• About
    • Testimonials
  • Why Elemental Organic
    • Principles of Elemental Organic gardening
  • Blog
  • Services
    • Alien Invasive Species – Certified Practioner
    • Gardening Services
    • Organics
  • Disclaimer

aristonorganic

~ "The Best of the Best"

aristonorganic

Tag Archives: nectar

Milk Weed

03 Thursday Apr 2014

Posted by Brigid Jackson in ecology, gardening tips, Honey Bee, insects, South African Endemic

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Carl Linnaeus, environment, Greek god of healing, insulation, kapok, Milkweed, Monarch Butterfly, nature, nectar, pillows, South African endemic plant, Wax


Milk weed Photo : B. Perrin

Milk weed – Gomphocarpus physocarpus-
Photo : B. Perrin

Carl Linnaeus named the genus after Asclepius, the Greek god of healing, because of the many folk-medicinal uses for the milkweed plants.

Milkweed is named for its milky juice which consists of a latex containing alkaloids and several other complex compounds including cardenolides. Some species are known to be toxic. The San use it as poison for the spears while fishing.

Milkweeds are an important nectar source for bees and other nectar-seeking insects, and a larval food source for monarch butterflies.

The milkweed filaments from the follicles are hollow and coated with wax, and have good insulation qualities. During World War II, over 5,000 t (5,500 short tons) of milkweed floss were collected in the United States as a substitute for kapok. As of 2007, milkweed is grown commercially as a hypoallergenic filling for pillows.

 

 

The Nectar wars

17 Monday Jun 2013

Posted by Brigid Jackson in Birds, Flowers, Garden Creatures

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

flower, Globe Artichoke, nectar, orange, Orange Breasted Sun-birds, pollination, pollinators, sun birds


Orange breasted sun-birds on Artichoke

The Globe Artichoke’s flower is iridescent with vibrant purple attracting many pollinators  including these 2 little Orange Breasted Sun-Birds.  The sequence of photographs will show their fight for the right to harvest the nectar.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

The male edging closer.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

The moment of surprise.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

The victor.

-33.982832 18.469360

Aloe arborescens

06 Thursday Jun 2013

Posted by Brigid Jackson in Flowers, Gardens, Growing, Succulents

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

aloe, Aloe arborenscens, Aloe arborescens, Aloe vera, bees, birds and bees, Cape Town, flower buds, Flowers, garden, Hiroshima, nectar, Orient, plants, plants for sale, South Africa, stomach ache, succulent, sun birds, Transkei


aloe arborenscens

The Aloe arborescens are all pushing up flower buds right now. They are such a wonderful sight to see, with their rich warm colour. The Sun-birds and Bees delight in the sweet nectar.

It is known as the Kranz (cliff) aloe and it easy to grow. It develops into a multi-headed shrub, 2 to 3 meters high with striking grey green leaves arranged in attractive rosettes. The leaf margins are armed with conspicuous pale teeth.

Derivation of the name & historical aspects
The name aloe is from the Greek alsos and refers to the bitter juice from the leaves of these plants. It is probably derived from the earlier Arabic word alloeh or the Hebrew word allal, both meaning bitter. The Latin word arborescens means tree-forming or tree-like, and is a bit misleading in that this aloe is not really tree-like, but the name was originally applied to this species in reference to the stem-forming habit. The common name krantz aloe refers to its habitat, a krantz being a rocky ridge or cliff.

In many parts of South Africa it is planted around Kraals as a living fence.

The Zulu people use the leaves of this plant, dried and pounded into a powder, as a protection against storms. Decoctions of the leaves are also used in childbirth and in treating sick calves. In the Transkei it is used for stomach ache and given to chickens to prevent them from getting sick. In the Orient, this aloe is grown in domestic gardens as a convenient first-aid treatment for burn wounds and abrasions. In fact it was only after it was used to treat irradiation burn victims of Hiroshima that its healing properties received attention from the West. Extracts from the leaves have been widely investigated since then and shown significant wound healing, anti-bacterial, anti-ulcer, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, hypoglycaemic and also alopoeic activity. The leaves have also been found to have purgative properties and the leaf sap is reported to relieve x-ray burns.

aloe arb

The krantz aloe is an easy and rewarding plant to grow.

On sale now for R 25-00 each.

To order please email aristonorganic@gmail.com

Direct order shop

-33.982832 18.469360

Sugarbush and the God Proteus

27 Monday May 2013

Posted by Brigid Jackson in Birds, Flowers, Gardens, Perennials, South African Endemic

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

beautiful flowers, birds, cape gardens, flowering plants, Flowers, garden, gardening, God Proteus, greek god, nature, nectar, plants, protea, proteas, South African endemic plant, sugarbird, Sugarbush, sunbird, sweet nectar


protea 3

Protea is both the botanical name and the English common name of a genus of South African flowering plants, sometimes also called sugarbushes (Afrikaans: suikerbos).

