Banksia flowers pictures.

Banksia Grandis grows as either a large shrub or a small tree depending on its location,either on the coastal plains or as an understory tree in the eucalyptus forests.Although it�s the size of the seed pod that makes it attractive to artists, the name probably refers to the tree�s large leaf size

 The Violet Banksia is a shrub that grows up to 1.5 metres tall. It has narrow leaves that are 1-2 cm long and less than 0.15 cm wide. New growth begins during the summer, and it flowers during November to April.

 Like typical banksias, flowers will arise in inflorescences or flower spikes. These are made up of hundreds of pairs of flowers that are densely packed in a spiral around a woody axis. Its inflorescence is spherical and is 2 to 3 cm in diameter. The inflorescences are violet in colour, 

Banksia is a genus of plants that occur in Australia and Papua New Guinea numbering 75 named species. Of these, 61 are found in Western Australia, including the Banksia Grandis, the species that generates the large seed pods. The Banksia take their name from Sir Joseph Banks, the botanist who was on Captain Cook�s ship �Endeavour� that arrived in Australia in 1770.It was from a subsequent trip to Australia that specimens were gathered resulting in seeds being grown in European glasshouses and 2 new species being named. One of these was the Banksia Grandis named by Carl Wildenow in 1798. Banksias in general occur as plants ranging from prostrate shrubs, to larger bushes, and trees of around 50 feet in height. The Banksias Grandis is restricted to a natural occurrence in only the southwest corner of Western Australia. More specifically, the coastal plain and Darling plateau from a point some distance north of Perth extending over an area about 650 miles southwards and eastwards along the coast and about 100 miles inland at most.

Nettle flowers pictures.

 white nettle flowers.

 purple nettle flowers.

 yellowish nettle flowers.

 light purple nettle flowers.

Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Urticaceae
Genus:	Urtica L., 1753

 (Information from  Wikipedia) : Nettles constitute between 24 and 39 species of flowering plants of the genus Urtica in the family Urticaceae, with acosmopolitan though mainly temperate distribution. They are mostly herbaceous perennial plants, but some are annual and a few are shrubby. Most of the species have stinging hairs on the stems and leaves.

The most prominent member of the genus is the stinging nettle,Urtica dioica, native to Europe, Africa, Asia, and North America. The genus also contains a number of other species with similar properties, listed below. However, a large number of species included within this genus in the older literature are now recognized as synonyms of Urtica dioica. Some of these taxaare still recognized as subspecies.

Urtica nettles are food for the caterpillars of numerousLepidoptera (butterflies and moths), such as the tortrix mothSyricoris lacunana and several Nymphalidae.

Valentines flowers pictures.

(This article is from Wikipedia).Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day,^[1][2][3] is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions.^[1][3] The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD. It was deleted from the General Roman Calendar of saints in 1969 by Pope Paul VI. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). The day first became associated with romantic love in the circle ofGeoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.

Modern Valentine's Day symbols include the heart-shapedoutline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.^[4]