Loading

Curving Holly Branch with Prickle-Less Leaves!

(This is my submission for The Sunday Challenge: Curves :D)

Yesterday Steve and I spent a couple of hours at Riverside Park in Grants Pass, Oregon, and really enjoyed the autumn show going on there. As I was walking around, I noticed the evergreen plants too, and walked over to look at this Holly bush. Suddenly I noticed that many of the leaves had no prickles! How odd!! I found out that this can occur because of drought, young leaves will sometimes not have prickles, and if a Holly shrub is really huge, it may stop producing the prickles because it has enough leaves that the energy necessary to produce the prickles isn't necessary. (I wonder about that answer...)

If you would like to know more about this plant, Wiki has a great page here:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holly
Visible by: Everyone
(more information)

More information

Visible by: Everyone

All rights reserved

Report this photo as inappropriate

7 comments

Julien Rappaport said:

Belle diagonale Janet
11 years ago ( translate )

Pam J said:

American Holly... most often seen genus.. "China Girl" and China Boy" Both needed for pollination and the production of berries.

There I many many dozens of types of Ilex....some dont have spikes.

We just get inured to the "Christmas card" type prickle Holly !

Years ago in my parents garden we had 23 different species of holly... I still love it.

Beautiful picture.. beautiful light.
11 years ago

Clickity Click said:

Mother Natures lovely curves .. like the bokeh and the shadows
11 years ago

H C said:

Lovely curves and I like the light and bokeh.
11 years ago

Shuttering Yukon said:

I can not comment on the prick~less leaves, I have never seen a real holly tree... but it sure fits the curvy challenge!
11 years ago

Eunice Perkins said:

That's is first class, Janet! I love the way the light outlines the edges of the leaves.
11 years ago

tiabunna said:

Who needs prickles? :) Very nicely taken, that glow of light around the edges of the leaves is tops.
11 years ago