A monkey in Oban

A grey day today, quite chilly too. Went for a walk around the local roads after lunch, had a long chat with a neighbour and took a few pictures including this one of a female monkey puzzle tree, aka Chile Pine, aka pehuén, aka, latinwise, Araucaria araucana. There are two in this garden, the other one being a male tree. The female one is covered with cones, some complete, some broken up. The cones on these trees don't fall off complete as do the cones of most conifers, but break up while still attached, shedding their large seeds to litter the ground below. It was from this tree that I collected some seeds the other day; I must get some more as the house is currently unoccupied while work is being done. These two are maybe the only ones left in Oban - there was a smaller one between the two here which has recently been cut down. The largest Chile Pine of all in Oban was felled a couple of years ago, and also a smaller specimen in another garden. 

On the hill behind can be seen Oban's radio transmitter.
 
My extra today is of a fake squirrel staring up at some polyanthus flowers, which unlike yesterday's flowers, are real!

Quote of the Day:

Anonymous horticulturalist, 1915 - “There is no tree with which people are more familiar; no tree has suffered so much from injudicious planting among inappropriate surroundings and I know of no more dismal object in the world of plants than an araucaria stuck down in front of a suburban villa.”