The Majesty Oak

The Majesty Oak of the Fredville Estate Park in Kent, England, believed to be 500 to 600 years old.

Angel Oak Tree

Angel Oak Tree in Angel Oak Park on Johns Island, Southern Carolina - photographer unknown

Wisteria

Wisteria (Wistaria, Wysteria, Glyzinie) is a decorative flowering and climbing plant which can climb any available support as high as 20 m above the ground. 

Wisteria at Nymans Gardens, west Sussex, England - photography by Graham Bould, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Ranunculus

Ranunculus (buttercups, spearworts, water crowfoots, lesser celandine)

They are mostly herbaceous perennials with bright yellow or white flowers (if white, still with a yellow centre); some areannuals or biennials. A few species have orange or red flowers. The name Ranunculus is Late Latin for "little frog," from rana "frog" and a diminutive ending. This probably refers to many species being found near water, like frogs.The name buttercup may derive from a false belief that the plants give butter its characteristic yellow hue (in fact it is poisonous to cows and other livestock). A popular children's game involves holding a buttercup up to the chin; a yellow reflection is supposed to indicate fondness for butter.

Hortensia

Hortensia (Hydrangea) - Botanical illustration

Flowering Lime Tree

Flowering Lime Tree (Tilia, Linden, Basswood Tree) - Château de Rolle, Lac Leman, Switzerland in June

Clematis

Clematis - illustration by Jan Voerman Jr.（Dutch, 1890-1970) - Watercolor on paper

Incorporated Bike

January 2012 - A boy left his bike chained to a tree when he went away to war in 1914. He never returned, leaving the tree no choice but to grow around the bike. Incredible that this bike has been there for 98 years now!

photography by Todd Bates on Flickr

Rhus typina flower

Rhus typina (stughorn sumac, Essigbaum)

The red flower of the shrub is about 18 cm long.

Rhus typina

Rhus typhina (stughorn sumac, Essigbaum)

Flowering shrub grows up to 5 m tall. 

Ginkgo Leaves

Ginkgo Trees Stand Test of Time

“Living fossil” is an informal term used by biologists to describe species that lack living relatives.  While you might not personally think being called a fossil is a compliment, these organisms are actually quite impressive survivors.  The Ginkgo biloba tree, for example, is strange and unique amongst contemporary plants but incredibly similar to fossils dating back to the Permian, almost 270 million years! This means that even though every single other lineage of the Ginkgo’s relatives changed and adapted beyond recognition or died out, there are still Ginkgo trees growing today that would be indistinguishable from trees from hundreds of millions of years ago. If that fails to impress you, consider this: in Hiroshima, Japan there are still a handful of Ginkgo trees that survived the dropping of the atom bomb in 1945 living to the present day! If these hardy trees can withstand a disturbance of an A-bomb’s magnitude, it is no wonder they have managed to remain viable when so many other ancient plants could not.

Guest post written by Reggie Henke

Allium

Allium is a genus of flowering plants, informally referred to as the onion genus. The genus contains hundreds of distinct species, and the latin word allium means garlic.

Allium

Some Allium species are used in gardens for their ornamental flowers like the one on the picture. Several hybrids with rich purple flowers have been bred. Allium hollandicum 'Purple Sensation' is one of the most popular and has been given an Award of Garden Merit by the British Royal Horticultural Society.

Dogwood Flowers

Dogwood (Cornus) flowers

Sambucus - elder, elderberry, Holunder

Sambucus flowers - elder, elderberry, Holunder

Flowering sambucus - elder, elderberry, Holunder

Favolaschia calocera - orange pore fungus - photography by myxonz on Flickr

A fungus thought to be native to Madagascar. It is meanwhile an invasive species in New Zealand and also can be found in Australia and Italy.

Soligado canadensis - Goldenrod - Canadian Goldenrod

The flowering plant prefers sunny spots and avoids shadowy places. It belongs to the family Asteraceae and is found in the meadows and pastures, along roads, ditches and waste areas. Goldenrod and members of the family is native to North America and have become invasive species in other parts of the world including Europe and China where they have been brought as garden plants. Nowadays you can see them frequently along roads and motorways in Germany and Scandinavia. The plant is an attractive source for nectar for bees, flies, wasps, and butterflies.

Soligado canadensis - Goldenrod - Canadian Goldenrod