Flowers, Amazing Beauties of Mother Nature

Spring Time in London’s Hyde Park

I don’t remember when and where exactly I first saw flowers. Neither do I remember when was the first time I put on a floral dress. Perhaps it was because when I was growing up in the 1960s in China, human love for natural beauty was frowned upon at best and condemned as ‘petit bourgeois’ that many beautiful things and wonderful colours had been banished from my surroundings.

On Tomb Sweeping Day（清明节) – Flower at Grandma’s Grave, Sichuan, China

Would that explain my limitless fascination and endless obsession with flowers in my adult life? That may be a question for psychologists. All I know is that as soon as I saw flowers of any kind, and no matter where, my first reaction was to smile, an unknown but definite happiness arising from the bottom of my heart, seeping through my veins and making me giddy with pleasure. My other inclination is to take a picture, keeping that moment of beauty forever. As we all know, no flowers will stay blooming for long, and their blossoms, no matter how vibrant and amazing, can not last. Does that fleeting fact make it even more precious?

Beautiful orchid in Gran Canaria

For me, flowers represent not just beauty, everlasting or temporary, they symbolize Spring, a time for change and renewal, a transition from freezing winter to gradual but inevitable warmth and growth, from darkness to brighter, longer day light.

Bird of Paradise, Madeira

Here is the deal: I love all flowers, those changeable and enchanting colours, the wonderous shapes and fragrances, purifying the air we breath in and decorating our world in a delicate, ephemeral, extraordinary beauty. They are a collection of petals, sepals, stamens and pollen. That is the science, but conveys little of the emotion aroused by flowers.

Flowers of Scotland

I am no gardener, and in fact, I’ll probably kill any house plants and flowers if given the opportunity, either by over or under watering. Guess that’s another explanation of why I appreciate what I witness in nature and my eagerness to catch their beauty on camera.

Fox Gloves of England – Devon

As a keen photographer myself and living with one who enjoys taking pictures as much as I do, we have come across many varieties of flowers, in tropical paradises like Madeira and Gran Canaria, as well as cold yet flower friendly countries like Scotland and England. I’d like to share some of these fabulous pictures with you.

Summer Flower of Monte Carlo

Finally, enjoy this short video I made, which features many of the flowers we have discovered on our many travels, at home and overseas. May our lives be always filled with flowers, happiness and love. May the spring of 2013 quicken her steps and bring us hope, cheer and prosperity!

Flowers of the World