This site is dedicated to all the beautiful things that surround us. It is easy to become so absorbed with pointless things, that we hardly ever pause a while and look at the beauty and wonder around us.
As a 3D Animator, I spend long hours behind the computer. I absolutely love animating, and the challenges associated with visual effects for film and television. One however soon discovers that there is more to life than work. In order to have a more balanced life, I try and spend as much time outdoors as possible. In South Africa, we are blessed with a warm sunny climate, and I love walking around in my garden, and taking pictures that inspire me. Here is a small compilation of photographs (mainly from my garden).
[ Home ] [ Flowering Trees ] [ Flowers ] [ Bromeliads ] [ Cacti ] [ Leaves ] [ Birds ] [ Insects/Bugs/Spiders ] [ Other ]
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Flowering Trees (Up Close)
> Click on images to Enlarge <
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African Tulip Tree Spathodea campanulata |
African Tulip Tree Spathodea campanulata |
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African Tulip Tree Spathodea campanulata |
African Tulip Tree Spathodea campanulata |
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Argentinean Coral Tree Erythrina crista-galli |
Argentinean Coral Tree Erythrina crista-galli |
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Argentinean Coral Tree Erythrina crista-galli |
Argentinean Coral Tree Erythrina crista-galli |
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Argentinean Coral Tree Erythrina crista-galli |
Chinese Flame Tree Koelreuteria bipinnata |
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Floss-Silk Tree (Kapok Tree) Chorisia speciosa |
Floss-Silk Tree (Kapok Tree) Chorisia speciosa |
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Floss-Silk Tree (Kapok Tree) Chorisia speciosa |
Floss-Silk Tree (Kapok Tree) Chorisia speciosa |
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Floss-Silk Tree (Kapok Tree) Chorisia speciosa |
Floss-Silk Tree (Kapok Tree) Chorisia speciosa |
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Floss-Silk Tree (Kapok Tree) Chorisia speciosa |
Floss-Silk Tree (Kapok Tree) Chorisia speciosa |
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Fire-Wheel Tree Stenocarpus sinuatus |
Fire-Wheel Tree Stenocarpus sinuatus |
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Fire-Wheel Tree Stenocarpus sinuatus |
Fire-Wheel Tree Stenocarpus sinuatus |
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Fire-Wheel Tree Stenocarpus sinuatus |
Fire-Wheel Tree Stenocarpus sinuatus |
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Pink Flowering Gum Tree Eucalyptus ficifolia |
Pink Flowering Gum Tree Eucalyptus ficifolia |
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Weeping Tree Senna multijuga |
Red Weeping Bottlebrush Callistemon viminalis |
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Floss-Silk Tree (Kapok Tree) Huge Kapok tree towering over houses. |
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All work on this site is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.
I have come to realize that there is no such thing as having "Green Fingers". Anyone can experience the rewards of making a cutting grow. If you are interested in propagation techniques, take a look at the great "Propagation" section on the "Society for Growing Australian Plants" web site. It is packed with tips and techniques that really work.
If Flowering Trees interest you, why not join the Yahoo Flowering Trees Group.
Flowers (Up Close)
> Click on images to Enlarge <
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Hibiscus (Lady Rosa) Very close up macro shot. |
Sweat Pea Sweat Pea flower after rain. |
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Sweat Pea Sweat Pea flower. |
Sweat Pea Sweat Pea flower. |
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Protea cynaroides (Red Rex) Proteas are South Africa's national flower. Red Rex is one of my favorite Proteas. |
Protea cynaroides (Red Rex) Proteas are South Africa's national flower. Red Rex is one of my favorite Proteas. |
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Chinese Lantern One of my favorites. |
Chinese Lantern One of my favorites. |
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Red Hot Poker Spectacular in Autumn. |
Red Hot Poker Spectacular in Autumn. |
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Fragrant Delight Smells like vanilla, coconut and honey. |
Butterfly Bush Attracts lots of butterflies. |
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Hebe The tiny flowers are amazing close up. |
Hebe The tiny flowers are amazing close up. |
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Scrimp Plant Flowers all year in warm climates. |
Anemone Beautiful in early Spring. |
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Tibouchina (Princess flower) Flowers in late Summer / early Autumn. |
Tibouchina (Princess flower) Flowers in late Summer / early Autumn. |
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Tibouchina (Princess flower) Flowers in late Summer / early Autumn. |
New Guinea Impatience It is hard to decide if the leaves or flowers are more spectacular. |
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Wax Plant Flower |
Wax Plant Flower |
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See these tiny flowers up close. Only with Macro
photography, do we realize how little detail the human eye detects.
It is amazing to discover what we simply don't see.
