Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Genus: Alcea

Fortunately, at least the Hollyhocks and Gladioli were still in bloom and in good condition when I called in briefly at the Reader Rock Garden after an afternoon volunteer shift on 26 August 2015. Most of the flowers there had finished for the season and many of the ones that did still exist were past their prime. Still managed to get a few photos, though, including these Hollyhock buds with a little visitor. "Alcea (Ál-ce-a), commonly known as hollyhocks, is a genus of about 60 species of flowering plants in the mallow family Malvaceae. Most species are native to southwest and central Asia, although a few are native to southeast Europe or Egypt." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcea I wasn't sure whether I should go there or not that day, as the air quality had been very poor for a number of days, due to smoke blowing across from the devastating forest fires in Washington State, northwest US. Fortunately, the rain that had been falling for a few days helped the firefighters fight the flames.

After a bitterly cold day yesterday (17 January 2016), standing in a temperature of -15C with a windchill of -22C, I needed a warm, sunny shot for today. Fortunately, at least the Hollyhocks and Gladioli were still in bloom and in good condition when I called in briefly at the Reader Rock Garden after an afternoon volunteer shift on 26 August 2015. Most of the flowers there had finished for the season and many of the ones that did still exist were past their prime. Still managed to get a few photos, though, including this beautiful pink Hollyhock flower. "Alcea (Ál-ce-a), commonly known as hollyhocks, is a genus of about 60 species of flowering plants in the mallow family Malvaceae. Most species are native to southwest and central Asia, although a few are native to southeast Europe or Egypt." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcea I wasn't sure whether I should go there or not that day, as the air quality had been very poor for a number of days, due to smoke blowing across from the devastating forest fires in Washington State, northwest US. Fortunately, the rain that had been falling for a few days helped the firefighters fight the flames.

A very sad day yesterday, as I learned that local photographer, Brad Russell, passed away a few days ago. He had a close group of great friends (including John Andersen and Brett Abernethy) and they used to go out together with their cameras, day or night. Stunning photography by all. I only met Brad on one occasion, at Heritage Park, on a photo shoot with my daughter and the photography group she ran for a short while. He left a lasting impression on me - something great about his personality, making him such a comfortable person to be around. My sincere condolences to his family and to each of his friends. He will be missed by many - his incredible images will live on. Though he closed his Flickr account quite a time ago, his photos can be seen with National Geographic. www.evanjstrong.com/obituaries/Robert-Russell-11/#!/Obituary My thoughts also go out to the families and friends of the nine victims of the shooting at Umpqua Community College, Oregon, US. A lot of healing, physical and emotional, will be needed for those who were injured, including the young father who bravely attempted to stop the shooter. Apparently, the shooter, a student at the College, acquired all his weapons legally, some bought by his own mother. This beautiful Hollyhock flower, seen in a friend's garden on 25 August 2015, represents to me the complete opposite of yet another senseless tragedy - a reminder of the good and beautiful in the world. A touch of winter arrived here last night and I woke up to a dusting of white. The snow fell, mixed with rain, so it's probably rather slippery out there. I've just checked our weather forecast (around noon) and the temperature is 2C (feeling like -4C). I don't think there is any fine snow falling now and, so far, none forecast for the next week or more. I know where I will be all day today - at home in the warm, hoping that the snow and ice on my car windshield will melt quickly. I am so not ready for this! Lol, is anybody?!

When I got up almost an hour ago, the sky was blue and the sun was brightly shining. It seems to have clouded over now, but hopefully the smoky air that we've had the last few days has disappeared. That means that the forecast rain for the northwest United States actually happened, which should help all those brave firefighters in their battle against the widespread flames. This is a close shot of a pale pink Hollyhock flower that was growing at the Reader Rock Garden on 26 August 2015. I always love to see the centres of these large flowers. Fortunately, at least the Hollyhocks and Gladioli were still in bloom and in good condition when I called in briefly at the Reader Rock Garden after an afternoon volunteer shift. Most of the flowers there have finished for the season and many of the ones that do still exist are past their prime. Still managed to get a few photos, though. "Alcea (Ál-ce-a), commonly known as hollyhocks, is a genus of about 60 species of flowering plants in the mallow family Malvaceae. Most species are native to southwest and central Asia, although a few are native to southeast Europe or Egypt." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcea