A 34-year old artist who goes by the name Lito has been living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) his entire life. Lito had been searching for an outlet where he could channel his above-normal levels of concentration and obsessiveness when he discovered the Japanese art of kirie (切り絵, literally ‘cut picture’). Earlier this year in January he began experimenting, not with paper, but with leaves.
“My Father’s Dragon”
According to a recent interview, leaves turned out to be an ideal medium for Lito as their decomposing nature forced him to work quickly. Over time he got faster and his daily creations, which he began posting to social media, became more intricate.
Following the standard kirie practice, each piece is always cut from a single leaf. But Lito always leaves traces of the leaf’s midrib, perhaps a sign of respect towards the leaf. Lito also always manages to imbue his creations with a playful narrative, one that is either inspired by film or books, or plucked from the artist’s own imagination.
“Swimmy by Leo Lionni”“Autumn Harvest Festival”“Night sky, moon and bicycle” (a tribute to E.T.)“Forest Librarian”“Ghost Parade”
“Even graffiti is a fine art – As drawing time begins, the colorful crayons start to move in unison. What a wonderful world is being created today.”
“Lunch is coming soon.” (a tribute to Peter Rabit)
The largest rooftop urban farm in the world has opened in Paris, complete with a terrace bar and restaurant. Situated on the 14,000 sq m roof of the French capital’s exhibition centre Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, Nature Urbaine features 30 species of plants, such as tomatoes, strawberries, aubergines, radishes and basil – some of which […]
Succulents are unofficially the cats of the plant world. People either love or hate ‘em, and they make the most camera-loved plants for their crazy colors, shapes, and varieties.
But it turns out, there is one more way you can put these incredible plants to use. Thanks to mad crafty skills and aesthetic goals, people have been upgrading their tables into full-blown succulent gardens.
Both a green oasis and a place to put your mug, these tables are something I didn’t know I needed, but I am adding one to the basket at this very moment.
Dustin explained that blooming tables are perfect for people who lack the space for traditional gardening methods and want more plants in their homes. But since succulents require a good amount of sunlight to keep them from stretching and getting leggy, he suggested placing a lamp over them or adding incandescent light bulbs.
In order for the succulents to prosper while being planted as part of the table, one has to keep in mind that “plants tend to do better when you pull them from a similar environment that you are moving them to.” He gave an example: “succulents that grew up in low light areas will do better indoors than succulents who were sourced from high light areas.”
It turns out that, for a succulent, the table serves as a pot, which it may outgrow with time. “Sometimes a plant will grow too big for the table and need to be removed,” but it’s “completely natural.”#7
Dustin also said that it is in fact possible for you to make your own blooming table, and that’s how his own company was started. “We saw the beauty in housing our plants indoors this way and set out to develop a product that would solve a lot of the problems that come with an at-home build.”
Meanwhile, while many DIY succulent tables would look adorable, not all would function as a table. Dustin explained that “a lot of at-home builds, while beautiful, lack the functionality of an actual table—leaving you with something too unstable to set anything on.” So you’ve got to keep an eye on the stability if you’re planning on building one.#10
A new pop-up restaurant in the midst of a nature reserve outside Stockholm in Sweden is set to open in August. The pop-up restaurant called Nowhere, is located in the Häringe-Hammersta Nature Reserve. Uniquely designed, six small tables are scattered around in nature and set apart from each other – in the middle of the forest, […]
Artist and activist Emerson Munduruku is teaching environmental conservation to children in Brazil through performance art under the guise of his his drag queen alter ego, Uýra Sodoma. Emerson Munduruku takes part in educational projects, teaching children about Amazon communities and how to both connect with and protect nature. His aim is to pass on […]
Are you looking to grow your own herb garden? There are three ways you can do this – from seed, planting a cutting or replanting a potted herb plant. Planting from seeds can be a long process as most herbs take some time to mature from seeds. That said it also rewarding watching the seeds […]
Cambridge University Botanic Garden’s annual plant festival takes place online this week. The three-day virtual tour, which started on 26 May and ends today, centres around three key themes – Plant Science, Horticulture and Conservation, with features talks, tours and events made available daily. Videos, activities and tours from the festival can be viewed online, […]
Design company Nomadic Resorts have devised a comfortable way to sleep outdoors while reconnecting with nature with their Seedpod – a cocoon-shaped nest that can be hung from trees, rocks, beams or tripods. The organically shaped pod, which is shaped like a seed, is a low impact vessel that can be used for sleeping or […]
Steak restaurant housed in a former car repair shop.
Spontaneity, raw materials, pristine nature and above all – meat. The best steaks in the city of Olomouc.
Ten years back, you would have come here to have your vehicle inspection certificate stamped. Entering the place, you would have covered your ears to escape the noise of the roaring car engines and watched the mechanics checking clutches and brakes. As the shift ended and the chaps clocked out to leave for home all hungry, they might have been dreaming about one kind of meal.
The juicy steak they would eat seated at a solid wood table supported by raw steel legs. Greenery and nature come face to face with animal force. That’s the core of Steak Restaurant’s (STK) interior, housed in a former car repair shop which gave the steakhouse its name.
STK in Olomouc emphasises simplicity and quality, both in its food and its interior. Instead of trying to deny and erase its greasy automobile heritage, the place embraces it. The 320 square metres of the restaurant authentically engage individual elements of its past.
This is evident from the materials, which include raw metal sheets, black steel and rebars. We even turned a seemingly problematic layout into an advantage, transforming bearing walls in narrow spaces into a vertical garden and a platform for a barbecue.
Dominating the space are two huge steel bulls – the owner’s wish and a clear message to guests about the type of cuisine they should expect. In STK, heavy elements merge with nature. Willow branches wrap themselves around the tables and climb the walls, rising up to the ceiling and over the bulls’ heads.
Formed from solid oak boards, the tables have a rough hewn appearance and irregularly shaped steel legs. Here and there, plants spring from the ceiling and walls, changing the interior’s look with each new leaf that sprouts. Cowhide covering one of the walls and woven rope complete the signature style of the steakhouse.
Steak Restaurant Olomouc – Building Information
Studio: Komplits Author: Pavel Kříž | principal architect Contact e-mail: hello@komplits.com
Why do all houses, flats, offices, schools, hotels or tables out there look similar, when we have unlimited fantasy and possibilities? That was Komplits’ starting point, a belief uniting its members. They like exploring the roads not taken. A new day brings a new idea, shape or use of material. “But this is a material for fences! Well – we’ll make a chandelier from it”. Based in Olomouc, a city that encourages creativity, a team of architects, design and civil engineers take Pavel Kříž’s fantastic universes from paper and transform them into reality.
We create our own worlds. Houses, restaurants, schools, hotels and offices. But also desks, lighting, a bar or a hanger. One clear signature style and plenty of room for imagination. The more we hear something is impossible, the more excited we get about it.
Celebrate the Environment each day everyday! Nature is a powerful healer and provider treat it with respect and gratitude. Harming the environment it’s flora, fauna, animals, plant kingdom and its indigenous beings is no longer to be appropriate, choice nor an option. If it wants it can take away from you everything in a split second and you won’t be able to do nothing. Make choices and choose leaders that serve the greater good of our planet.
People blame their environment. There is only one person to blame – and only one – themselves. – Robert Collier
Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed. – Mahatma Gandhi
I was really intrigued when I saw a monkey orchid in Singapore orchid gardens. Believe me, it was looking exactly like a monkey. I got really inspired after seeing that weird flower and thought of doing a research on various weird looking flowers. I got a huge collection of rare and mysterious pictures of orchids and other flowers.
If you are a nature enthusiast, you will really enjoy this collection of flowers. This collection includes various rare orchids, tulips etc. Some of these flowers can be grown in your small garden and it can be a decor for your home.
The bright red color of this flower attracts pollinators like humming bird. Commonly found in the rain forests of Central and South America. The flower looks like a pair of lips in its budding stage before fully blooming into a flower.
Hooker’s Lips
3. Naked Man Orchid
Scientific Name : Orchis italica
Commonly found in the Mediterranean. The lip of this orchid looks just like a man and hence called Naked man orchid.
Naked Man Orchid
4. Ice cream tulip
Scientific Name : Tulipa icecream
This flower definitely lives up to its name and looks exactly like a delicious ice cream cone. White petals are closely mounted against one another and form a central cone. Its visual appeal makes it a center-piece in any garden.
ice cream tulip
5. Moth Orchid
Scientific Name : Phalaenopsis
This is the most common orchid variety due to its ease of production and the availability of blooming plants all year-round. Found in Southeast Asia, New Guinea, Southern China, the Indian Subcontinent and Queensland.
Moth Orchid
6. Dancing Girls
Scientific Name : Impatiens bequaertii
Commonly found in the rain forests of East Africa. This flower is very small, about half inch in length.
Dancing Girls
7. Laughing Bumble Bee Orchid
Scientific Name : Ophrys bombyliflora
Comes under bee orchid species. This plant is a native of the Mediterranean region. It’s named after the Greek word bombylios, meaning bumble bee.
Laughing Bumble Bee Orchid
8. Swaddled Babies
Scientific Name : Anguloa uniflora
The flowers of this orchid resembles babies sleeping in a cradle. Commonly found in parts of South America.
