Monday, February 29, 2016

Drops and Yellows

I've been so engrossed with water droplets lately. The colder temperatures in the mornings allow this at home in the province, as they don't evaporate as quickly as in normal days. By colder, i just mean about 23-25C, and to us in the hot tropics that is cold enough. My friends in the temperate countries who have minus zero winters will laugh at me, but that is just our reality. How i really wish you can send us some cold winds when we are in the height of the dry season, with our temps at 35 to 38C! Can you relate with that? Probably you wont, and good you don't experience that.

yellow Ixora

yellow Hoya halconensis at opening

tomato flowers

a portal to the 4th dimension 

 another universe

 The path through the 4th D portal, can you see the person going in those steps?


Monday, February 22, 2016

Let's have some macro!

These past few days i am amused at some water droplets. In the hot tropics, water evaporates so fast and water droplets just cling in there for a few seconds only. They either immediately drop or evaporate.

So now that our temperatures are colder, meaning 24-26C, i hurriedly try to take some droplet shots in the morning. Still, they drop even before i can get some decent shots. The wind is also a factor in focusing, so it really is difficult outdoors at the mercy of wind and sunlight.

 At least i got this hoya nectar mixed with water drops, reflecting the inverted hoya plants. It took me awhile, but i am already happy with this. My knees ached for the unusual position.


 Tip of Sanchezia speciosa, refracting its leaves.

Dewdrops on the Sanchezia speciosa leaf

Macro Monday 2

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

They hastened my recuperation!

Hearts' Month of February, when the wind here with us in the province is a bit colder, courtesy of the Easterly winds coming from those northern countries with deep winter. I hope the colder winds will not stop soon, as animals, humans and plants all love this weather.

I had a 2 week -vacation at home to savor our still fresh air, to replenish my bad breathing air in the big city where i live for work. Allergic asthma got me in the hospital for 4 days, so i needed a fresher environment. Since Monday/yesterday i am again in the city, returned for work and breathing the bad air again. I miss our air in the province, the birds, the bees, butterflies, and my plants. I am showing some of them here for GBBD. They kept me company during my recuperation/ staycation for 2 weeks.

For those of you still in winter, i hope i can give you some warmth with my photos.

 Mother's garden of annuals


Impatiens balsamina, violets, whites and pinks

 Top and bottom: red Plumbago 




 Caesalpinia pulcherrima and Pentas lanceolata


bougainvilla flowers

 
Heliconia rostrata starting to produce individual bright flowers. In April-March, a lot of them will be hanging from each plant. Right: Alternanthera variegated.


...and my hoyas!

 Top & Bottom: Hoya pubicorolla formerly Hoya pubicalyx 'Black Dragon'. Is previous flowers are more black and lessened hue in succeeding blooming.


 I have 2 mother plants, above has 3 umbels while the other has 2 umbels.

 This Hoya diversifolia is hanging from the lanzones trees. Above the tree are lots of umbels like this in succession.
 

At left is Hoya valmayoriana, my first time to see it blooming. At the right is Hoya siariae. It is nice to know that the persons they are named after are my former professor and my friend, respectively.
 Hoya halconensis produced 2 umbels which bloomed consecutively. It started with a greenish hue at the corolla which later on changed to dark yellow. It remained open for 4 days.

 My old Hoya crassicaulis is back to its blooming characteristics, with corolla not able to reflex because the flowers are very compact within the umbel. It stopped blooming for a while because i put it in ICU and had intensive rehabilitation management. Now it is back to its former glory.

 Hoya obscura with simultaneous buds is so lovely to see, but when they all open at the same time, the sweet scent pervades the air around through our terrace. How nice to have coffee there in the afternoon, when they are in full bloom.