Joseph's Wort in some English-speaking countries.

Basil, originally from India, but thoroughly familiar to Theophrastus and Dioscorides, is a half-hardy annual plant, best known as a culinary herb prominently featured in Italian cuisine, and also plays a major role in the cuisine of Taiwan and the Southeast Asian cuisines of Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Depending on the species and cultivar, the leaves may taste somewhat like anise, with a strong, pungent, often sweet smell.

There are many varieties of Ocimum basilicum, as well as several related species or species hybrids also called basil. The type used in Italian food is typically called sweet basil, as opposed to Thai basil (O. basilicum var. thyrsiflora), lemon basil (O. × citriodorum) and holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum), which are used in Asia. While most common varieties of basil are treated as annuals, some are perennial in warm, tropical climates, including holy basil and a cultivar known as 'African Blue'.

Basil is originally native to India and other tropical regions of Asia, having been cultivated there for more than 5,000 years.

This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Floral Macros meme.

FIESOLE, ITALY

Fiesole is a town and comune of the province of Florence in the Italian region of Tuscany, on a famously scenic height above Florence, 8 km NE of that city. According to the 2003 census, its population was 14,100. It is a beautiful, picturesque town and well worth visiting, even though many tourists ignore it when they visit its much more famous neighbour, Florence.

Fiesole was probably founded in the 9th-8th century BC, as it was an important member of the Etruscan confederacy, as may be seen from the remains of its ancient walls. The first recorded mention on the town dates to 283 BC, when the town, then known as Faesulae, was conquered by the Romans. In pagan antiquity it was the seat of a famous school of augurs, and every year twelve young men were sent thither from Rome to study the art of divination. Sulla colonized it with veterans, who afterwards, under the leadership of Gaius Mallius, supported the cause of Catilina.

Fiesole was the scene of Stilicho's great victory over the Germanic hordes of the Vandals and Suevi under Radagaisus in 406.  During the Gothic War (536-53) the town was several times besieged. In 539 Justinus, the Byzantine general, captured it and razed its fortifications.

It was an independent town for several centuries in the early Middle Ages, no less powerful than Florence in the valley below, and many wars arose between them; in 1010 and 1025 Fiesole was sacked by the Florentines, before it was conquered by Florence in 1125, and its leading families obliged to take up their residence in Florence. Dante reflects this rivalry in his Divine Comedy by referring to "the beasts of Fiesole." (Inferno XV.73).

By the 14th century, rich Florentines had countryside villas in Fiesole, and one of them is the setting of the frame narrative of the Decameron. Boccaccio's poem "Il Ninfale fiesolano" is a mythological account of the origins of the community. Robert Browning mentions “sober pleasant Fiesole” several times in his poem "Andrea Del Sarto".

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.

SEASONAL FRUITS

One of the joys of Summer is the huge variety of fresh fruits and vegetables at our local greengrocer. We are very lucky in Australia, being blessed with a climate ranging from the cool temperate right through to the tropical, so that there are always wonderfully fresh fruits and vegies available throughout the year. Here are some of the fruits that were on sale last weekend.

This post is part of the Mandarin Orange Monday meme,
and also part of the Mellow Yellow Monday meme
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.

Juicy oranges for the breakfast fresh orange juice

Exotic dragonfruit - a little bland, but quite stunning looking both outside and inside

Luscious, ripe mangoes

Passionfruit, just perfect for those tasty pavlovas!

Deliciously fragrant pineapples, perfect for summer

Nutritious and healthful bananas

Delicately flavoured peaches, ripe and juicy

Apricots, an easy to eat golden fruit

ALL MY SPRINGS ARE IN THEE

Psalm 87
1 His foundation is in the holy mountains.
2 The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
3 Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah.4 I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me: behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there.
5 And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her.
6 The Lord shall count, when he writeth up the people, that this man was born there. Selah.
7 As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there: all my springs are in thee.

This post is part of the Psalm Sunday meme.

ROSA RUGOSA

Rosa rugosa (rugosa rose, Japanese rose, or Ramanas rose) is a species of rose native to eastern Asia, in northeastern China, Japan, Korea and southeastern Siberia, where it grows on the coast, often on sand dunes. Rugosa rose is widely used as an ornamental plant. It has been introduced to numerous areas of Europe and North America. The sweetly scented flowers are used to make pot-pourri in Japan and China, where it has been cultivated for about a thousand years.

This post is part of the Pink Saturday meme.

TROPICAL SUNSET

In the tropics, sunsets can be quite spectacular and Singapore is no exception. When you add some palm tree silhouettes to the equation, the message is definitely "holiday and good times". This photograph, however, was snapped quickly while I was at a conference and I remember during this trip I did not get much of a chance to do any sightseeing nor much photography...

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

AGAPANTHUS

Agapanthus s the only genus in the subfamily Agapanthoideae of the flowering plant family Amaryllidaceae. The family is in the monocot order Asparagales. The name is derived from scientific Greek: αγάπη (agape) = love, άνθος (anthos) = flower. Agapanthus is commonly known as "Lily of the Nile" ('African lily' in the UK); but it is not a lily and all of the species are native to South Africa, from the Cape of Good Hope to the Limpopo River.

Species boundaries are not clear in the genus, and in spite of having been intensively studied, the number of species recognised by different authorities varies from 6 to 10. The type species for the genus is Agapanthus africanus (shown here). A great many hybrids and cultivars have been produced and they are cultivated throughout warm areas of the world.

The plant was introduced to Europe at the close of the 17th century as a handsome greenhouse plant, and is hardy outdoors in the south of England and Ireland if protected from severe frosts. The plants are easy to cultivate and (in areas that have winter) are generally grown in large pots or tubs that can be protected from frost.

Several cultivars are known, such as 'Albus' (with white flowers), 'Sapphire' (dark blue flowers), 'Aureus' (leaves striped with yellow), and 'Variegatus' (leaves almost entirely white with a few green bands). There are also double-flowered and larger- and smaller-flowered cultivars. During the summer they require plenty of water and are very effective on the margins of lakes or by running streams, where they thrive. They may be propagated from offsets or by dividing the rootstock in early spring or autumn.

In Melbourne they grow luxuriantly and bloom for several weeks around Christmas. They are a common garden plant, but are also planted on nature reserves and verges along roads.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

CACTUS BLOSSOM

One of our cactuses has just flowered. This is a Mamillaria and its golden yellow blossoms are quite magnificent.

This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Blo Ma meme.

HAVE A CAPPUCCINO!

Just enjoyed one!

This post is part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.