Monday, November 23, 2009

Red Hibiscus

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The hibiscus are still blooming here in Israel. Not quite as many as during the height of summer but still enough to add delightful bursts of color here and there. That's actually one of my favorite things about Israeli winters - they may be cold (relatively speaking) and wet, but they are full of color. Because winter is our rainy season, it's actually peak season for many wildflowers and plants. The summers are hot and very very dry, making it easy to plan picnics or a day at the beach, but things do start to get a bit parched looking. In winter all those brown fields and hills burst into colorful bloom and new growth is everywhere. There were no roses blooming in January when I was growing up in New York, that's for sure, and certainly no wild daffodils like the ones below, blooming right now in Nahal Shimri.
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Have an image with a bit of red in it? Or a lot? Come share it for Ruby Tuesday over at Work of the Poet.
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PS Notice anything unusual about the images in this post? They're bigger! I finally learned how to override Blogger's automatic resizing thanks to CoffeeShopBlogger. So much nicer this way, although they do make me think that a two-column template might work better with the larger format images. I think you can still click on them to see the image full size as well.
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31 comments:

Gypsy Lala said...

Pretty hibiscus, I have my post of hibiscus last week.

Mojo said...

The hibiscus long ago gave up on us here, but I really like what you did with this one!

Leora said...

Lovely and inspiring. Your winter is more like our spring, though I think hibiscus is only in bloom in summer in New Jersey. The daffodils are sweet and gentle.

Dina said...

Beautiful big photos.
Our flowers are the best part of Israeli winter.

Daryl said...

Lovely angles .. some fall flowers happening here but nothing this sunshine bright

Anonymous said...

Beautiful photos my friend :)

Flea said...

Absolutely beautiful.

EG CameraGirl said...

The hibiscus is is beautiful.

Rose said...

Oh, these are beautiful! I still like a bit of winter, though. But don't ask me what I think come January!

Kim, USA said...

Wow that is what I am looking for winter, lots of colors and just rain no snow ^_^ Thanks for sharing!

My Ruby Tuesday

maryt/theteach said...

Your photos are gorgeous and much bigger, Robin. But maybe a 2 column blog format would do the trick... Good luck in the Giveaway! :)

Ralph said...

It sounds like you remember winters in the Northeast US. But the tradeoff between wet winters and dry summers seems just about the right climatic blend. The flower is beautiful, a perfect ruby!

eden said...

Lovely flowers. I love hibiscus and i am planning to get one for my front garden

Chubskulit Rose said...

Hibiscus is one of my favorite flowers. I like daffodils too! Great shots!
Beauty of the Fall

Happily Retired Gal said...

Simply BEAUTIFUL blossoms! Love both the hibiscus and daffodils and am reminded my irises sprouted back in October and the shoots have been growing taller ever since. I have no idea what's going to happen to them when (if?) winter ever comes to Southern California.
Hugs and blessings,

EJ said...

Lovely hibiscus, I like how you took the photo!

Happy Thanksgiving! Please check out Our last days in Korea

Tussy said...

Love the the hibiscus and daffodils.

They are in good contrast.

You Got A Posty
All Little Things I Like

Dimple said...

That daffodil is delightful, I'm glad you included it.

Jama said...

Beautiful hibiscus! we have lots of hibiscus around here , and it thrive in the hot climate, with blooms all year long.

Raven said...

Well, I'm officially jealous. It is has begun to be rather bleak here. We have had a strange year. Last winter was one of the worst I can ever remember with bitter cold and snow that never melted, then we didn't have much of a Spring or Summer, Fall slipped by like a ghost in the night and now it's winter again. No snow yet, but no pretty flowers and color fading fast to greys and browns. Thanks for sharing those beautiful bursts of color.

MaR said...

My hibiscus is blooming like yours too :)
Fantastic shots!!
My RT

pinkyshelo said...

lovely red hibiscus...

Anonymous said...

Your flowers are beautiful. We don't have anything like this in autumn, only in spring and summer.

Martha said...

I love hibiscus, I do miss them now that we do not live in FL! Your photos are beautiful!

My RT

moneythoughts said...

Nice pictures Robin. If I was God, I would have flowers blooming in Israel in the winter too.

Auntie E said...

Love these flowers. Mom had one in the yard.

Felisol said...

Your winters are warmer than our summers, what do you say about that, my friend? The hibiscus is an indoor plant in Norway!
A beautiful sample and likewise beautiful picture.
If my rheuma factor goes up a few points, I may be a candidate for Norwegian health travels somewhere near Tel Aviv.
That would be the day!
I'd definitely go in January or November, the grayest months by us.
From Felisl
From

Robin said...

November is generally a lovely month to visit here Felisol - still fairly warm and sunny, not too rainy yet - but I'd love for you to visit whenever your travels bring you here :).

Dianne said...

the flowers are lovely Robin
I love cold weather but miss the flowers

imom said...

Those photos are gorgeous! I especially love the hibiscus, great composition in that photo!

Mama Pajama said...

nice hibiscus!