2. Nature Scenes

2012 Spring Flowers & Sunset

This gallery contains random photos of domestic flowers and other plants we may refer to as "weeds" that appear in our yard. Plans are to continue to add to the collection as spring, summer and fall progresses. The information about the plants was copied from various sources of which may or may not be correct, viewed and read for your entertainment only.
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  • DSC 9254 Common Blue VIolet Beyond its use as a common lawn and garden plant, Viola sororia has historically been used for food and for medicine. The flowers and leaves are edible, and some sources suggest the roots can also be eaten. The Cherokee used it to treat colds and headaches. Rafinesque, in his Medical Flora, a Manual of the Medical Botany of the United States of North America (1828–1830), wrote of Viola sororia being used by his American contemporaries for coughs, sore throats, and constipation.
  • DSC_9484-2 Virginia Bluebell Bluebells are native to England and Scotland. They are the national flower of Scotland, where they symbolize constancy and gratitude. Bluebells are common in wooded areas of Scotland, England and now in the United States. In mythology, bluebells are used by fairies to trap passersby, especially young children. They symbolize death in Britain and are often planted on graves there. The bluebell is a poisonous plant. The chemicals that make the bluebell poisonous were used in ancient alchemy and are now being researched for potential medical uses.
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  • DSC 9270-2 Daffodil All Narcissus species contain the alkaloid poison lycorine, mostly in the bulb but also in the leaves. One of the most common dermatitis problems for florists, "daffodil itch" involves dryness, fissures, scaling, and erythema in the hands, often accompanied by subungual hyperkeratosis (thickening of the skin beneath the nails). It is blamed on exposure to calcium oxalate in the sap. It has long been recognised that some cultivars provoke dermatitis more readily than others.
  • DSC 9273 Dandelions are found on all continents and have been gathered since prehistory, but the varieties cultivated for consumption are mainly native to Eurasia. A perennial plant, its leaves will grow back if the taproot is left intact. To make leaves more palatable, they are often blanched to remove bitterness. Dandelion leaves and buds have been a part of traditional Sephardic, Chinese and Korean cuisine. In the north-eastern United States, dandelion is cultivated and eaten in salad.
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  • DSC 9280 Forsythias are popular early spring flowering shrubs in gardens and parks. Two are commonly cultivated for ornament, Forsythia × intermedia and Forsythia suspensa. They are both spring flowering shrubs, with yellow flowers. They are grown and prized for being tough, reliable garden plants.
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  • DSC 9406-2 Gardeners in the West often refer to these species as "flowering quince", since Chaenomeles are grown ornamentally for their flowers, not for their fruits. These plants have also been called "Japanese quince", and the name "japonica" (referring to C. japonica) .was widely used for these plants in the 19th and 20th centuries
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  • DSC 9491 In Chinese culture, the azalea is known as "thinking of home bush" and is immortalized in the poetry of Tu Fu and is used to rich effect in contemporary stories. The azalea is also one of the symbols of the city of São Paulo, in Brazil.<br /> <br /> In addition to being renowned for its beauty, the Azalea is also highly toxic--it contains andromedotoxins in both its leaves and nectar, including honey from the nectar. The Azalea and Rhododendron were once so infamous for their toxicity that to receive a bouquet of their flowers in a black vase was a well-known death threat.
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  • DSC 9282 Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) is a winter annual from the mint family. It has a square stem and heavily lobed, scalloped and rounded leaves that extend on petioles near the base of the stem, but attach to the stem forming little umbrellas near the top. In the springtime, henbit produces gorgeous tiny purple flowers.
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