June 15 2023 - Firefly Season

 

Bing's picture today is firefly motion blur in the smoky mountains.  It is beautiful.  That would mean that we are coming to firefly season.  Fireflies have four distinct stages - egg, larva, pupa and adult.  The life cycle typically takes two or three years.  They lay eggs in the autumn that grow into larva which remain underground for the winter (or under tree bark). The adults typically emerge in late spring or early summer. Typically we start to see fireflies when the weather is warm, so can expect them in July. To encourage fireflies here are the suggestions of the Canadian Wildlife Federation: Consider adding a water feature without fish. Include plenty of aquatic and semi-aquatic vegetation to offer fireflies places to live and grow. Where possible, avoid cutting down trees on your property and include areas of tall grass and other vegetation, perhaps in the corner of your garden. Turning off as many lights as possible is thought to help fireflies communicate with one another. It also helps migrating birds who often collide with buildings, although typically high rises in cities are the bigger culprits. Many buildings, communities and homeowners are being more conscious about saving on their electricity bill as well as the impacts of light pollution. World Firefly Day is July 2nd.  I don't seem to have any photos of fireflies though I do remember trying.  It isn't surprising - they are fast.  Here are the lanterns in the garden from a few years ago.

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Mar 12 2023 - It is Oscar Night Tonight

 

This is the Academy Awards night.  It is the 95th year of the awards.  They still give advice on how to watch the Oscars.  I guess based on last year's experience, the advise is don't leave the show unattended in case there's a "live" moment of note.  I had turned off the show by then last year. the Red Carpet Show must go on forever. And to be fair, it is a significant show on its own.  One article says that it starts at 3:30pm Eastern time.  Is that DST or EST?  That's a general time reference to cover those who go on Daily Savings Time and those who don't.   Compare how North-American centric we are.  The Indian News lets us know that while the show starts on March 12 at 8:00pm in Los Angeles, the awards start at 5:30am Monday morning in India.  That reminds me of getting up early to see Diana's wedding.  That was a lifetime "Dress-up" event. Do you want to stream it live? "For cord cutters, the show can be streamed with a subscription to Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV and Fubo TV." So there are 3 parts to the Oscars - the Red Carpet, the Show, and the After parties. "Vanity Fair throws the quintessential Oscars afterparty — it’s where Will Smith and family danced the night away after the infamous Slap moment and best actor win last year. The AP will livestream stars arriving for the show beginning at 11 p.m. ET on YouTube."   And isn't the Slap part of the news.  "One Year Later:  A Complete Timeline of the Oscars Drama"... and "The Academy hires crisis team 1 year after 'the slap' - they will deal with other potential surprise moments... We've run many scenarios." I wonder if there can be something that would top last year's surprise moment.

These little flowers haven't come out yet this year, but they will be here soon.

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Scentsation!

Scentsation is defined as an outstanding use of fragrance in applications other than perfume and cologne. It is said to be coined by PerfumeCulture as a scent and trend agency.  It has since made its way into the naming of flowers.  Here are a few. I mistakenly bought Honeysuckle "Scentsation."  It was a lucky error.  I thought I'd purchased Paul's Scarlett, but the blooms were not pink - they were yellow. I had thought I might have one of the invasive Japanese Honeysuckles.  Instead these were blossoms that lasted from mid-spring to late summer and has strong fragrance.  What are the notes in honeysuckle?  It is considered fruity and warm with hints of honey and ripe citrus.  There is a petunia that has been hybridized to have its fragrance back - just as roses lost and got back their beautiful scent via David Austin.  What is the fragrance in this blue Petunia "Evening Scentsation"?  It is described as having notes of hyacinth, sweet honey and rose and is stronger in the evening.  There is a series of miniature roses in the "Scentsational" series. "Overnight Scentsation" journeyed to space to aid in studies about the effects of low gravity on the smell of roses.  "Moonlight Sensation" is another one. What about finding the Camellia "Sweet Scentsation".  I would need to go to warmer areas of the U.S. for this. We know that Evening Scented Stock (Matthiola bicornis) is night-scented. It has a series named "Starlight Scentsation". This is a flower with strong notes of cloves and cinnamon. Others have nutmeg and vanilla scent. And there is a Tuberous Begonia that has the name Scentsation - it is a Blackmore & Langdon variety. Many of the scented begonias smell like roses. Many people don't realize the Cyclamen is a scented flower - they also have a Scentsation Series.  It isi considered light floral, clean, fresh, and slightly mysterious. And there is a Nicotiana alata mix "Scentsation" - it comes in pinks, purples and whites - that's interesting to me.  I will definitely find this one for this year's garden. The scent is considered similar to Jasmine. If we want to describe out floral scents, take a look at this website - theperfumeexpert.com/notes These window view pictures were taken at the Ringling Circus mansion.  All the windows have pale stained glass panes.

Countdown to Christmas - Join in the Decorations!

So many colours, lights, reflections at Christmas in the trees and displays.  Today's countdown photo encourages to go out for a stroll to see it all.