These beautiful flowers are budding at the moment on the mountain and in the Cape gardens, creating a long lasting cheery Winter display.

protea 1

Proteas were named after the Greek God Proteus, whom Homer called “The Old Man of the Sea”

Sugar birds and Sunbirds feed off the sweet nectar, and considered significant pollinators of the genus.

 

-33.982832 18.469360

Nectar Quest: The ‘Bees and Flowers

18 Monday Mar 2013

Posted by Brigid Jackson in Honey Bee, insects

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Bee, environment, flowering plants, Flowers, food, honeybee, nature, nectar, plants, pollination, symbiotic relationship


bees-flowersPlants and bees have a symbiotic relationship. Flowering plants depend on an outside source to ‘spread the love’ through pollination, and bees are happy to fill that need, receiving nectar (which they convert into honey) for the service they provide.

Read the full story here

 

-33.982832 18.469360

Nectar

10 Thursday Jan 2013

Posted by Brigid Jackson in Art Gift, Flowers, Photography, Quotes

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

art gifts, deviantart, Flowers, nectar, photography, quotes


nectar_by_selinarainbowmoon-d5i5pjb

One who drinks in this nectar
shall have his delusions dispelled
Sri Guru Granth Sahib

Purchase Art gifts, Canvases, postcards, greeting cards and mugs here

-33.982832 18.469360

CONTACT :

Ariston Elemental Organic Garden
Murdoch Valley South Simon's Town Western Cape South Africa
aristonorganic@gmail.com
By appointment

Credit Cards Accepted

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 688 other subscribers
Follow aristonorganic on WordPress.com

Recent posts

  • Tamarillo – The tree Tomato
  • Essential Oils in the Garden
  • The Bees Knees – Far South
  • Prepare for the #FIRE SEASON – Become an #ECO-WARRIOR
  • Moutain Herb Estate

Archives

Categories

Ariston Elemental Organic Garden

Ariston Elemental Organic Garden

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

Instagram

No Instagram images were found.

JACKPOT – AFRICA’S OVEN

Jackpot - Africa's Oven

Inspiratrix Mosaic

Blogs I Follow

  • Living Better
  • ifitscool
  • ultimatemindsettoday
  • Cooking with a Wallflower
  • Get Paid To Blog Fun Stuff!
  • Round & About
  • The Average South African
  • trevorino
  • My Adventures in Beekeeping
  • GARDEN OF EADY
  • Small Town Soul, Big City Brain
  • Fox in the Stars
  • Lee's Birdwatching Adventures Plus
  • The Jackson Diner
  • A Leaf in Springtime
  • All Nudist
Map
Flag Counter

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Blog Stats

  • 163,507 hits
  • RSS - Posts
  • RSS - Comments
proudly-south-african

“The Best of the Best” Organic Handcream

Ariston Organic “The Best of the Best” Hand Cream is made only from the finest ingredients.

Natural Lavender Hydro-sol

Lavender “Hydro-lat is Mum’s greatest helper”

Lavender Wands

Hand made wands made from fresh Lavender growing in our garden. Available in your choice of color ribbon.

Ariston’s Elemental Organic Gardener’s hand scrub

Ingredients : Olive Oil, Kosher Salt, sugar, Rosemary, Mint, Lemon peel, Fresh Lavender.

Wheat Grass

Order seed or live trays

Sunflower Greens and Seeds

A mere 35 grams of sprouted seeds contains a whopping 22.78 grams of protein!

Red Wrigglers

As long ago as 1881 Charles Darwin wrote:” It may be doubted whether there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world, as have these lowly organized creatures”

The A to Z of Vegetable Gardening in South Africa

Edible and Medicinal Flowers

Guide to the Aloes of South Africa

People’s Plants

Jane’s Delicious Garden

Cooking and Gardening Projects for Kids

Remarkable Gardens of South Africa

Guide to Succulents of South Africa

Margaret Roberts A to Z of Herbs

Cape Town Green Map

Cape Town Invasive Species

GMO awareness

Bulbs South Africa

SEED

Your Food Heros

ACB

Veld and Flora

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Living Better

Towards a more ethical lifestyle

ifitscool

Just keep looking

ultimatemindsettoday

A great WordPress.com site

Cooking with a Wallflower

Get Paid To Blog Fun Stuff!

Want A Profitable Blog In 21 Days?

Round & About

The Average South African

Food // Travel // Lifestyle

trevorino

just another wonderfull day...

My Adventures in Beekeeping

On bees, queens, and stings!

GARDEN OF EADY

Bring new life to your garden!

Small Town Soul, Big City Brain

Realistic Sustainable Living

Fox in the Stars

Lee's Birdwatching Adventures Plus

Birdwatching from a Christian Perspective

The Jackson Diner

A Story of Broccoli

A Leaf in Springtime

"Be a dew to the soil of the human heart."

All Nudist

Everything about the Nudist/Naturist lifestyle

  • Follow Following
    • aristonorganic
    • Join 90 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • aristonorganic
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...