December 7, 2013: An Unexpected Flower

365 Project, Day 133

Here is my day 133 submission to my 365Project:

All was fairly quiet for observations today...not many bird sightings (a distant cattle egret, bubulcus ibis, and royal tern, Thalasseus maximus) and no marine mammal or turtle sightings. Despite this relative quiet, there were still a couple delightful moments to capture on film today. 

We are working offshore the coast of western Africa in an area close to where the Congo River deposits its fresh water and, quite unexpectedly, a lot of vegetation which ends up drifting offshore to us. We have dubbed these clusters of offshore vegetation from the Congo 'grass islands' and see them on a daily basis (see pics of one these islands, with an egret eating a crab!, in my post from November 21). 

I don't know much about this vegetation but we commonly see two different types of vegetation: large 'grass' islands and appear to be made of exactly that, grass, and many smaller clusters of small leafy plants. Until today I assumed these 'islands' drifted out to sea from the Congo River and eventually die but today I learned that these plants appear to persist in the sea and even...bloom! I spotted this small cluster of vegetation  drifting passed us today and there, to my surprise, was a beautiful purple flower in this little cluster of vegetation drifting around about 30 miles offshore!  

An Unexpected Flower

Fun fact of the day:
The Congo River (formerly the Zaire River) crosses the equaotor twice on its journey through the rainforests of Africa. The Congo's watershed drains from both the Northern and Southern hemisphere so it does not have seasonal fluctuations like many other great rivers. Part of its watershed is always in the zone of rain so its flow is relatively stable. 

Read more about the Congo River at this Mongabay.com webpage.

And, a couple more photos from today:

Today`s weather was pretty variable...rainy and cloudy, as shown here, to hot and sunny. It`s the wet season!

Early evening rainbow and awesome cloud formations!

September 24, 2013: Private Property

365 Project, Day 89

Here is my day eighty-nine submission to my 365Project:

While walking to my friend's house for dinner this evening we passed through an old railyard site (although there will be exciting new developments in the area!), Roundhouse, and I loved the look of this little dilapidated building covered in graffiti so grabbed some shots of it. 

Fun fact of the day:

As recommended by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada the site at Roundhouse has been designated a National Historic Site by the Government of Canada. As part of this designation the majority of the complex of structures is  maintained in its original condition; it is now a rare survivor of a type of facility that was once widespread and very important to transportation services across Canada. The site is also designated a Municipal Heritage Property by the City of Victoria. 

Read more about the history of the Roundhouse at the Roundhouse At Bayview History webpage.

Some more photos from today's photographic wanderings:

Roses in the small park at the corner of Quadra Street and Rupert Terrace

Taking some time out in front of Market On Yates before purchasing delicious blueberry and apple rhubarb pies for dessert :)

The hostess with the mostess, Debbie, in action in their lovely kitchen

The real reason I come to visit Debbie and Greg; their awesome cats, Cohen and Eddie...well, cute as he is, Eddie didn't make the cut in this photo session

September 23, 2013: Floral Light

365 Project, Day 88

Here is my day eighty-eight submission to my 365Project:

This afternoon I wandered over to the Victoria Conference Centre and Empress Hotel and then along the harbour to see what photos I could snap. I ended up taking this photo in the conference centre as I liked the lighting reflecting off the plants in the atrium-like surroundings. 

Fun fact of the day:

The Empress Hotel was built for the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and is one of a series of Chateau-style hotels built by the Canadian railway in the early 20th century to encourage tourists to travel their transcontinental routes. 

Read more about the Empress Hotel at HistoricPlaces.ca

I loved the light on these soft ferns

close-up of vines on the outside of the Empress Hotel

Close up of the weeping sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum 'Pendulum') in front of the Empress Hotel

September 9, 2013: Busy Bee

365 Project, Day 75

Here is my day seventy-five submission to my 365Project:

"Bees do have a smell, you know, and if they don't they should, for their feet are dusted with spices from a million flowers."
-Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine

(You can see the clumps of pollen on this guy's rear leg!)





Fun fact of the day:
20,000 plant species, including ones we know well like tomatoes, potatoes and cranberries, offer pollen (rather than the nectar that species like hummingbirds eat) as food. This pollen is tucked deep inside special tubes and only certain insects, including bumblebees, can get the pollen out. To do this the pollinator (the bees) grab the tube with its jaws and starts to vibrate hundreds of times a second. These resonating vibrations loosen the pollen inside the tubes which in turn gets blasted out and covers the bee with pollen. Then when the bee goes to a flower on another plant this pollen fertilizes that plant.

Read the New York Times article on Unraveling the Pollinating Secret's of Bee's Buzz including an animation of the vibrating bee loosening the pollen here. 

Here are some more photos from my little photo session around Beacon Hill Park, Victoria:

September 7, 2013: Dandelion Bokeh

365 Project, Day 74

Here is my day seventy-four submission to my 365Project:

Dandelion in the garden with bokeh background :)

Fun fact of the day:

Bokeh is the rendition of out of focus points. The word stems from the Japanese Boke and translates to out of focus. Bokeh is determined by the lens and many factors form the way it looks and could include: type of lens, location in lens of aperture and number of aperture blades and their shape.

Learn more about Bokeh at KenRockwell.com webpage on bokeh.

Also, learn more including great photography tips with the PocketChris app by Chris Marquardt and his Tips From The Top Floor podcast.