Archive for April 1st, 2008
Actually it’s Aster
The common daisy
I’ve learned so much about the common daisy today, perhaps more than I was looking to learn.
A member of the Asteraceae family, the aster takes its name from the Latin word meaning “star” and refers to the flower’s starlike head. The popular cut flower is actually an herbaceous perennial indigenous to all continents except Australia and, of course, Antarctica. Known alternatively as the Michaelmas daisy, starwort and frost flower, the aster usually blooms in late summer or fall, although the flower is commercially available all year round from various sources. There are more than 600 known aster species, but just a few varieties enjoy popularity as cut flowers. Asters are available in almost every shade except clear yellow and orange, although the white, blue, purple and violet shades predominate. The family Asteraceae includes numerous species and cultivars used in horticulture, “monte casino” is particularly important in the floristry trade.
I was really interested in finding out when they start to flower in South Shields, they appear on lawns and open fields or on The Leas (which is where I found this one). The weather was certainly a fair bit warmer yesterday than we’ve had of late and we enjoyed a few hours of sunshine too, Crocus bulbs flowered and withered away three weeks ago, daffodils are dressing the town right now, and daisies have started to appear in our gardens.
So, is it spring now?
Camera details; Pentax K100D, 450mm lens (macro), 1/250 second, f8, iso 200
