Allsparklesofnow

Behind the Curtains

noreply@blogger.com (sparklesofnow) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 21:55:00 +0000

Which one do you like more, 1st or 2nd?

Kolomenskoye 3

noreply@blogger.com (sparklesofnow) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 15:33:00 +0000

Top of the Church of the Ascension in Kolomenskoye, Moscow, Russia.

Kolomenskoye 2

noreply@blogger.com (sparklesofnow) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 14:52:00 +0000

Kolomenskoye

noreply@blogger.com (sparklesofnow) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 15:57:00 +0000

Summer Road

noreply@blogger.com (sparklesofnow) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 21:07:00 +0000

Rural road in summer.

Yellow Lilies

noreply@blogger.com (sparklesofnow) — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 22:15:00 +0000

Red Roses

noreply@blogger.com (sparklesofnow) — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 22:46:00 +0000

Space Heart Grass

noreply@blogger.com (sparklesofnow) — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 11:51:00 +0000

Irises 3

noreply@blogger.com (sparklesofnow) — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 22:34:00 +0000

Irises 2

noreply@blogger.com (sparklesofnow) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 22:22:00 +0000

More Irises photos

Irises

noreply@blogger.com (sparklesofnow) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 19:44:00 +0000

Bearded irises cultivar 'Mary Todd'
The bearded irises are easy to cultivate and propagate. These flowers have become very popular in gardens. They grow in any good free garden soil, the smaller and more delicate species needing only the aid of turf ingredients, either peat or loam, to keep it light and open in texture.

NOTES:

Iris is a genus of 260 species of flowering plants with showy flowers. It takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow, referring to the wide variety of flower colors found among the many species.

Uses

In horticulture

Irises are extensively grown as ornamental plants in home and botanical gardens. Presby Memorial Iris Gardens in New Jersey, for example, is a living iris museum with over 10,000 plants, while in Europe the most famous iris garden is arguably the Giardino dell'Iris in Florence (Italy) which every year hosts one of the most famous iris breeders' competitions in the world.

Irises cultivation

Iris cultivation probably started with the Egyptians or the Romans. The rhizomes were used for medical and perfumery uses. The breath-taking blooming Iris fields around Firenze (Florence), Italy, are the fuel of the big industry of cosmetics. In Germany, Iris roots used for the beer production, while in France it was used for enrich the wine bouquet. In Russia, Iris root flavored a soft drink that was made with honey and ginger, and in England it was added to flavor the brandy.

Info: wiki

Yellow Roses 3

noreply@blogger.com (sparklesofnow) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 22:50:00 +0000

Yellow Roses 2

noreply@blogger.com (sparklesofnow) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 20:36:00 +0000

Yellow Roses

noreply@blogger.com (sparklesofnow) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 20:48:00 +0000

Rose Bush Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (sparklesofnow) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 10:51:00 +0000

Early Spring Panorama

noreply@blogger.com (sparklesofnow) — Fri, 13 May 2011 22:01:00 +0000

A Dog

noreply@blogger.com (sparklesofnow) — Thu, 12 May 2011 12:33:00 +0000

Spruce

noreply@blogger.com (sparklesofnow) — Fri, 06 May 2011 17:29:00 +0000

NOTES:

Etymology

The word "spruce" entered the English language from Old French "Pruce", the name of Prussia. Spruce was a generic term for commodities brought to England by Hanseatic merchants and the tree was believed to have come from Prussia. According to a different theory, some suggest that it may however be a direct loanword from a Polish expression "[drzewo / drewno] z Prus" which literally means "[tree / timber] from Prussia". That would suggest that the late mediaeval Polish-speaking merchants would import the timber to England and the English would pick up the expression from them

Uses

Timber

Because this species has no insect or decay resistance qualities after logging, it is generally recommended for construction purposes as indoor use only (ex. indoor drywall framing). Spruce wood, when left outside can not be expected to last more than 12–18 months depending on the type of climate it is exposed to.Spruce is one of the most important woods for paper uses, as it has long wood fibres which bind together to make strong paper. Spruces are cultivated over vast areas for this purpose. Also, spruce is useful as a building wood, commonly referred to by several different names including North American timber, SPF (spruce, pine, fir) and whitewood. Spruce wood is used for many purposes, ranging from general construction work and crates to highly specialised uses in wooden aircraft, and as a tonewood in many musical instruments, including guitars, mandolins, cellos, violins, and the soundboard at the heart of a piano. The Wright Brothers' first aircraft was built of spruce, as was Howard Hughes's Spruce Goose.

Food and medicine

The leaves and branches, or the essential oils, can be used to brew spruce beer. The tips from the needles can be used to make spruce tip syrup. Native Americans in New England also used the sap to make a gum which was used for various reasons, and which was the basis of the first commercial production of chewing gum. In survival situations spruce needles can be directly ingested or boiled into a tea. This replaces large amounts of vitamin C. Also, water is stored in a spruce's needles, providing an alternative means of hydration. Spruce can be used as a preventative measure for scurvy in an environment where meat is the only prominent food source.

Other uses

The resin was used in the manufacture of pitch in the past (before the use of petrochemicals); the scientific name Picea is generally thought to be derived from Latin pix, pitch (though other etymologies have been suggested).

Native Americans in North America use the thin, pliable roots of some species for weaving baskets and for sewing together pieces of birch bark for canoes.

Spruces are also popular ornamental trees in horticulture, admired for their evergreen, symmetrical narrow-conic growth habit. For the same reason, some (particularly Picea abies and P. omorika) are also extensively used as Christmas trees.

Spruce branches are also used at Aintree racecourse, Liverpool, to build several of the fences on the Grand National course. It is also used to make sculptures and Christmas trees.

Random facts: Scientists have found Norway Spruce in the mountains in western Sweden, nicknamed Old Tjikko, which at an age of 9,550 years are claimed to be the world's oldest known living trees.

wiki

Early Spring Trees close-up

noreply@blogger.com (sparklesofnow) — Thu, 05 May 2011 23:19:00 +0000

Early Spring Trees

noreply@blogger.com (sparklesofnow) — Wed, 04 May 2011 20:24:00 +0000

Colored Easter Eggs

noreply@blogger.com (sparklesofnow) — Tue, 03 May 2011 23:48:00 +0000

Easter Bunny and Colored Easter eggs

noreply@blogger.com (sparklesofnow) — Sun, 01 May 2011 15:29:00 +0000

Charcoal photo effects:

Artsy photo effects:

Notes:

The Easter Bunny or Easter Rabbit (sometimes Spring Bunny in the U.S.) is a character depicted as a rabbit bringing Easter eggs, who sometimes is depicted with clothes. In legend, the creature brings baskets filled with colored eggs, candy and sometimes also toys to the homes of children, and as such shows similarities to Father Christmas, as they both bring gifts to children on the night before their respective holiday.
wiki

Early Spring Landscape

noreply@blogger.com (sparklesofnow) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 22:15:00 +0000

Ducks on an early spring walk

noreply@blogger.com (sparklesofnow) — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 11:11:00 +0000

Tree Trunk

noreply@blogger.com (sparklesofnow) — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 21:37:00 +0000

Collage

Photo effects:

Vignette

Cooling Filter 1

Cooling Filter 2

Cooling Filter 2-1

Cross Process 1

Cross Process 2

Cyanotype 1

Grunge 1

Grunge 2

Motion Color

Orton Style 1

Vintage Colors 1

Vintage Colors 1-2

Vintage Colors_2

Vintage Colors 2-2

Vintage Colors 3

Vintage Colors 3-1

Vintage Colors 4

Vintage Colors 4-1

Warming Filter 2