Rhododendron

Posted on June 8, 2017 by - Uncategorized

Rhododendron is a genus characterised by shrubs and small to (rarely) large trees, the smallest species growing to 10–100 cm (3.9–39.4 in) tall, and the largest, R. protistum var. giganteum, reported to 30 m (98 ft) tall. The leaves are spirally arranged; leaf size can range from 1–2 cm (0.39–0.79 in) to over 50 cm (20 in), exceptionally 100 cm (39 in) in R. sinogrande. They may be either evergreen or deciduous. In some species, the undersides of the leaves are covered with scales (lepidote) or hairs (indumentum). Some of the best known species are noted for their many clusters of large flowers. There are alpine species with small flowers and small leaves, and tropical species such as section Vireya that often grow as epiphytes. Species in this genus may be part of the heath complex in oak-heath forests in eastern North America. (source – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhododendron)

The Seine

Posted on May 23, 2017 by - Art Cape Cod, Paris

The Seine rises in the commune of Source-Seine, about 30 kilometres (19 mi) northwest of Dijon. The source has been owned by the city of Paris since 1864. A number of closely associated small ditches or depressions provide the source waters, with an artificial grotto laid out to highlight and contain a deemed main source. The grotto includes a statue of a nymph, a dog, and a dragon. On the same site are the buried remains of a Gallo-Roman temple. Small statues of the dea Sequana “Seine goddess” and other ex voti found at the same place are now exhibited in the Dijon archeological museum. (source – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seine)

The Siene

National flower of Argentina

Posted on May 23, 2017 by - Argentina, Art Cape Cod, Family, http://www.redbubble.com/people/ntartworks

Erythrina cristina galli (Ceibo) is the National flower of Argentina. The Erythrina is a South American tree, with carmine red flowers and a crooked trunk. Locally Erythrina is called as ceibo, sebo or bucar. Common names of Erythrina include, Cockspur Coral Tree, Cock’s Comb, Common Coral Tree, Cry-Baby Tree. (source http://www.theflowerexpert.com/content/aboutflowers/nationalflowers/argentina-national-flower)

Messy Woods

Posted on April 26, 2017 by - Fooling Around, http://www.redbubble.com/people/ntartworks, MyBlog

(by Michael J. Fargione) Standing dead trees are known as snags; they provide food, shelter and resting places for wildlife. As fungi and insects attack living trees and dead snags, they soften the wood, making it possible for woodpeckers and other cavity makers to create holes. These holes are also used by other animals. (source – http://www.caryinstitute.org/newsroom/messy-woods-serve-critical-purpose-forest-management)

Messy Woods

The Neva

Posted on April 17, 2017 by - Art Cape Cod, http://www.redbubble.com/people/ntartworks, nta, Russian Landscape

The Neva

“The Neva is the main waterway of Petersburg and the town is situated along its banks and across the islands of its broad delta. It is one of the largest rivers in Europe by volume of water and also one of the world’s shortest major rivers at only 74 kilometers. The Neva connects Lake Ladoga, the largest lake in Europe, to the Baltic Sea. For centuries, it was of great strategic importance for transport and so the interests of the Russians, Swedes, Finns, and Balts clashed on its banks. From the 8th-13th centuries, the Neva was part of the trade route from Scandinavia to Byzantium, the road “from the Varangians to the Greeks.” In 1240, the Novgorod militia led by Prince Alexander Yaroslavich defeated the invading Swedish army on the banks of the Neva. Because of the victory, the prince was thereafter nicknamed Alexander Nevsky (of the Neva). But the main page in the history of this great river began to be written, of course, in 1703 when St. Petersburg was founded at the mouth of the Neva.” (source – http://www.saint-petersburg.com/rivers-and-canals/neva-river/)

The Neva

beachgrass

Posted on April 10, 2017 by - Art Cape Cod, Barnstable Harbor, nta, Uncategorized

Ammophila breviligulata (American beachgrass or American marram grass) is a species of grass that is native to eastern North America, where it grows on sand dunes along the Atlantic Ocean and Great Lakes coasts. Beachgrass thrives under conditions of shifting sand, sand burial, and high winds; it is a dune-building grass that builds the first line of sand dunes along the coast. Beachgrass is less vigorous in stabilized sand, and is only infrequently found further inland than the coastal foredunes. A. breviligulata was introduced to the Pacific coast of North America in the 1930s. It is proving to be invasive, and is increasingly important to coastal ecology and development in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. (source – Wikipedia)beachgrass

Coastal dunes

Posted on April 7, 2017 by - Art Cape Cod, nta

“Coastal dunes make up roughly one third of the Cape Cod National Seashore, covering approximately 8,500 acres from Chatham to Provincetown. Dunes predominate on barrier beach and spits, along the coastal margins of the Atlantic Ocean and Cape Cod Bay, and across the northern tip of the peninsula – an area known as the Province Lands.” – (https://www.nps.gov/caco/learn/nature/sand-dunes.htm)

Coastal dunes

View from my friend’s window

Posted on April 7, 2017 by - Art Cape Cod, Finland, nta

View from my friend’s window in Hanko Finland. Hanko (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈhɑŋko]; Swedish: Hangö), is a bilingual port town and municipality on the south coast of Finland, 130 kilometres (80 mi) west of Helsinki. Its current population is 8,835 (31 March 2016), with a majority being Finnish speakers and a strong minority being Swedish speakers (44%). – (source Wikipedia.com) view from my friend's window