• Friday-What'sUP June 28 - 02:53 pm

We start off today with some beautiful little flowers, captured by Stacey Flood. All I can tell you about them is the obvious, they're purple and blue in color and quite pretty! I'm leaving it up to you folks, to identify what type of flower they are, since I'm totally stumped on this one and I just know, one of our viewers will have the answer for us all. Go.....

Stacey's remaining three photos had me stumped at first, also, but after looking at the surrounding greenery in the photo and noticing the pine needles, it dawned on me that this must be the beginnings of a pine cone and sure enough, I was right. I don't think I've ever seen one in this stage of growth before, so I found the shots quite intriguing. Again, though, I find myself at a loss to tell you what type of pine tree these are growing on or how long a pine cone takes to grow and turn to the color and shape we're used to seeing, when we think of pine cones. So, again...anyone out there in Pasty Cam Land that can fill us in, please do so. Your turn now...

Absolutely love these photos. I don't know anything about them either, but I do know that I love them.

Thanks for sharing!

I'm stumped too, Mary. The first photo looks like violets, but the leaves don't. In all my 78 years, I've never seen pine cones like those.
Beautiful!! Thanks, Stacy.

A guess by looking at the needles would make me think a red pine, but I'm no expert in dendrology.

My hubby says that they look like our white pine. But our pine cones don't look like that so I'm guessing that's not it. They sure are cool looking, though.

We quite often do not notice the flowers of most trees and plants if they are not big and showy. The images are pretty. Its a wonder that a hard pinecone starts as a soft colorful flower.

The needles do, but the cones aren't "elongated" like a white pine. That's why I was thinking a red pine instead.

They are beautiful, that's what they are! :)

Nice color...the last one looks like something from Hawaii

All in all, Janie, I think you gave the correct answer!:)

The pretty blue flowers are Wood Violets.

The last three photos are indeed Red pine (also called Norway pine, depending on where you live). What they show are the male cones in various stages of development (the first are not yet mature, the second and third have begun to release pollen).

The flowers are a type of Speedwell, possibly American Brooklime. (These are all in the Veronica genus.)

I think they are called conifer cones, not by my
knowledge but by looking it up on the internet.
I have two pines in the backyard but not like
that

The photos today go beyond good. They are absolutely awesome-particularly the pinecone buds. Those photos need to be framed and displayed!

Beautiful.

Thanks Mel, good information, recognized Veronica after your identification. The male catkin like Staminate flowers of Pinus resinosa will not develop into the familiar comes seen on our Red (Norway) pines....the Pistillate flowers will form the familiar cones.

The lovely blue flowers are Bird's-Eye Speedwell, in the veronica family. The leaves are different in the American Brooklime variety. Lovely pictures!