Oh Dahlia, My Dahlia

[theidolhands]

This is just a small sampling of flowers in Golden Gate Park. The Dahlia is a most curious flower and is in fact the official flower of San Francisco (since 1926). It originated in the cool mountaintops of Mexico & Guatemala, making its way around Europe, where there are still devout breeders, but some of the very best and brightest bloom only in

Comments

[calzephyr77]

Voted :-) I joined LJ Photophile but have yet to actually toss anything up there.

The light pink dahlia is perfect! It's my favourite picture of the bunch.

Thank you so much!

[theidolhands]

I'm not usually a fan of magenta, beyond Magneto, but I feel these Dahlias give the color a whole new life!

There was a person posting way too often and with too much ego, it was turning me off, although no one seemed to mind. Maybe they cooled their jets when they discovered there really is no prize. I'd like to put it back on my watch to see your entries, but certainly do link in your journal if you ever get around to it, just so I can be sure to see them!

[kysanndra]

Beautiful photos :)

[theidolhands]

Thank you!

[trellia_chan]

The co-evolution between flowering plants and bees is magical. <3 And I seriously wish there was some way for me to hug a bumblebee without killing it or getting stung. Oh,they're so cute. Thank you for the tidbit about bumbles and the temporary shelter they find in dahlias. You fulfilled my quota for learning something new today! :-D I'm sadly undereducated but very interested in plantae, though I tend to focus more on how they directly relate to the fauna.

Your photos are a pleasure as always, and I did go and vote for you. ^_^

[kharmii]

HAHA..me too, but I want to pet anything furry, even a jumping spider. :-D

[trellia_chan]

Jumping spiders are adorable! <3 <3 <3

[theidolhands]

There are bumbles that don't sting, but the queen does, and unlike honeybees, there can be more than one queen in a hive (although the others aren't permitted to bear young).

I am also undereducated and am just fortunate that I took the incentive to make more of myself through various activities (as a way to stave off depression and frustration actually). It was easier to make that choice, having exhausted some less savory options. I still feel some guilt that I take to machinery more than plants, but I'm gaining new respect for fauna all the time.

Thank you very much for the vote!

[kharmii]

I'll make room for some in my garden next year, if they work like that here. We get bumblebees in our yard all the time.

The dahlias we grow around here are different. They are mounding annuals and only get about a foot round. I love the big, beautiful blooms on them, like my favorites are the bright red ones that have the yellow part in the middle.

I think children would get a big kick out of such flowers.

[theidolhands]

So big and colorful, so round.

If you get enough mix of weather; sunny and cold, then it should work. I'm excited!

[chihana11]

They are all so beautiful. I love the very round pink ones and the light pink one the most. But I love the cactus too!