VIEWS OF PERTH

Some more views of the Perth skyline from South Perth, across the Swan River, taken during my recent trip there.

This post is part of the Waterworld Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme.

YELLOW HIBISCUS

Hibiscus is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is quite large, containing several hundred species that are native to warm-temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world.

Member species are often noted for their showy flowers and are commonly known simply as hibiscus, or less widely known as rose mallow. The genus includes both annual and perennial herbaceous plants, as well as woody shrubs and small trees. The generic name is derived from the Greek word ἱβίσκος (hibískos), which was the name Pedanius Dioscorides (ca. 40–90) gave to Althaea officinalis.

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

POSTCARD FROM PERTH

I am visiting Perth for work for a few days, and staying in a hotel in South Perth. The hotel is close to the riverside and the well appointed suite promise a comfortable night’s rest. The city skyline can be seen to great advantage and at twilight especially,the view is quite spectacular.

Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia, with an estimated population of 1.74 million living in the Perth metropolitan area. The metropolitan area is located in the South West Division of Western Australia, between the Indian Ocean and a low coastal escarpment known as the Darling Range. The central business district and suburbs of Perth are situated on the banks of the Swan River.

Shortly after the establishment of the port settlement of Fremantle, Perth was founded on 12 June 1829 by Captain James Stirling as the political centre of the Swan River Colony. As the business and administration centre for the resource-rich state, Perth has grown consistently.  Perth became known worldwide as the “City of Light” when city residents lit their house lights and streetlights as American astronaut John Glenn passed overhead while orbiting the earth on Friendship 7 in 1962. The city repeated the act as Glenn passed overhead on the Space Shuttle in 1998. Perth is tied for eighth place in The Economist’s 2011 list of the world's most livable cities.

Perth’s residents have traditionally enjoyed the highest standard of living of any of Australia’s big cities.  Until recently, the reason for this has been that, for most occupations, wages were only a little less than could be found in cities such as Sydney and Melbourne while house prices in Perth were considerably lower than the other cities.

Western Australia has huge deposits of metal ores and coal. Booming Asian economies, particularly China, have sourced many of their raw materials from Western Australia, resulting in high economic growth for the state and its capital, Perth.  Many large mining and mineral concerns have their headquarters in Perth. Mining itself is carried on outside Perth but the city is home to many support industries employing engineers and scientists.  There is a large oil refinery at Kwinana, 25 km south of Perth, with associated engineering and chemicals jobs.

This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Inspiring Photography meme,

and also part of the Blue Monday meme.

YARRA RIVER SUNRISE

Sunrise on the Yarra River is one of the joys of waking early and walking around in the City.

This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Waters meme.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

A bunch for pink chrysanthemums for all Mothers out there! Happy Mothers Day!

This post is part of the Weekly TopShot meme,

and also part of the Pink Saturday meme.

YESTERDAY'S PAPER

"A newspaper is lumber made malleable. It is ink made into words and pictures. It is conceived, born, grows up and dies of old age in a day." - Jim Bishop

This post is part of the Weekend in Black and White meme.

CRESCENT MOON

Crescent moon over the Yarra, courted by the seagulls.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

CHRYSANTHEMUMS & LADYBIRD

Chrysanthemums, often called "mums" or "chrysanths", are perennial flowering plants of the genus Chrysanthemum in the family Asteraceae which are native to Asia and northeastern Europe. About 30 species have been described. Florists sometimes abbreviate the spelling to "xants"

The name "chrysanthemum" is derived from the Greek words, chrysos (gold) and anthemon (flower). Chrysanthemum species are herbaceous perennial plants growing to 50–150 cm tall, with deeply lobed leaves with large flower heads that are generally white, yellow or pink in the wild. They are the preferred diet of larvae of certain lepidopterans.

In Australia, Chrysanthemums bloom around Mother's Day, and the inclusion of the ending "-mum" associates this flower with the anniversary and chrysanthemums are the preferred flower to offer one's mother on Mother's Day.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme,
and also part of the Nature Footsteps Winged meme.

MORNING RAIN

A little morning rain drenches the garden and refreshes the plants. Always good to wander about with a camera and capture the water droplets here and there.

This post is part of the Waterworld Wednesday meme.

MILTONIA ORCHID

Miltonia is an orchid genus formed by nine epiphyte species and eight natural hybrids inhabitants of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, one species reaching the northeast of Argentina and east of Paraguay. This genus was established by John Lindley in 1837, when he described its type species, Miltonia spectabilis.

Many species were attributed to Miltonia in the past, however, today, the species from Central America and from cooler areas on northwest of South America have been moved to other genera. Miltonia species have large and long lasting flowers, often in multifloral inflorescences. This fact, allied to being species that are easy to grow and to identify, make them a favorite of orchid collectors all over the world. Species of this genus are extensively used to produce artificial hybrids.

Despite the fact that Miltonia is now a well established genus, most of its species were originally classified under other genera as Cyrtochilum, Oncidium, Odontoglossum, and Brassia. All were discovered between 1834 and 1850 with the exception of M. kayasimae, discovered only in 1976.

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