Friday, June 1, 2012

The Ancient Ones


The majestic Magnolia trees are blooming now, and they are a sight to behold. The blooms alone are bigger than a dinner plate. There are over 80 different kinds of Magnolia, which were named after the  French botanist Pierre Magnol. They don't have nectar, instead they emit huge amounts of pollen, which is super rich in protein for the insects. Magnolias are the most ancient of all flowering plants. They actually grew during the time of dinosaurs, and fossils of them have been found in rocks that are 100 million years old. A 2,000 year old seed was found in Japan and planted. It grew. An ancient plant in a modern world. I would love to see it.


“But you, Bethlehem, David's country, the runt of the litter— From you will come the leader who will shepherd-rule Israel. He'll be no upstart, no pretender. His family tree is ancient and distinguished.”
Micah 5

38 comments:

Linda said...

Beautiful post...and I love your header!

Unknown said...

Beautiful pictures of the magnolia.
Have a great weekend!


Eva

SquirrelQueen said...

I love your macro shots Ginny. Magnolias are beautiful at all stages. I didn't know they had been around for so long. The variety I see most often here is call a Star magnolia.

DawnTreader said...

I didn't know all that about Magnolias - very interesting, thanks! Ours here don't grow quite so big... or at least not the ones I've seen... but still always impressive.

Ann said...

And here I thought they were just beautiful flowers. Interesting facts about the magnolia. Your shots are all great

Anonymous said...

Pretty close-ups of one of my favorite blooms!

From the Kitchen said...

I love the magnificent magnolias. Sadly, their aroma (probably pollen) does not agree with me.

I'm back and having fun checking out what's being going on in my blogging community. Missed you!

Best,
Bonnie

MadSnapper said...

yesterday the historical village they are selling magnolia pod angels for 7 dollars each to raise money to repair the steeple on the church that was built in 1884. the pods in your first photo are dried and they put wings and heads on them and a hook for the tree.

Anonymous said...

Ginny!!!! Oh Ginny ...I am WOWED by your awesome Magnolia Shots...way way breathtaking...thank you for the awesome experience of God's beauty this morning!

Kim@stuffcould.... said...

I did not know that...about magnolias...they are beautiful

Reanaclaire said...

Now I know the name of this flower.. thanks Ginny.. all the time I came across these flowers but never know what their names are.. :)

Ruth Kelly said...

It took my breath away - gorgeous, just gorgeous. Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

oh my gosh thats so interesting, i never knew any of that, you have such beautiful photos,

Stephanie V said...

You know I love our magnolia. The blooms are more the size of serving spoons than dinner plates, though. Your photos are amazing!

George said...

I didn't know this about Magnolias -- our neighbor has one in his front yard. Your pictures are wonderful

Unknown said...

Those are some freaky pictures... but beautiful. I'd love to see that plant as well. How very cool!

Nikki (Sarah) said...

These are so amazing.....fabulous pics and like always love your message to go with them.

Hootin Anni said...

Great goodness....these are some of the BEST photos of their blossoms I've EVER SEEN!!!

Dawning Inspiration said...

Wow - what gorgeous and magnificent shots those are!

Karin said...

We've been blessed to see Magnolia during our years spent living in KY and surrounding area. Absolutely beautiful! Love them! We don't have those up here so I'm glad you shared Ginny!

Ruth Hiebert said...

You dig up some of the most interesting facts about the things around us. Magnolia blossoms are gorgeous.

peppylady (Dora) said...

Usual at the end of each month I try to get around and visit some other blogs but toward end of May I was working pretty hard and just fell asleep.

I came over from Hootin Anne blog...Not many people around here has magnolia trees including me. I do admire them...Hope you find the time to stop on over for a spot of coffee.

Marie said...

Such interesting info on such a beautiful flower! My parents have a Magnolia tree in their yard, it's so pretty. Your photos here are just gorgeous! They are crystal clear!

BlueShell said...

awesome photos; wise words!BShell

Darlene said...

I didn't know any of those things about the magnolia. It's a beautiful flower, and you have some amazing shots.

Chatty Crone said...

I love Magnolia trees. They grow so big and the flowers smell so good. The flowers are gorgeous too.

The only problem is the base - they wipe out everything in their path!

Love the Bible quotes.

sandie

Anonymous said...

I LOVE your pictures! Magnolias aren't common in my area so I had to google to find out what it was after I had taken a picture on my recent vacation.

barbara l. hale said...

Our magnolias are probably a different breed from yours and the flowers are long gone. These are just beautiful..each and every one.

Tammy@Simple Southern Happiness said...

Ginny, these are beautiful!!! That raspberry color just pops off the picture! This is one of my favorite flowers.

Mary Bergfeld said...

What interesting photos, Ginny. We have star magnolias in this area and they bloom only for a short period of time, but when they are in bloom they are truly lovely. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

peppylady (Dora) said...

I never know how to reply to question on these blogs...it seem like every one does it differently....Where am I at?...I live up in the Northern part of the panhandle of Idaho It takes a little bit over ½ hour to get to the Canada border.

momto8 said...

wow...amazing really!!

Thistle Cove Farm said...

What a great post and fabulous photos! I knew there were a lot of magnolias but didn't know they were so old.

Annie Jeffries said...

Just gorgeous, Ginny. You did really fine work here.

Anonymous said...

Hi Ginny, Nice photographs! I sure do like Magnolia trees and of course, the blossoms. We had some around our neighborhood in Los Angeles where I grew up so I have enjoyed them in person. Have a great coming week and a very nice day tomorrow!

Lynn said...

I love these shots. I have trouble with macros, so I appreciate your beautiful photos. Love seeing the different stages. Did not know all that about magnolias. Thank you!

Rose said...

Oh, they are glorious!

Ann, Chen Jie Xue ι™ˆζ΄ι›ͺ said...

came via photowannabe,

u are in California, and you have snow. I am in New Zealand and we have snow/ That's funny. We have so much snow that it is not funny in Christchurch. here in Auckland , we just have rain.

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