Up the umph factor with U

We're running a little late with U. Let's blame it on the summer solstice, shall we?

So on to U.
The email address is flowerfestival[at]gmail[dot]com. The deadline is July 4, 2007. I know...I know...but there's nothing to stop you from getting your entries in earlier. Go for it!

Thanks Pani Thuly for the nifty title.

Do you alliterate? Do you write strong headlines? If you have an idea for a title for V, write to flowerfestival[at]gmail[dot]com and let us know!

Round up for T

T

Round Up for T:
Trifolium pratense and Trifolium repens from Shilpa

Shilpa's entry for this round are white and purple/pink clovers. Clovers are native to Europe and introduced in the US as a pasture crop. They can be found throughout the US in warm weather. Clovers have three oval leaflets with V shaped markings on them. The ball-shaped flower head is made up with many small flowers, and is very attractive to bees. Some flowers are edible and used in salads and to make tea.

The pink or the purple clover is Trifolium pratense and is considered nutritious food for livestock. The flowers and leaves are slightly bigger than the white clover.
The white clovers are called Trifolium repens. The flowers look like a little white ball and once a bee or other pollinating insect has visited it, the petals droop and reveal the red center indicating that it does not have to be visited again.


Tulips from Sree

Medium: Oil on Canvas

The national flower of Holland is a favorite of many flower lovers for the sheer variety in color and uniformity of shape. They are bulbous plants and belong to the species Liliaceae. Some have petals which are striped and feathered.

Thyme from Gini

Medium: Photography

Gini's entry is Thyme - an herb that doesn’t need a lot of water. The flowers of thyme are white and as tiny and delicate as the leaves. Thyme leaves are very fragrant and goes well with veggies, rice, seafood and meat.

Tulip from Priya

Medium: Photography

Tulips and Holland are inseperable. But Tulips trace their name to the Turkey where they were thought to resemble turbans. Tulip Festivals take place in Holland, England and North America during Spring.

Tango and Twist with T

The letter is T.
The deadline is June 13, 2007.
The email address is flowerfestival[at]gmail[dot]com.

Do you alliterate? Do you write strong headlines? If you have an idea for a title for U, write to flowerfestival[at]gmail[dot]com and let us know!

Round up for S

S

Entries for the round up on S are :

Stonecrop and Shrubby Daisy from Anita


Medium:Photography

Stonecrop (Sedum ewersii) species love to grow on stony slopes, around well-watered areas. These beauties were pictured by Anita near Mana Village, Uttaranchal. This cluster was found near the Bheem Pul, a natural stone bridge carved by water and ice.


Medium:Photography

Shrubby Daisy or Blue-eyed Daisy, better known as African Daisy (Osteospermum fruiticosum), is a drough tolerant, sun loving plant. These flowers are from Anita's winter garden.

Salvia and Sunflowers from Jai and Bee


Medium:Photography

This is another beauty from the garden of Jai and Bee. The sun loving Salvias bloom from June to September and attract a lot of butterflies and bees.


Medium:Photography

If someone truly loves the sun, it has got to be the bright sunflower. Nothing can be more apt for these yellow beauties than this quote -

“Flowers have an expression of countenance as much as men and animals. Some seem to smile; some have a sad expression; some are pensive and diffident; others again are plain, honest and upright, like the broad-faced sunflower and the hollyhock.”- Henry Ward Beecher

Sanguinaria Canadensis from Shilpa


Medium:Photography

The only species in the genus Sanguinaria, Sanguinaria canadensis or Bloodroot, as it is commonly called, is a plant indigenous to United States. Blood red juice can be extracted from its root, so the name Bloodroot. Native Americans used this juice as body paint, dye and as an herbal remedy to treat various diseases of the skin.

The flowers are white with oblong petals with a yellow center. The plant prefers shaded spots and produces flowers in March and April. An interesting fact about this plant is that the seeds are spread by ants in a process called Myrmecochory.

Snow-in-summer from Manisha


Medium:Photography

Manisha stumbled into these white dainty blooms with beautiful silvery gray-green foliage. Ideally suited for rock gardens, Snow-in-summer's are summer bloomers. They thrive in the wild too.

Snow-in-Summer or Cerastium tomentosum are perennials that reseed every year. They thrive in well-drained poor soil and are drought-tolerant.

They are called Snow-in-Summer because they bloom profusely from late spring to early summer and the teeny white flowers look like a matt of white snow on the silvery foliage.

Spider Lily from Mythreyee


Medium: Photography

Mythreyee snapped this picture of a Spider Lily in San Diego.

The leaves of Spider Lily grow in 6 leaf clusters and are present in spring but are gone by the time of flowering in the summer season. The flower stem is about 2 feet high and each stem has several flowers. This Spider Lily is a relative of the Cahaba Lily (Hymenocallis coronaria) which grows in the Cahaba River.

Sweet William from Priya


Medium:Watercolor on paper

Sweet William are little flowers that look as if they just came out of a pencil sharpener with their fringed petals in pink, red, white and purple. The wild Sweet Williams's usually have a white base with a pink or red center. They love sunny and warm climates. They are edible and are known to have anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties.

As to how the name Sweet William came to be assigned to these flowers, Wikipedia says "Many legends purport to explain how Sweet William acquired its name, but none are verified. It is variously said to be named after Saint William of York, William the Conqueror, or Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland. Another etymology is that william is a corruption of the French oillet, meaning little eye. Sweet William is a favorite name for lovelorn young men in English folkloric ballads. Due to the supposed association of the flower with the Duke of Cumberland, the commander of the government forces at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, it is known in Scotland as "Stinking Billy".