DESKTOP 3223 - AUTUMN FRUIT

On a walk in the parklands I found some wild fruit growing on trees and bushes. The most unfamiliar to Northern Hemisphere dwellers perhaps may be the lilly-pilly, Syzygium smithii, (formerly Acmena smithii). This is a summer-flowering, winter-fruiting evergreen tree, belonging to the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It shares the common name "lilly-pilly" with several other plants, however in New Zealand, it is commonly known as 'monkey apple'.

It is planted as shrubs or hedgerows, and features: rough, woody bark; cream and green smooth, waxy leaves; flushes of pink new growth; and white to maroon edible, slightly tart berries that may be made into jam. Unpruned, it will grow about 3–5 m tall in the garden.

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

DESKTOP 3218 - FALLING RAIN

We're steadily progressing towards Winter and our days are shortening, the mornings are cold and the rain falls.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

DESKTOP 3215 - AUTUMNAL STREET

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

DESKTOP 3213 - SUNSET SKY

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

DESKTOP 3212 - AUTUMN BOUQUET

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

DESKTOP 3211 - LEAF

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

DESKTOP 3209 - AUTUMN WALK

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

DESKTOP 3204 - ON THE GROUND

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

DESKTOP 3202 - FOUR SEASONS

The changing face of the big pond in the Darebin Parklands with the passing of the seasons.

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

DESKTOP 3197 - A TASTE OF WINTER

We had a wintry day today in Melbourne, with cold weather, rain, hail and snow showers on the distant mountains. Our May is the equivalent of the Northern Hemisphere's November...

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

DESKTOP 3195 - AUTUMN LEAVES

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme

DESKTOP 3190 - AUTUMN LEAVES

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

DESKTOP 3183 - PERSIMMONS

Autumn means that the persimmons are ripening and their bright orange colour ensures that only do they please the taste buds, but also the eyes. Some people do not like eating these. What about you? Are you a persimmon eater or a persimmon hater?

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

DESKTOP 3181 - RAIN

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

DESKTOP 3167 - SEASONAL CONTRAST

North and South Hemisphere seasons collide!

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

DESKTOP 3156 - DAISY

"Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness." - Desmond Tutu

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

DESKTOP 3153 - AUTUMN ARRIVES

The Autumnal Equinox on the 21st of March in the Southern Hemisphere heralds the arrival of Autumn...

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

DESKTOP 3141 - DECLINE

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

DESKTOP 3138 - AUTUMN IS COMING

Summer is finishing, Autumn is coming...

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

DESKTOP 3135 - JAPANESE ANEMONES

Anemone hupehensis, Anemone hupehensis var. japonica, and Anemone × hybrida (commonly known as the Chinese anemone or Japanese anemone, thimbleweed, or windflower) are species of flowering herbaceous perennials in the Ranunculaceae family. A. hupehensis is native to central China, though it has been naturalised in Japan for hundreds of years. 

The species was first named and described in Flora Japonica (1784), by Carl Thunberg. Thunberg had collected dried specimens while working as a doctor for the Dutch East Indies Company. In 1844, Robert Fortune brought the plant to England from China, where he found it often planted about graves. Height is 1–1.5 m and the leaves have three leaflets. Flowers are 40–60 mm across, with 5-6 (or up to 20 in double forms) sculpted pink or white petals and prominent yellow stamens, blooming from midsummer to autumn. 

These plants thrive best in shady areas and under protection of larger plants. They are especially sensitive to drought or overwatering. They can be invasive or weedy in some areas, throwing out suckers from the fibrous rootstock, to rapidly colonise an area. Once established they can be extremely difficult to eradicate. On the other hand, they can take some time to become established.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.