Spiny Orb Weaver Spider
The famous spider from Charlotte's Web is a barn orb-weaver spider, Araneus cavaticus. Orb weaving spiders produce the familiar flat, ornate, circular webs usually associated with spiders. Orbweavers come in many shapes and sizes, but the brightly colored garden orbweavers, Argiope spp., are the largest and best known.
Orbweavers are generally harmless and can be a nuisance when they build large webs in places inconvenient for humans. Despite their formidable appearance, orb weaver spiders are not considered dangerous.
One of the bright-hued spiders is the spiny orb weaver, Gasteracantha cancriformis. Although not as large as some of the other orb weavers, its combined color, shape, and distinctive web makes G. cancriformis a very recognizable spider.
Though there is a group of spiders classed in the Thomisidae family which are given the common name of crab spiders, biologists placed the Spiny Orb Weaver in the Family Arneidae (known by the common designation of Orb Weavers). Nevertheless, most gardeners in the local area know this spider as a "crab spider" due to its flattened body having spines sticking out from the abdomen.Ki
Ki, the Ti plant, grows abundantly, cultivated and wild, throughout the tropical Pacific and Southeast Asia. It is common from sea level in the lower wetlands, up to the 4,000 foot elevation. Ti is found in shady moist gardens, as a landscaping background plant or as a hedge. The people of Hawai`i plant it around their homes and churches for good luck. In the old days Ki was planted around the lo`i, taro ponds. The botanical or scientific name of this member of the lily family is Cordyline terminalis. It may have originated in tropical Asia and Australia.
Carnations
Dianthus is a genus of about 300 species of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, native mainly to Europe and Asia, with a few species extending south to north Africa, and one species (D. repens) in arctic North America. Common names include carnation (D. caryophyllus), pink (D. plumarius and related species) and sweet william (D. barbatus).
Fragrant Carnations
Dianthus is a genus of about 300 species of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, native mainly to Europe and Asia, with a few species extending south to north Africa, and one species (D. repens) in arctic North America. Common names include carnation (D. caryophyllus), pink (D. plumarius and related species) and sweet william (D. barbatus).
Pinks Dianthus
Dianthus is a genus of about 300 species of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, native mainly to Europe and Asia, with a few species extending south to north Africa, and one species (D. repens) in arctic North America. Common names include carnation (D. caryophyllus), pink (D. plumarius and related species) and sweet william (D. barbatus).
Yesterday Today and Tomorrow
Brunfelsia pauciflora is a species of flowering plant in the family Solanaceae, the nightshades. It is endemic to Brazil, and it is grown in cultivation. Its common names include yesterday-today-and-tomorrow, morning-noon-and-night, Kiss Me Quick, and Brazil raintree.
The genus name is 'Brunfelsia' . The specific epithet pauciflora, refers to the Latin term for 'few flowered'.