The cannonball tree (Couroupita guianensis) is pretty distinctive. It sprouts pink or red flowers the length of its trunk and follows them with woody, round fruits that give the tree its name. This one was at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden.
For more information about Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, go to htbg.com.
Another post on the theme of ‘Rounded,’ this week’s WordPress photo challenge.
I’m pretty sure this flower is Gloxinia sylvatica ‘Bolivian Sunset.’ I saw the plant at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden where some plants have identifying tags, but many do not.
What I really liked was how the flower caught the sun, illuminating both the exterior and interior. Coupled with its rounded form, both in profile and looking into the mouth of the flower, it’s a sensuous, vibrant plant.
For more information about Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, go to htbg.com.
Another post on the theme of ‘Glow,’ this week’s WordPress photo challenge.
I’ve posted photos of rose jatropha before (here). In fact, those photos were of this same plant, but probably not the same bee. They were taken later in the day on a previous hike. These photos were taken in the early morning when the light was better and the flowers were just starting to open.
The flowers really glowed and the bees, well they had to work a little harder, burrowing down into the bloom, but obviously with great success.
Yellow plume flower (Justicia aurea) hails from Mexico and Central America. This one was at the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden.
For more information about Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, go to htbg.com.
I found this mourning gecko taking a drink at a bird of paradise flower. I love the metallic-looking eyes of the gecko.
Vireya rhododendrons can do well on the Big Island and when they do, the display of flowers is quite beautiful.
Orchids have a unique flower structure, which this Phalaenopsis orchid shows off.
They’re bilaterally symmetrical, the left and right halves being mirror images. The column in the center of the flower is a fusion of the male and female parts. They have three petals in an inner whorl and three sepals, usually as big as the petals, in an outer whorl.
The lower petal is the lip on which pollinators land. When the flower is in the budding stage, this lip starts out at the top. In most orchids, as the flower opens, it rotates until the lip is at the bottom, a process called resupination. Not all orchids do this. Some remain in the original upside down position and some rotate a full circle until they’re back where they started.
I had a chenille plant (Acalypha hispida) in my last garden. With their bright, furry flowers, they certainly catch the eye.
Graham's Island 