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Begonia Flower This tiny flower seems to be covered in silver dust up close. |
Honey Flower Tiny flower clusters that smell like honey. |
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Wallflower Each flower on the bunch is a different colour. |
Wallflower Each flower on the bunch is a different colour. |
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Powder Puff Loves half-shade. |
Canna Spectacular, and flowers for months on end. |
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Canna Spectacular, and flowers for months on end. |
Canna Spectacular, and flowers for months on end. |
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Canna Spectacular, and flowers for months on end. |
Canna Spectacular, and flowers for months on end. |
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Canna Spectacular, and flowers for months on end. |
Canna Spectacular, and flowers for months on end. |
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Canna Spectacular, and flowers for months on end. |
Canna Spectacular, and flowers for months on end. |
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Canna Spectacular, and flowers for months on end. |
Canna Spectacular, and flowers for months on end. |
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Inca Lilly Flowers right through the year (in warm climates).. |
Inca Lilly Flowers right through the year (in warm climates). |
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Inca Lilly Flowers right through the year (in warm climates). |
Orchid Always spectacular. |
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New Guinea Nightshade / Patato Plant Flowers up to 9 months a year (very lush) . Flowers close at night. |
Rose Photograph taken shortly after rain. |
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Rose It is easy to see why roses are the most grown flower. |
Rose It is easy to see why roses are the most grown flower. |
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Rose It is easy to see why roses are the most grown flower. |
Rose It is easy to see why roses are the most grown flower. |
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Rose It is easy to see why roses are the most grown flower. |
Rose It is easy to see why roses are the most grown flower. |
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Rose It is easy to see why roses are the most grown flower. |
Rose It is easy to see why roses are the most grown flower. |
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Rose (Candy Stripe) It is easy to see why roses are the most grown flower. |
Rose It is easy to see why roses are the most grown flower. |
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Rose It is easy to see why roses are the most grown flower. |
Rose It is easy to see why roses are the most grown flower. |
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Rose It is easy to see why roses are the most grown flower. |
Rose It is easy to see why roses are the most grown flower. |
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Rose It is easy to see why roses are the most grown flower. |
Rose It is easy to see why roses are the most grown flower. |
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Rose It is easy to see why roses are the most grown flower. |
Rose It is easy to see why roses are the most grown flower. |
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Rose It is easy to see why roses are the most grown flower. |
Yellow Moonflower / Angel's Trumpet Massive flowers for months on end. |
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Yellow Moonflower / Angel's Trumpet Massive flowers for months on end. |
Yellow Moonflower / Angel's Trumpet Massive flowers for months on end. |
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Fusia Flowers for months on end. |
Fusia Flowers for months on end. |
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Fusia Flowers for months on end. |
Fusia Flowers for months on end. |
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Fusia Flowers for months on end. |
Ranunculus Beautiful... |
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Ranunculus Beautiful... |
Aster Always brightens up any garden. |
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Salvia (Traditional purple) Flowers most of the year. Beautiful up close. |
Salvia (Traditional purple) Flowers most of the year. Beautiful up close. |
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Red Salvia Flowers most of the year. Beautiful up close. |
Red Salvia Flowers most of the year. Beautiful up close. |
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Bougainvillea Very showy and spectacular around the year. |
Bougainvillea Very showy and spectacular around the year. |
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Bougainvillea Very showy and spectacular around the year. |
Bougainvillea Very showy and spectacular around the year. |
All work on this site is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.
Bromeliads (Rainforest Plants - Up Close)
> Click on images to Enlarge <
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Aechmea fasciata Called "Vase Plant" in some countries, but as Derek Butcher (Uncle Derek) from the FCBS points out, this is actually misleading as many bromeliads' leaves form a vase. The flower lasted for more than a year. |
Aechmea fasciata Called "Vase Plant" in some countries, but as Derek Butcher (Uncle Derek) from the FCBS points out, this is actually misleading as many bromeliads' leaves form a vase. The flower lasted for more than a year. |
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Hybrid of Aechmea racinae |
Hybrid of Aechmea racinae |
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Hybid of Vriesea inflata (Flaming Sword) |
Nidularium |
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Neoregelia compacta (Blushing Bromeliad). |
Neoregelia (Blushing Bromeliad) |
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Aechmea (Burning Bush) |
Aechmea (Burning Bush) |
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Neoregelia |
Neoregelia |
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Vriesea splendens |
Vriesea splendens |
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Aechmea recurvata
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All work on this site is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.
Take a look at the largest Bromeliad archive on the web, and discover these fantastic plants (that grow wild in the rainforests of Brazil)
> Florida Council of Bromeliad Societies <
Cacti and Succulents (Up Close)
> Click on images to Enlarge <
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Cissus bainesii |
Euphorbia heptagona |
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Euphorbia splendens (Crown of Thorns) |
Pachypodium lamieri |
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Euphorbia coerelescens |
Crassula higginsiana |
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Euphorbia splendens (Crown of Thorns) |
Euphorbia splendens (Crown of Thorns) |
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Euphorbia splendens (Crown of Thorns) |
Euphorbia splendens (Crown of Thorns) |
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Euphorbia splendens and Pachypodium lamieri |
Euphorbia grandicornis |
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Euphorbia grandicornis |
Euphorbia grandicornis |
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Euphorbia grandicornis |
Euphorbia grandicornis |
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Euphorbia grandicornis |
Euphorbia grandicornis |
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Oscularia deltoides |
Oscularia deltoides |
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Crassula capitella (Campfire) |
Crassula capitella (Campfire) |
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Crassula capitella (Campfire) |
Crassula capitella (Campfire) |
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Schlumbergera (Christmas Cactus hybrid) |
Schlumbergera (Christmas Cactus hybrid) |
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Schlumbergera (Christmas Cactus hybrid) |
Nopalxocia phyllanthoides |
All work on this site is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.
