“Pareja” at the Colosseum

302_1201 [Deredia]

This image shows Pareja (Couple), a piece of work

by the Costa Rican master sculptor Jorge Jiménez Deredia.

It was displayed as part of an open-air exhibition of Deredia’s work

near the Colosseum in Rome in 2009.

 

Cast in polished bronze with a dark patina finish and featuring smooth, ovoid forms,

the piece captivated my attention.

The more I looked at the two faces, the more captivated I became.

It is hard to explain why, even today.

 

Much later,

I read that the artist had created these intertwined, serene figures

to symbolize serenity, unity, love and human interconnection.

 

I am sharing these images

in case anyone may have missed this exhibition of monumental works.

 

 

 

302_1201 [Deredia]

 a trimmed section of the image

 directing your eye straight to the two faces

 

 

 

302_1326 [Deredia]

 

an extra image from the same exhibition

highlighting Deredia’s artistic style.

 

 

Colchicum sfikasianum

804_1013 [Colchicum sfikasianum]

 

802_6942 [Colchicum sficasianum]

 

Colchicum sfikasianum is a perennial autumn flower,

endemic to Greece

in S. Peloponnese, Mt. Hymittos in Attica and in some Ionic islands.

It grows in sunny stony and rocky places

mainly at heights of up to 500 m.

When it is in bloom, it has no leaves. They appear in spring.

Its flowering, together with the Cyclamen,

signifies the beginning

of the new flower-shooting season for us wild flower photographers!

 

A note of caution!

All parts of the plant are poisonous, as is the case with all colchicums!

 

 

Two sides of the same "coin"

 

801_1309 [Kolokotronis]

While walking along Stadiou Street in central Athens,

I found myself standing beside this statue

and decided to photograph it.

The low angle of the sunlight and the strong contrast

turned the rider into a striking silhouette.

At first, I was pleased with the result,

but when I later looked at the image on the computer screen,

something about the rider's head looked odd.

I wondered why.

 

 

801_1309 [Kolokotronis]

 Curious to solve the mystery,

I processed the image to bring out some of the details

hidden in the shadows.

 

The rider's helmet emerged,

explaining the unusual shape of the silhouette,

and his identity became immediately clear

— at least to any Greek viewer.

 

The newly revealed details of the horse were an additional bonus.

 

For my non-Greek readers:

the rider is Theodoros Kolokotronis (1770–1843),

the Commander-in-Chief of the Greek forces

during the War of Independence of 1821 against Ottoman rule.

The statue stands in front of the Old Parliament building in Athens.

 

 

Lilium chalcedonicum

302_0801 [Lilium chalcedonicum]

 

A Lilium chalcedonicum in the process of flowering.

A new marvel is being born! Compare with the image below!

 

 This impressive, perennial wild flower is endemic to Greece

and to south Albania.

 

In Greece,

it grows in cool, relatively shady habitats at elevations of 500–700 m

on Mounts Olympus, Pindos, Taygetos, and Parnon,

as well as on several islands in the western Aegean Sea.

It grows to 90 cm tall

and from June to late August,

it produces 1–6 spectacular red flower heads, each about 5 cm across.

 

As a rare species,

it is protected under Presidential Decree 67/81,

which prohibits collection of specific rare flowers from the wild

for decorative purposes.

 

 

301_2920 [Lilium chalcedonicum]

 A spectacular and unusual flower head

with its characteristic curved petals that grow upwards

while the flower head is always turned downwards!

 

 

A street lamp and something else!

_MG_4579 [street lamp]
 

A beautiful old-style three-head street lamp.

 

In spite of its beauty, though,

what attracted my attention first was not the lamp itself

but a bottle hanging from it!

Now when, how, why, or by whom the bottle was placed there,

is up to anyone’s imagination to find out.

And certainly, you are free to try yours!

 

The picture was taken in a cosmopolitan European city.

 

 

 

Black and white in a color Photograph

 

DSCN1614 [B&W in a color photo]

 

I have to admit that

although I enjoy looking at quality B&W photographs,

I never take B&W photos.

However,

while I was strolling in a hotel garden in Acapulco some years ago,

I took the above picture

in which I unintentionally combined B&W with color photography!

 

Can you see what I mean?

🙂🙂🙂

 

Confession:

Personally, I found out only when I saw the picture

on the computer screen!

Ononis spinosa

301_3359 [Ononis spinosa]

 

Ononis spinosa (known as ‘Spiny Rest-harrow’ in English)

is a widespread, perennial, flowering plant

found mainly in southern temperate areas of Europe.

It is an erect shrub that hardly ever reaches 60 cm in height.

 

What attracted my attention to this plant in the field

was the shape of the flower

and its long woody spines (see red arrow above)

which can easily prick or scratch you if you touch them.

 

Contrary to its frightening spikes,

the flower is a delight to look at from close.

It consists of a large, upright, rounded petal

and two, small, lateral ones (Similar to flowers of pea-family plants).

The latter ones enclose a tiny, boat-like, structure

containing the plant’s reproductive organs.

The species is hermaphrodite: it has both male and female organs

and is pollinated usually by bees.

 

 

301_3360 [Ononis spinosa]

 In Greece,

this shrub is found in dry bushy places,

such as roadsides, rocky grounds and waste places.

It produces flowers that vary in color from pink to violet.

They are 1-2 cm long, and bloom in summer at heights up to 1900 meters.

 

The picture was taken on Mt. Hortiatis.

 

 

Papaver rhoeas

IMG_7529 [Papaver rhoeas]

Every spring, the bright red flowers of Papaver rhoeas,

or “The common poppy” as it is widely known,

bring color to fields, roadsides, and open ground across much of Europe.

It is one of the continent's most widespread wildflowers.

In Greece,

its vivid flowers are a familiar sight especially at low elevations.

Although the common poppy still thrives in many places,

it has become less abundant in cultivated fields

because it is often treated as a weed

and controlled with herbicides.

Even so,

its brilliant flowers continue to be

one of the most memorable signs of spring and early summer.

 

 

 

801_9353 [Papaver rhoeas]

 

This annual plant grows up to 60 cm tall,

blooms from March to June

and produces a vibrant poppy flower of 50–60 mm across.

 

 

 

301_9533 [Papaver rhoeas]

Despite its predominant red color,

the poppy bloom may appear in various shades of red.

 

 

 

IMG_0085 [Papaver rhoeas]

 

Each bloom has four silky red petals

which often have a black patch at the base.

 

 

 

IMG_7550 [Papaver rhoeas]

 The black patch is sometimes edged with white. 

 

 

801_4362 [Papaver rhoeas]

After flowering,

the blossom develops a spherical seed capsule

with eight to thirteen stigmatic rays.