Swaddled Babies
9. Parrot Flower
Parrot Flower
10. Flying Duck Orchid
Scientific Name : Caleana major
This bright colored flower is a native of Australia. The bright purple color attracts pollinating agents.
Flying Duck Orchid
11. Tiger faced orchid
The center portion of this orchid flower looks exactly like the face of a tiger, as evident from the image below.
Tiger faced orchid
12. Happy Alien
Scientific Name : Calceolaria uniflora
This mountain plant is commonly found in the southern part of South America. Its combination of red, white and yellow colors makes it look like an alien.
Happy Alien
13. Angel Orchid
Scientific Name : Habenaria grandifloriformis
This flower is white in color and the arrangement of petals makes it look like an angel. Commonly found in the grasslands of Southern India.
Angel Orchid
14. Dove Orchid
Scientific Name : Peristeria elata
A Native of Central America, the central portion of this white flower resembles a dove. Also called Holy Ghost Orchid.
Dove Orchid
15. Ballerina Orchid
Scientific Name : Caladenia melanema
This orchid exactly looks like a ballerina dancer. Commonly found in Australia.
Ballerina orchid
16. White Egret Orchid
Scientific Name : Habenaria radiata
This orchid flower looks like a white egret in flight. Found in China, Japan, Korea and Russia.
White Egret Orchid
17. Jewel Orchid
Scientific Name : Anoectochilus geniculatus
These are so named because of the stunning patterns and coloration of their dramatic foliage.
Jewel Orchid
18. Darth Vader Flower
Scientific Name : Aristolochia salvadorensis
This flower looks like the mask of popular Star Wars character Darth Vader and hence the name.
Darth Vader flower
19. Grey Spider Flower
Scientific Name : Grevillea buxifolia
This flower has yellowish and white petals, with stalks covered in reddish brown hairs. The arrangement makes it look like a grey spider. Commonly found in New South Wales in Australia.
Also known as Cannonball Tree Flower, this is a native to the rain forests of Central and South America.
Sara Tree Flower
21. Mirror Orchid
Scientific Name : Ophrys speculum
This petals of this unique orchid resembles a female wasp. Male wasps, thinking that the petals are a female, land on them and helps in pollination.
Mirror Orchid
22. Pink Lady’s Slipper Orchid
Scientific Name : Cypripedium acaule
This flower is commonly found in Canada. The petals are yellowish-brown to maroon in color with a large pouch that is usually a shade of pink. The pouch is prominent and gives this flower a lady’s slipper like look.
Pink Lady’s Slipper Orchid
23. Lily-of-the-Valley Flower
Scientific Name : Convallaria majalis
Lily of the valley plants are one of the most fragrant and blooming plants in the spring and early summer throughout the northern temperate zone.
Lily-of-the-valley flower
24. Bird of Paradise
Scientific Name : Strelitzia reginae
Also called Crane flower. This flower is a native of South Africa.
Bird of Paradise
25. Passiflora Violacea Victoria
This flower is purple in color with a dark center and white filament tips.
Passiflora Violacea Victoria
26. Paracaleana Nigrita
This flower resembles a bird in flight. Its a native of Australia.
Paracaleana nigrita
27. Fly Orchid
Scientific Name : Ophrys insectifera
This orchid flower looks just like a fly and so it is called fly orchid. Commonly found in Europe.
This flower is called skeleton flower because its petals turn crystal clear when they make contact with water. When dry, the flower is white in color!!!
Skeleton flower
29. The Bat Flower
Scientific Name : Tacca Chantrieri
This flower is native to tropical regions of Southeast Asia including Thailand, Malaysia, and southern China. This flower is also called Devil’s flower, thanks to its devil like appearance.
The bat flower
30. Ceropegia
Scientific Name : Ceropegia Haygarthii
The name of this flower was derived from the words ‘keros’ meaning wax and ‘pege’ meaning fountain. As the name suggests, this flower looks like a fountain of wax. Also called parachute flower or lantern flower. Commonly found in Africa, southern Asia and Australia.
Ceropegia Haygarthii
31. Jungle Night Flower
Scientific Name : Amorphophallus paeoniifolius
This is the flower of elephant foot yam or stink lily, which is a tropical tuber crop grown in Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia.
Jungle Night Flower
32. Flame Lily
Scientific Name : Gloriosa superba
This flower, with its spectacular array of yellow and red colored petals, looks like a flame. Also known by the name fire lily. Commonly found in Asia and Africa.
Flame Lily
33. Jeweled Carpet Flower
The arrangement of petals gives this flower a jewel – like appearance and hence called so.
Plants of the World Online (POWO), an online portal from Kew, is sharing known data on more than 1 million plants so that it can be used for research purposes, and to inform decisions about conservation, land use, policy and practice. A work-in-progress project that launched in 2017 with the aim to bring Kew’s science […]
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