Quite interesting #2

It was fine and windy for my two-day break so a good chance to get out in the garden and also explore what's been going on in the bush. I was checking my rat traps on Sunday and the trees were swaying in the wind; I leaned my head against one of the trunks to feel the bending effect and for some reason put my ear to the trunk. I was amazed to hear 'plumbing' sounds - gurgles and whooshes - with the occasional rap when branches collided. I put the camera on video and held it against the trunk - it's very amateurish and needed amplifying (Audacity is such a good program for this) and this is what I could hear (590Kb)...

I tried a number of trees - some didn't make a noise and others gurgled like the one I recorded. I went hunting online for a digital stethoscope and found one that would record but at $900 I think I'll stick to my ear! There are some cheap ordinary stethoscopes on TradeMe that might be worth trying. I'm not sure if the noises are caused by the wind in the leaves or whether it's the transport of water up the trunks - does anyone know?

 

 

Plants that take 5-7 years to flower are worth the wait when they are as beautiful as Beverley's Himalayan lilies, Cardiocrinum giganteum, also known as Lilium giganteum. The flower spikes tower over my head (2-2½m tall) and were very fragrant when I visited in the late afternoon. What a magnificent sight - read more about the Himalayan lily here. There are two varieties and I think these may be C. giganteum var. yunnanense.

 

Huge flowers with a lovely fragrance

The flowers don't last long before setting seed

If you want your house cleaned AND keep the children amused during the holidays, then hand them a digital camera and get them to clean the window sills! I got sidetracked from my dusting when I discovered a couple of fly bodies by the window and thought that they'd be patient posers for trying some close-ups.

 

Experiment with different lights - this was an LED torch

This one had lovely golden hairs and legs

 

Another plant with seed-setting on its mind is the flax flower by my bedroom window. I've been watching it but totally missed seeing these seed pods form...

 

 

While I was taking these photos a spider dropped on to my hand - I haven't seen anything quite like this but what a cutie.