View my Stapeliad photographs at: "Stapeliads - Hidden Treasures of the Desert".
View more Succulent Macro Photographs at: "The World Up-Close".
Photographs identified by Tony Mace at Cactus-Mall.com and Diav at CactiGuide.com
Also visit Desert Cacti.com and Desert-Tropicals.com for more information.
If you are interested in Cacti and Succulents, join the Cactus_study group @ Yahoo.
Stapelia schinzii (Stapeliad) Flower Time-lapse:
Nikon D200 D-SLR - Stapelia schinzii var. schinzii (photographed over 8 hours at night).
720 x 522 pixels - 1.71 Mb. Quicktime H.264 Codec
Tromotriche revoluta (Stapeliad) Flower Time-lapse:
Nikon D200 D-SLR - Tromotriche revoluta (photographed over 5 hours at night).
720 x 530 pixels - 1.06 Mb. Quicktime H.264 Codec
Succulent Flower Time-lapse:
Nikon D70 - Flower closing before mid-afternoon rain shower (photographed over 1 hour 15 minutes).
480 x 360 pixels - 2.03 Mb. - DivX Codec.
Huernia humilis (Stapeliad) Flower Time-lapse:
Nikon D200 D-SLR - Flower opening on a very cloudy day (photographed from 9 AM - 5 PM).
640 x 457 pixels - 2.85Mb. - Quicktime H.264 Codec.
All work on this site is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.
360 Degree Panoramic Photographs:
360 Degree Quicktime VR Panorama:
The Succulent Rock Garden at the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden (South Africa) close to my house.
Quicktime VR Navigation Controls:
Mouse Click & Drag = Left, Right, Up, & Down ;
Ctrl = Zoom Out ; Shift = Zoom In.
Quicktime Plugin Required
My Flickr Photographic Groups:
[Flickr Stapeliad & Asclepiad Group]
[Flickr All things Beautiful in Nature Group]
[My Flickr Photographic Gallery]
All work on this site is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.
Leaves (Up Close)
> Click on images to Enlarge <
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Prayer Plant Leaves close like praying hands at night. |
Prayer Plant (Ten Commandments) Leaves close like praying hands at night. |
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Prayer Plant Leaves close like praying hands at night. |
Prayer Plant Leaves close like praying hands at night. |
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Prayer Plant (Peacock Plant) Leaves close like praying hands at night. |
Zebra Plant
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Aluminum Plant |
Begonia (Bowerie Tiger) |
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Begonia |
New Guinea Impatience |
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Nerve Plant / Mosaic Plant |
Nerve Plant / Mosaic Plant |
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Nerve Plant / Mosaic Plant |
Violet Leaves |
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Peperomia |
Peperomia |
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Polkadot Plant |
Polkadot Plant |
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Polkadot Plant |
Polkadot Plant |
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Tibouchina leaves |
Croton |
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Beefsteak Plant |
Beefsteak Plant |
Prayer Plant Time-Lapse
384 x 288 pixels - 1 Mb. - DivX Codec.
All work on this site is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.
Birds (South African Garden Birds)
> Click on images to Enlarge <
The following bird pictures were captured from DV Tape, and is thus not as sharp as the pictures taken with my Digital Stills Camera.
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Red-billed Woodhoopoe A woodpecker with the most amazing shiny blue-green metallic feathers. They have a very distinct call that alerts one of their presence immediately when they come to feed. |
Red-billed Woodhoopoe A woodpecker with the most amazing shiny blue-green metallic feathers. They have a very distinct call that alerts one of their presence immediately when they come to feed. |
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Red-billed Woodhoopoe The group consists of the mother, father, the baby (with the black bill), and last seasons baby. Although the new baby is completely capable of feeding itself, everyone in the group feeds the baby on a regular basis (just in case it didn't get enough to eat). |
Red-billed Woodhoopoe The group consists of the mother, father, the baby (with the black bill), and last seasons baby. Although the new baby is completely capable of feeding itself, everyone in the group feeds the baby on a regular basis (just in case it didn't get enough to eat). |
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Burchell's Coucal A large magnificent bird with one of the most beautiful calls. The male and female answers each other in a beautiful duet of song. |
Burchell's Coucal A large magnificent bird with one of the most beautiful calls. The male and female answers each other in a beautiful duet of song. |
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Grey Lourie These magnificent large bids love soft fruit, and acquired a taste for bread |
Black-bellied Glossy Starling A beautiful metallic blue-green bird that loves to spend time around the feeding table. |
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