Saturday, February 16, 2013

Focus On Life 52 Photos - Week 7 ~ The Beauty of Flowers

 The Earth laughs in flowers. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sally's prompt for us this week was~
"A single flower with it's beauty has the ability to lift our spirits and bring a sense of happiness to our souls. The sheer sight of flowers can evoke feelings of excitement, positivity and enhance our well being.
This week take a moment to bring a little happiness to your soul and enhance your well being.
Take a moment to enjoy the beauty of flowers."

 I took these shots right before we left Florida to come home. They are of the purple passion flower vine that we planted along the fence behind our house about 10 months ago.
The vine has spanned the width of our property in that time  and you can tell by the tightness of the tendrils, it is a serious climber!
The blooms remind me of some underwater sea creature, as if it could just swim right away into that deep blue sky there.

I want you to know that these are not post processed in any way other than applying a frame to them and this first one is slightly cropped. The colors are that vivid.

 The outermost petals remind me a little of an upside down water lily.


Seeing as how we are having a very cold rain right now which is supposed to turn to sleet and snow as the day and night wear on, the sight of these flowers and that beautiful blue sky really do brighten my day today!

Go enjoy a walk through the virtual garden at The Studio Sublime and see what everyone has picked this week!

50 comments:

  1. Holy cow these are cool flowers! Love the colors - so bright and vivid. You could just get lost in these,...and they are rather 'under-the-sea' looking, I agree!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Shel, everything about them is so cool, there are so many parts to them and each has its' own amazing design and colors!

      Delete
  2. Wow, that is a really beautiful flower and the photos are great!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Sandi, I wish I could grow some of my Florida plants here at home but they can't go this far north so I have to enjoy them while I'm there. the neighbors must think I'm nuts. I'm always outside with a camera walking through the garden snapping photos!

      Delete
  3. wow!! it does look like a sea creature, doesn't it? just magical... gorgeous pics!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, they really look like they could swim away at any moment. they fascinate me with their shapes and colors!

      Delete
  4. That is an amazing flower. It reminds me of The Little Shop of Horrors flower....heh

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, me too, I was going to say that in my post, funny!

      Delete
  5. Stunning!!!!! I love passion flowers. Does yours fruit?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks LeAnn, not sure if it fruits or not, i don't think so but this is the first full year we have been growing it. My Dad has one and it flowers with red blooms, totally different from mine in shape and everything, I will have to ask him. I wish I could grow this up here but too cold in winter, won't live here.

      Delete
  6. I love this flower from every angle! Awesome photos!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Annette, I do too and since I can't grow these up here in our zone, at least I have the photos to look at!

      Delete
  7. Replies
    1. Thanks Kristi, it will be great inspiration for my artwork as soon as I can find a minute or two to actually make something again! :)

      Delete
  8. These photos are fabulous! These are one of my favorite flowers too! Thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I hae never grown these before and was so surprised when i saw the unusual blooms! Really wish I could grow them back home too to enjoy but the zone is too cold in winter!

      Delete
  9. Great shots. I love passion flowers. Use to grow them when I lived in AZ.
    Nicole/Beadwright

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are beautiful in their own strange way. I wish i could grow them here at home too! Thanks for visiting!

      Delete
  10. Replies
    1. Thanks Becky, I had a great subject to work with!

      Delete
  11. I love passion flowers! Mom had some in her yard, too. They do look like sea anemones! Beautiful shots.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Cynthia, anemones, that's the name I was trying o remember, knew it reminded me of something!

      Delete
  12. Awesome shots! that second one especially has me picturing the octonauts all around it [cartoon involving underwater animals as heros] I spend my day with a little one so that's what comes to mind now when I think under water

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isn't it funny when you have little ones, how engrossed in their world you can become. I remember knowing the names of all Thomas the tank engines friends and models of fighter jets with my son but now with all the Japanese anime it's foreign to me (no pun intended) When I try to converse with my grandson about his figures, I am very quickly corrected when i get it wrong! :)

      Delete
  13. Passion plants were my husband's favorite. Your pictures are great.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Mary, I am enjoying them too. I love all the tropical flowers we can grow in Florida and really miss their colors right about now!

      Delete
  14. I have never seen such a flower before. That's just amazing! Your shots are really gorgeous and I'm so pleased that you shared this with us. THANK YOU!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Hope. I had actually never seen one before this bloomed either. My dad has a red passion flower but it looks completely different. I was told it was beautiful so i planted one, so glad I did! Just wish I could see it all the time!

      Delete
  15. What a beautiful flower. I have never seen one before. Love those shaggy tendrils and the giant size of its face. It looks like a sunflower gone wild and tropical. Just love it. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Mary. Having never seen one before myself until this bloomed, i was suprised to get a closer look at all the beautiful details and colors. Glad I have the photos to enjoy them now that i am back home too!

      Delete
  16. Wow - it really does look like an underwater sea creature! Beautiful colors!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Lori! I love all the colors and patterns in that one flower and when i got up close, I half expected it to snap at me :) Cynthia reminded me of the undersea image I was thinking of, an anemone!

      Delete
  17. That is a spectacular flower! The colors and textures. Love that. Are they tall like sunflowers?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Courtney, it is actually a vine which is very fast growing and took over the fence. I imagine it would climb forever given the structure to cling to. The colors and patterns really are amazing!

      Delete
  18. I thought it was going to be a protea - so am pleased it's something I can grow!! Gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wish i could grow them here at home too Janet but at least i have these photos to look at! If you grow one, make sure it is in a place where it can openly climb, it will do so and fast and take over!

      Delete
  19. Replies
    1. Thanks Elisabeth, beautiful in a creepy cool sort of way!

      Delete
  20. Those are such neat flowers! Will have to check and see if I can grow them where I live!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are tropical and I know I can't grow them here in my zone 7B, wish i could!

      Delete
  21. I have been in Florida quite a few years, and have never seen this flower before. It is wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Marlene! My Dad has one and it's red but the blooms are completely different. We were at Webster Flea and one of the plant sellers there had this and they told me it was a blue passion vine so i thought it would be like my dad's only blue, boy was I surprised, but pleasantly, love the artistic nature of this flower!

      Delete
  22. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Laura, when I was a little girl I would ride my bike ALL the time, but I would always stop at the one neighbors house because they had these beautiful flowers growing in their yard. I was mesmerized by these flowers, they always reminded me of delicate umbrellas! Beautiful shots!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Sally! I was told they wouldn't grow this far north or I would have one here too. I love my Florida garden, everything is so colorful and different from here. Glad I at least have the photos to enjoy when i'm not down there!

      Delete
  24. The Passion Flower has to be one of my favorites. I just found out this fall that they will grow where I live.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts with Thumbnails