11/17/2009 23:32:14

You have a really nice page here and allot of really great photos.... thank you for letting us check them out....

10/14/2009 18:39:06

10/13/2009 15:02:32

Thanks for the request!!

www.deer-pendable.com

10/11/2009 22:42:35

Thanks for the req. Glad to have ya on the team stop by any time and check us out at www.outdoorsuccess.net

Rob (Outdoor Success)

10/11/2009 13:41:32

We still have flowers blooming even though we had our 1st frost! I just took these pictures today!



Just wanted to give you a reason to smile today!

10/11/2009 13:18:13

thank you for the request chat with you latter you new friend Duane from Alpena

10/11/2009 10:04:10

Thanks for the request! Best of luck to you and Mark this hunting season!

10/11/2009 07:21:08

Thanks for stopping by our page and the friends request.
Happy hunting

10/11/2009 07:16:17

Thanks for the friends request. I hope you have a good fall

10/11/2009 01:22:01

Hi, Thanks for the request. Hope things are going well in your neck of the woods. Where abouts is Mayville?

10/10/2009 22:38:19

Just thought I stop by and say hello.
Hope your having a great season and I like your profile page too.

10/10/2009 22:01:12

Thanks for the request, Amanda! Give me a shout anytime! Tim

10/03/2009 21:15:49

Hey!



Just wanted to give you a lil reason to smile today and say I hope you are having an awesome weekend there young lady!



Mike

08/16/2009 06:56:25

07/07/2009 08:25:36

The Lotus is the Flower of the month for July in some parts of the world:



Natural Facts about the Lotus & the Water Lily

Although there is a botanical distinction, the lotus and water lily are often used interchangeably in folklore and mythology. Generally lotus refers to the water lily of India or the plant depicted in sacred art and stories, while the water lily is more often used by naturalists. As an example of the confusion, the World Book actually has two entries, one for the lotus, one for the water lily, both clearly referring to the same plant and neither referring to the other entry.

The lotus of India belongs to the Nelumbo genus (Nelumbo is the Sinhalese name for the plant). It has large flowers and leaves that sometimes grow up above the water. The plant's thorny stalk discourages fish from nibbling on it. The upper cupule or fleshy capsule of the lotus dries out at maturity and separates from the plant. Floating about, it scatters seed from the many perforated holes in its surface.

In Asia, there is only one species of lotus with red and white blooms. Yet early Buddhist scriptures, referring to the seven precious lotuses, mention blue and yellow flowers. The water lily, native to Egypt, has blue flowers but the yellow-flowered water lily is native to North America. This mystery may be addressed in this Buddhist sutra:
"The lotuses of heaven can change according to people's wishes, flowering when needed. In this way they bring joy to the hearts of all. There is no need to declare one false and the other real. Both are called the wondrous lotus flower."

The water lily belongs to the Nympha genus, derived from the same word as Nymph. The Greek word nymph, besides being used to describe the feminine spirits of water and trees, also means something young and budding (like the larva of certain insects) and is the name for the labia minora. In Europe, the common white water lily, the one painted by Monet, is nympha alba while in North America, we're more familiar with nuphar lutea, the yellow water lilies, also called spatterdocks or cow lilies. The English sometimes call the plant "brandy bottle" because the flowers smell like stale wine which attracts flies, the pollinators for the plant.

According to Chelsie Vandaveer, the Amazon Water Lily (victoria amazonica) imprisons its pollinators. The pure white flowers open in the evening and release a fragrance like pineapples. Beetles attracted by the smell find their way to the pale flowers on the dark water and feast on the central petals, while the flower closes over them. Then the anthers ripen and shed their pollen all over the trapped beetles. By the second evening, the flowers have turned pink and lost their fragrance. They open again and release the pollen-covered beetles which fly off in search of more white flowers with that incredible fragrance. Thus the lily is never self-pollinated since it can only be pollinated when the flower is white and fragrant. I love this description of the flower that changes colors and fragrances overnight, all in the service of sex. No wonder it's considered a magical plant.