A four metre sprawling hibiscus sits just off the balcony. Full of flower, brilliant carnelian, in full light, all seem to be worshipping the sun, five petals radiate with an alluring darker centre. Red twisted candles sit vertically along branches awaiting their turn to shine. Small green leaves adorn the stems providing sanctuary for a thriving ecosystem. The tangle of branches provide haven for small birds. The purple sun bird, iridescent turquoise with the deepest blue black tones as light catches its' wings, steals nectar, flower to flower. The behaviour is like a hummingbird, furious wing activity that makes it seem to hover from bloom to bloom. The female is smaller and without exotic colour, neutral brown tones. They visit morning and afternoon, in the cooler hours.
The bulbuls are busy all day. I have counted at least six different types including the red-vented bulbul easily identified by its short crest giving the head a squarish appearance. The body is dark brown with a scaly pattern while the head is darker or black. The rump is white while the vent is red. Other variations, a yellow vent, white vents and those with darker neutral colours or black. They forage, looking for insects or fruit, and are often more than one. Small sparrows also take their turn in the foliage, well camouflaged.
Of an evening in the garden their is a chorus as dusk descends and all roost until dawn brings their call again.
The mango trees is in full flower and new leaf, producing the necessary energy to turn into natures sweetest fruit nectar. Grevillea grandiflora provide a gold yellow to the skyline, flowering horizontally in the upper branches crowning the tree line. Coral trees are in full glory. They are leafless with an abundance of multiple 'cockatoo cone' flower heads on every branch. Their colour is intense especially against a cloudless blue sky. It is called the Tigers claw or sunshine tree here. With curved thorns on the trunk and branches it is protected from the local people who harvest wood from anything possible. This allows for the current profusion of red. In the past both the hibiscus and coral tree flowers were harvested to make the red colour for the Holi festival, now replaced by chemicals colours.
Resplendent is the bougainvillea in full colour. Magenta gives way to a huge variety of colours, including white, red, orange, gold yellow, pink, and variegated versions, while avenues of colour brighten the environment. The plants, ornamental, thrive in the poor soil conditions and lack of attention and are full of thorns. The actual flower of the plant is small and generally white, but each cluster of three flowers is surrounded by three or six bracts with the bright colours associated with the plant. Most often they are used as border hedges around properties and can reach ten metres. These huge bushes are a tangle of branches and thorns with growth struggling to get to the light and often it falls in on itself due to the weight.
One of my favourites permeates the evening. An unobtrusive plant with small white flowers. Queen of the Night scent is alluring. It arrests me as I walk. The flower blooms only of an evening and the fragrance meets you well before the plant. A natural pure incense that cannot be manufactured, the scent is intoxicating to the senses. It is also called night jasmine, though not of the same family.
The bamboo is also in flower. Small unspectacular pom pom flower clusters weigh heavily on the branches, curving them. The fruit is similar to rice. Bamboo takes a long time to flower and a species seems to flower at the same time. The clusters then tend to die out. It is almost as if it is at its' lifecycle end and new life and variation needed for survival. Research says that the bamboo cycle is typically between forty and eighty years though some have been recorded up to one hundred and thirty years. This is amazing for a grass species.
It is dry, arid, dusty and hot yet Spring has arrived and nature shows its wonders.
The bulbuls are busy all day. I have counted at least six different types including the red-vented bulbul easily identified by its short crest giving the head a squarish appearance. The body is dark brown with a scaly pattern while the head is darker or black. The rump is white while the vent is red. Other variations, a yellow vent, white vents and those with darker neutral colours or black. They forage, looking for insects or fruit, and are often more than one. Small sparrows also take their turn in the foliage, well camouflaged.
Of an evening in the garden their is a chorus as dusk descends and all roost until dawn brings their call again.
The mango trees is in full flower and new leaf, producing the necessary energy to turn into natures sweetest fruit nectar. Grevillea grandiflora provide a gold yellow to the skyline, flowering horizontally in the upper branches crowning the tree line. Coral trees are in full glory. They are leafless with an abundance of multiple 'cockatoo cone' flower heads on every branch. Their colour is intense especially against a cloudless blue sky. It is called the Tigers claw or sunshine tree here. With curved thorns on the trunk and branches it is protected from the local people who harvest wood from anything possible. This allows for the current profusion of red. In the past both the hibiscus and coral tree flowers were harvested to make the red colour for the Holi festival, now replaced by chemicals colours.
Resplendent is the bougainvillea in full colour. Magenta gives way to a huge variety of colours, including white, red, orange, gold yellow, pink, and variegated versions, while avenues of colour brighten the environment. The plants, ornamental, thrive in the poor soil conditions and lack of attention and are full of thorns. The actual flower of the plant is small and generally white, but each cluster of three flowers is surrounded by three or six bracts with the bright colours associated with the plant. Most often they are used as border hedges around properties and can reach ten metres. These huge bushes are a tangle of branches and thorns with growth struggling to get to the light and often it falls in on itself due to the weight.
One of my favourites permeates the evening. An unobtrusive plant with small white flowers. Queen of the Night scent is alluring. It arrests me as I walk. The flower blooms only of an evening and the fragrance meets you well before the plant. A natural pure incense that cannot be manufactured, the scent is intoxicating to the senses. It is also called night jasmine, though not of the same family.
The bamboo is also in flower. Small unspectacular pom pom flower clusters weigh heavily on the branches, curving them. The fruit is similar to rice. Bamboo takes a long time to flower and a species seems to flower at the same time. The clusters then tend to die out. It is almost as if it is at its' lifecycle end and new life and variation needed for survival. Research says that the bamboo cycle is typically between forty and eighty years though some have been recorded up to one hundred and thirty years. This is amazing for a grass species.
It is dry, arid, dusty and hot yet Spring has arrived and nature shows its wonders.
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