Anthurium

When I'm looking for inspiration for my daily blip, I will often turn to one of the challenges published by other blippers. I have been intermittently following the challenges set by missymoo. Today's challenge was to photograph a cloud. That really was a challenge - not because there was any shortage of clouds, but because the clouds around here were a flat, dull grey with no interest at all. So I have bailed out of that one, and looked around the house for something that I found more interesting.

I find these Anthurium plants fascinating, and they seem to be one of the few houseplants which we can keep alive and thriving (ie they don't need much care or attention). So I got out the extension tubes to get in close for this shot. According to Wikipedia, the red leaf is a brightly coloured spathe, a modified bract. It unfurls to reveal the spadix, a spike on which the tiny flowers grow. So there - now you know.