Banksia speciosa, the showy banksia, is a large shrub or small tree in the family Proteaceae. First collected and described by Robert Brown in the early 19th century, the species occurs on the south coast of Western Australia between Hopetoun and the Great Australian Bight, growing on white or grey sand in shrubland. Reaching up to 8 m (26 ft) in height, it is a single-stemmed plant that has thin leaves with prominent triangular "teeth" along each margin, which are 20–45 cm (7.9–17.7 in) long and 2–4 cm (0.8–1.6 in) wide. The prominent cream-yellow flower spikes appear throughout the year, developing up to 20 follicles each that store seeds until opened by bushfire. Though widely occurring, the species is highly sensitive to dieback. The flowers attract nectar- and insect-feeding birds, particularly honeyeaters. In cultivation, B. speciosa grows well in a sunny location on well-drained soil in areas with dry summers.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksia_speciosa

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1916:

Ernest Shackleton and five companions arrived at South Georgia, completing a 1,300 km (800 mi) lifeboat voyage (launch pictured) over 16 days to obtain rescue for the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyage_of_the_James_Caird

1997:

An earthquake registering 7.3 Mw struck near Qaen, Iran, killing at least 1,567 and leaving around 50,000 others homeless. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_Qayen_earthquake

2013:

The final component of the spire of One World Trade Center in New York City was installed, bringing the building, the tallest in the Western Hemisphere, to a height of 1,776 feet (541 m). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_World_Trade_Center

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

abstract away: 1. (transitive) To generalize concepts or their application by using abstraction into a more usable form. 2. (transitive, by extension) To ignore, to omit. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/abstract_away

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

In choosing a theory, one should pay attention to simplicity in hypotheses only. Simplicity in computation can be of no weight in the balance of probabilities. Nature is not embarrassed by difficulties of analysis. She avoids complication only in means. Nature seems to have proposed to do much with little: it is a principle that the development of physics constantly supports by new evidence.   --Augustin-Jean Fresnel https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Augustin-Jean_Fresnel