Monday, February 6, 2012

Macro Monday - Rosehips

     These are the hips of Golden Showers rose, one completely dried out and one a little more fresh.  I don't know why it never occurred to me to cut one open before to see what it looks like inside.  I think the fibers between the seeds are really wild-looking.  Rose hips are edible, and a good source of Vitamin C, but I've never tried them.  I suppose there must be differences in palatability from one variety of rose to another but I have to say these ones don't look too appealing as food.  I have had various flavored teas with rosehips as an ingredient, and I find them appalling, but I bet I would like the taste more in jam.  Varieties with smaller hips are good for attracting and feeding birds.  In fact Rosa multiflora is too good at attracting birds, and has conscripted them to spread it into natural areas where it tends to strangle out native flora.  Sad though I think this is, I have very fond memories of a road trip once while the feral roses were blooming.  What a treat to smell roses while coasting down the highway doing 60 mph!  
     Today I'm joining Lisa's Chaos for Macro Monday.

10 comments:

  1. Nice macro shot.

    Regards and best wishes

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  2. You're right about not looking appealing as food, however they do look rather interesting.

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    1. Maybe if they were a little more fresh. On the other hand, those bristly fibers are just not a texture I want in my food.

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  3. Blogger lost my long comment...Thanks for stopping by my blog. I am a novice gardener trying to make my yard more wildlife and pollinator friendly.... This is a really interesting shot..it's fun to look inside of things...Michelle

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    1. I seem to lose comments a lot too. One of the things that intrigued me on your site is the stuff about monarchs and the "Bring back the monarchs" button. I wanted to plant more milkweed but the plants I put in last year didn't take (I love gardening but don't exactly have a green thumb). I'm going to try again, but I noticed from that link that the project focuses on 20 different species of milkweed. There's got to be at least one out there that I can grow!

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  4. I have had luck with common, swamp and butterfly weed, but I raised monarchs for the first time this summer and fed them common milkweed...

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  5. Pretty seeds! Maybe you should try to see if they'll sprout and you'll have a free rose!

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    1. Why not? Although I think I'd probably have better luck with cuttings... which coincidentally I did just take this weekend. I was thinking of doing a post on it soon...

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  6. I never would have guessed those were rose hips, maybe something more exotic.

    BTW, I am glad to see another local blogger on-line.

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  7. Hi Les,
    Thanks for taking a look and commenting. A Tidewater Gardener is one of my favorite blogs. I was especially attracted to your photos of the Eastern Shore, a landscape that I have really come to love in my time living here.

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