Brownea Coccinea is a native of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela, which is why it’s also known as the Rose of Venezuela amongst other names. The tree is a small evergreen, but the flowers are large, showy, and really quite rose-like.
This one was at Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden. For more information about Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden, go to htbg.com.
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Fresh.’ See more responses here.
Here’s a weekly ritual of mine these days. There are two tangerine trees on the property and they constantly churn out fruit. I rarely see the flowers, though I did eventually notice that they do exist (here).
Each week, I pick a small bucket of ripe fruit. Often I can just reach up an pick enough for my needs. Sometimes I use a ladder and rake to snag the higher fruits. Then I take my bounty inside and juice it. I use a hand juicer; I tried a powered one, but it didn’t really work for me. It doesn’t take long to fill my jar. This time I used 29 tangerines, but the number varies from week to week depending on how ripe they are and how juicy.
I could juice them daily for truly fresh juice, but this still tastes pretty good to me.
Also posted in response to this month’s Becky’s Squares challenge theme of ‘Odd.’ See more responses here.
This Milo tree was planted at Upolu Airport several years ago to provide shade for those visiting the area. The picnic table was positioned around the same time and chained to the tree so that no one would nick it!
Fast forward a few years, and the tree has grown and does provide shade, but it’s not what one might think of as a typical shade tree. The robust trade winds that blow here have given the tree its odd shape, a 90° bend not being typical of Milo trees growth. However, it still produces the most lovely blooms that I’ve posted about before here.
It will be interesting to see what it looks like in another five years. Probably a somewhat larger version of this photo, unless the winds get the better of it.
Posted in response to this month’s Becky’s Squares challenge theme of ‘Odd.’ See more responses here.
False Kamani (Terminalia catappa) is believed to have been introduced to Hawaii before 1800 and is now widespread here, particularly on beaches and shorelines. This one was at Spencer Beach Park and was heavy with green almond-shaped fruits as well as riper deep pink ones.
What caught my eye was that the ripe fruits had been gathered and used to ornament the battlements of a sandcastle below the tree. I thought they gave it an odd but distinctive look.
Posted in response to this month’s Becky’s Squares challenge theme of ‘Odd.’ see more responses here.
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Wildlife.’ See more responses here. I thought I’d go with a couple of photos from the air, on land, and in the ocean.
First up, a couple of native Hawaiian birds, a palila above and a pueo below.
Next, a group of goats blocking a trail in South Kona, above, and a wild pig snaffles a mango and runs off with its prize, below.
Finally, a pod of spinner dolphins that I encountered in the wild while snorkeling. This scene was made more poignant for me by having recently seen dolphins in a small pool doing their thing for tourists at one of the resorts here. I couldn’t bring myself to take a photo of that.
The Ice Cream Bean Tree (Inga feuillei) is native to northwestern South America. It gets its name from the pulp of the seed pod, which is sweet and edible. I sampled a pod from this tree and it does have a sweet, creamy flavor.
I’ve posted a few photos from my recent walk along the South Kohala coast. Here’s another one, where the path passes in front of the Hilton Hotel. It’s another lovely spot with great views, but the truth is that, just out of sight to the right is a series of swimming pools thronging with splashing kids and adults and accompanied by loud, thumping music. So, not quite the tranquil scene it appears to be!
This is the time of year when Plumeria produce buds, which will become flowers in the next week or two. There were a few leaves on this tree, but most will fill in after the flowers bloom.
