Bloom

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Bloom-a-day: Hellebores

Bloom
Hellebores are surely the most demure of blooms. 
They hold their elegant heads discreetly downwards, with only the ants privileged enough to delight in their inner beauty ... or perhaps a photographer flat on her belly!
They are not so far removed from the ranunculus of my previous post. Hellebores are from the same family, Ranunculaceae. While hellebores are also known as 'lenten' or 'winter' roses, they share no heritage with roses.
I have always loved botanical illustration, and I found this wonderful hellebore image on the net. It was published in Germany in 1885. So beautiful!
I couldn't get this post over at Leanne's House out of my head. As a consequence, I have added to my hellebore collection this winter, courtesy of  Post Office Farm Nursery  in Victoria. So there will be more of these shy little blooms next year.
You can find two of these photos to use as your desktop image if you click on the 'Wallpapers' tab at the top of my blog.