HAPPY BILBY EASTER!

Macrotis is a genus of desert-dwelling marsupial omnivores known as bilbies or rabbit-bandicoots; they are members of the order Peramelemorphia. At the time of European colonisation of Australia, there were two species. The lesser bilby became extinct in the 1950s; the greater bilby survives but remains endangered. It is currently listed as a vulnerable species.

The greater bilby is on average 55 cm long, excluding the tail, which is usually around 29 cm long. Its fur is usually grey or white; it has a long, pointy nose and very long ears, hence the reference of its nickname to rabbits.

Bilbies in Australia are associated with Easter and a great fund-raising effort to save the species from extinction comes to the fore during this time of the year, where the animal plays the role of Easter mascot, just as the Easter Bunny does in other parts of the world.

Happy Easter

To All who Celebrate it!

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

GOOD FRIDAY

Greetings to all! A good time to reflect a little on the difficult times that we are living through at the moment. Be grateful for what you have, there are way more people than you and me who have precious little. Appreciate the peace you live in, as others are at war. Thank those around you care for you and love you, as there are many around the world who have nobody.

Have a Happy and Peaceful Easter; a Blessed Passover.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

HAPPY ORTHODOX EASTER

Happy Easter to all Orthodox Christians who celebrate this great Feast Day today, Sunday 5th of May.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

SOLEMN SUNSET

It is Orthodox Good Friday today, with Easter this Sunday. For all who celebrate, compliments of these festive days.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

GOOD FRIDAY

Best wishes for the Easter Season. Peace, health, serenity for all in these troubled times worldwide.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

EASTER ASTERS

Easter (or Michaelmas - depending in which Hemisphere you live!) daisies (Aster novi-belgii) were once popular in gardens, but are less frequently seen now. They are herbaceous perennials with upright, much-branched stems on which masses of small daisies are produced in late summer and autumn. The flowers range in colour from white through pale lilac blue, mauve, purple and pink to deep reddish plum.

They can be planted in mixed borders and can also be used effectively in beds on their own. The taller varieties often need staking, and are best planted at the back of garden beds. A. novi-belgii was introduced from North America into Britain in 1710. In America they were called New York daisies, however, in England these plants bloomed at the same time as St Michael's Day is celebrated (September 29th), and so they became associated with the festival of Michaelmas and were given its name. In the Southern hemisphere where Easter is an Autumnal feast, the daisies bloom at about this time and hence the term "Easter Daisies". 

These daisies are easy to grow. Plant them in full sun in a rich, moisture-retentive soil. When they die down in winter cut the dead stems back to ground level. When the new shoots appear in spring, apply a mulch of well-rotted manure or compost to which fertiliser has been added. Lift and divide the clumps every second or third year in winter.

HAPPY EASTER TO ALL WHO CELEBRATE IT!

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

EASTER PYSANKY

Easter egg decorating is an important art form that dates back centuries. Known as pysanky, these Ukrainian Easter eggs shown below are decorated using the wax-resist (batik) method. Covered in stunning motifs often taken from Slavic folk art, you'll also find these decorated eggs in many parts of eastern Europe.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

HAPPY BILBY EASTER

Macrotis is a genus of desert-dwelling marsupial omnivores known as bilbies or rabbit-bandicoots; they are members of the order Peramelemorphia. At the time of European colonisation of Australia, there were two species. The lesser bilby became extinct in the 1950s; the greater bilby survives but remains endangered. It is currently listed as a vulnerable species. The greater bilby is on average 55 cm long, excluding the tail, which is usually around 29 cm long. Its fur is usually grey or white; it has a long, pointy nose and very long ears, hence the reference of its nickname to rabbits.

Bilbies in Australia are associated with Easter and a great fund-raising effort to save the species from extinction comes to the fore during this time of the year, where the animal plays the role of Easter mascot, just as the Easter Bunny does in other parts of the world.

HAPPY EASTER TO EVERYONE

WHO CELEBRATES IT!

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

ORTHODOX EASTER

Easter as it's commonly celebrated in the United States falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon of the spring equinox (always between March 22 and April 25), while Orthodox Easter is celebrated on the Sunday after the first full moon after Passover (between April 4th and May 8th.) Both holidays celebrate the resurrection of Jesus within the Christian tradition—so why are they celebrated at different times?

