Hinoki cypress is a luxurious, emerald green tree with compact, soft needles. It is often used in much of the beautiful architecture and woodwork of traditional Japanese structures. In bonsai, the hinoki cypress is capable of representing a multitude of forms and shapes. It has phenomenal bark and a soft presentation.
Hinoki Cypress
Multiple Hinoki Cypress Bonsai Trees
The word “Bon-sai” (often misspelled as bonzai or banzai) is a Japanese term which, literally translated, means “planted in a container”. It has been around for well over a thousand years. The ultimate goal of growing a Bonsai is to create a miniaturized but realistic representation of nature in the form of a tree. Bonsai are not genetically dwarfed plants, in fact, any tree species can be used to grow one.
The Triangle Bonsai Society displayed an amazing array of bonsai carefully pruned plants in the Doris Duke Center at Sarah P. Duke Gardens, Durham, North Carolina. The 2-day exhibit included more than 40 bonsai created in multiple styles from a wide range of plant species, including maple, azalea, pine, elm, juniper, bald cypress, crabapple, ficus and more. We will post some images from our visit there on July 6, 2024.
A Bonsai Tree
These images of trees in the fog in North Carolina are accentuated in their monochrome version
Leafless Beauty
Trees in the Fog
Trees and their shadows nicely frame the Houston Water Wall
Houston Water Wall Framed by Trees and Shadows
The shadows of the trees add a different perspective to the Houston Water Wall
Shadows on Houston Water Wall
Walking on the streets of Wilmington, Delaware couldn’t resist capturing stairs inside the building with reflections of the trees and bushes on the glass.
Rain drops acts as lenses and photograph a reverse image of pine trees in the background. Some interesting and unusual photos captured after a rainfall.
Shooting against the light at a colorful sunset in Hickory, North Carolina, the trees and rays of the sun appear as silhouettes
Shooting in winter against a sun creates tree silhouettes in this image
Not a true silhouette, but this image shot against a sunset in Santa Monica, California creates silhouettes of a bird, tree and a fence.
Under a tree without its bark reveals interesting vertical designs created on the trunk by nature
Reflections of trees in water almost look like paintings created by nature at Price Lake in North Carolina
We start focusing on the simple beauty of nature. There are countless natural wonders in North Carolina. North Carolina’s state and national parks offer bountiful opportunities to get outside and explore nature’s wonders. Here is a typical scene of blue sky, white cloud formations, and greenery of trees midst the mountains.
A swinging steel cable and rope bridge above the tree tops to view birds at a forest in Ecuador Amazonia
Clouds add to the natural layers of trees and mountains at Shenandoah National Park
Dazzling bright yellow Fall color on trees in Portage, Michigan
The rocky terrain around Bera, Rajasthan creates interesting formations such as a eagle-lookalike, and a lonely tree growing on a huge porous-like rock.
Flowers still grace the Frangipani or Plumeria tree though most of the leaves have fallen off creating an interesting image from India.
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. Statues of Buddha, generally under a tree, are found all over India depicting him in a serene, peaceful, and meditative pose.
The Lion is probably the biggest enemy of the Leopard and a fight to the death will ensue when they come into contact. Hyenas and Baboons have also been known to attack and kill Leopards, in particular the young cubs. Leopards climb trees to survey the surrounding area for food, stay cool in the shade, store their prey and, most importantly, escape potential danger.
A leopard in full stride at Gir National Park, Gujarat, India.