It turns out, it can all be attributed to a decision Pope Gregory XIII made in 1582. At that time, much of Europe followed the Julian style calendar, which the pope wanted to change because it ran a few minutes long each day. He implemented the Gregorian calendar (which uses a leap year to offset the extra minutes). The Catholic church uses the Gregorian calendar to determine their holidays, while the Orthodox Christians still use the Julian calendar to calculate Easter — which means they celebrate the same holidays on different days.

HAPPY ORTHODOX EASTER!

ΚΑΛΟ ΠΑΣΧΑ & ΚΑΛΗ ΑΝΑΣΤΑΣΗ!

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

LILLY-PILLY

HAPPY EASTER TO ALL WHO CELEBRATE IT

Syzygium smithii (formerly Acmena smithii) is a summer-flowering, winter-fruiting evergreen tree, belonging to the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It shares the common name "lilly pilly" with several other plants. In New Zealand, it is commonly known as 'monkey apple'. It is planted as shrubs or hedgerows, and features: rough, woody bark; cream and green smooth, waxy leaves; flushes of pink new growth; and white to maroon edible berries. Unpruned, it will grow about 3–5 m tall in the garden.

The tree and fruit were called "Tdgerail" by the Indigenous people of the Illawarra (New South Wales); and "Coochin-coochin" by others in Queensland. Early colonists noted that the fruits were eaten by the Indigenous Australians and are acidulous, and wholesome. They can be made into jams and chutneys.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

HAPPY (ORTHODOX) EASTER

It is the Orthodox Easter this Sunday, so to all who celebrate it, Happy Easter! For the vagaries of calculating the Western Church/Orthodox Church Easter and Passover, see here.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

HAPPY EASTER ASTER

Symphyotrichum novi-belgii also known as New York Aster is the type species for Symphyotrichum, a genus of the family Asteraceae whose species were once considered to be asters. They are ornamental plants native to Canada and the United States. All of these plants are collectively and popularly known as "Michaelmas daisies".

The variety 'Peter III Blue', shown here, is an autumn blooming, double flowering lilac-blue aster that provides a stunning number of blooms around the Southern Hemisphere Easter time (April).

Α HAPPY EASTER, PEACEFUL PESACH & ΚΑΛΟ ΠΑΣΧΑ TO ALL!

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

HAPPY EASTER

Rabbit having lunch in the Yarra Valley, looking for some chocolate perhaps?

In Australia, rabbits are an introduced species and in the past had multiplied to numbers that were considered excessive. This caused enormous ecological problems as they competed with the native fauna and destroyed the delicate balance of the environment.

However, one cannot resist the charms of bunnies when encountering them in such an idyllic spot, especially at Eastertime...

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme,

and also part of the Camera Critters meme.

BEST WISHES FOR A HAPPY EASTER!

EASTER DAISIES

Easter (or Michaelmas) daisies (Aster novi-belgii) were once popular in gardens, but are less frequently seen now. They are herbaceous perennials with upright, much-branched stems on which masses of small daisies are produced in late summer and autumn. The flowers range in colour from white through pale lilac blue, mauve, purple and pink to deep reddish plum.

They can be planted in mixed borders and can also be used effectively in beds on their own. The taller varieties often need staking, and are best planted at the back of garden beds. A. novi-belgii was introduced from North America into Britain in 1710. In America they were called New York daisies, however, in England these plants bloomed at the same time as St Michael's Day is celebrated (September 29th), and so they became associated with the festival of Michaelmas and were given its name. In the Southern hemisphere where Easter is an Autumnal feast, the daisies bloom at about this time and hence the term "Easter Daisies".

These daisies are easy to grow. Plant them in full sun in a rich, moisture-retentive soil. When they die down in winter cut the dead stems back to ground level. When the new shoots appear in spring, apply a mulch of well-rotted manure or compost to which fertiliser has been added. Lift and divide the clumps every second or third year in winter.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

HAPPY EASTER!

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme,
and also part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the Camera Critters meme.