Andrea in this Lifetime

Flowers and arrangements in the Garden Show 2012

2012-02-10T08:59:00.005+08:00

This is the 4th installment post from the Philippine Horticultural Society Show 2012. First is on foliage, 2nd is Tillandsia, 3rd is bonsai. I still have one more for the succulents and cacti. There are still the agave, but i feel like this is already very long, so i might abort it.

How would you like to have this arrangement in your garden? At the left are ferns arranged in a vertical stand, while at the right are bromeliads. Those ferns are just weeds growing luxuriantly during the rainy season. We have a lot of them in our area, but when arranged like that looks so inviting and special. Any plant, for that matter, gains value on how we treat them.

How about the above. Those tillandsia mounted on a vertical mount with a basin full of flowering plants on top is a bit amusing too! When joined by many plants, colors and ornaments it makes a lovely focal point. Do you agree?

This divider stand looks like a makeshift decor. It is made of commonly available cut bamboo internodes, the nodes kept intact and water put inside to grow those pink water plants. The alternating arrangement hanging on that stand made it a nice focal point and conversation piece too. Don't you think so?

Phalaenopsis orchids in the commercial booth

Dendrobium orchid hybrids also at the commercial booth

Dainty white flowers in bamboo hanging baskets, Clerodendrum smithianum

When the plants from the hanging baskets become bigger, they can be placed on table tops overflowing with the profusely blooming dainty hanging white flowers

Saraca flowers

passion fruit flowers, Passiflora

periwinkles

Profusely growing Lantana trees at the border of the exhibit site

Bonsai at the Garden Show 2012

2012-02-07T15:11:00.002+08:00

I promised to post the bonsai exhibit from the Philippine Horticultural Society Garden Show of 2012. I have previously posted the foliage plants that caught my fancy there, and the Tillandsia. I hope you will also appreciate these bonsai as you did the previous posts.

This is the only fruit tree bonsai exhibited this year. It is a variegated chico (sapodilla), Achras zapota, and it is laden with fruits, fortunately not reduced in size!

Tillandsia Delights in the Garden Show 2012

2012-02-03T09:19:00.003+08:00

The Philippine Horticultural Society, Inc. garden show and exhibit at the Quezon Memorial Circle, Quezon City is still going on till the weekend. I was there last Saturday and really had fun. A cloudy sky is good for such open exhibits, for us not feeling sticky with the high humidity here in the hot tropics. And photos are also better during overcast skies.

I made my posts into plant groups, last Monday i had the foliage plants which caught my fancy, and next to this will be bonsai. I did not get the plant IDs as it is quite time consuming, and i regret to tell you, i forgot my ballpen. Whew!

Tillandsias are epiphytes or air plants, which means they get their food and water from the air through their leaves, not from the soil through the roots. But it doesn't mean they should be left on their own to get their nourishment and water. They just have special caring needs, and once you know them they are easy to care for. A good discussion of cultural management is HERE.

At the center of the stage where lectures are held twice a day, this corsage is one of the many decorations. I took this not only for the Dianthus, but also for the Tillandsia usneoides (locally known as 'Buhok ni Ester' or Ester's hair) which made the arrangement more fabulous.

a focal point of a landscape design

sat on a pedestal made more delightful with the beauty of the driftwood they are mounted on

another fabulous creation looking like a well manicured bonsai, which got the first prize in its category

a table of already flowering tillandsia for sale at the commercial booths

These photos of Tillandsia cyanea are from the one i cared for in my office two years ago. I was then on travel for a few days, when it was neglected by the caretaker. She watered it after being heated with the full morning sun, which stressed it, the roots rot and eventually die. Since then i haven't taken another one again, for fear of having it suffer the same fate.

Tillandsia cyanea was cared for 2 years here at the east side of my office window. It received direct light only in the morning. At least, I was able to make it flower inside the confines of an air-conditioned room before it died.

Watery Outdoors on a Wednesday

2012-02-01T09:26:00.002+08:00

our still serene bay

passenger boat between the islands

kids oblivious of the difficulties of existence, contented with the free gifts of nature

color of the water due to mineral deposits, evidenced by the exposed rocks

color of water after the rains, soils eroded from the uplands carry mineral deposits

mossy shore

Photos taken in Malimatoc Beach, Mabini, Batangas

Foliage at the Garden Show

2012-01-30T22:42:00.003+08:00

The Philippine Horticultural Society annual garden show and landscape exhibit runs from January 26 to February 5, 2012 at the Quezon Memorial Circle, Quezon City, Philippines. It is an annual event, which i try not to miss. Aside from the landscape design exhibit, there are also commercial booths selling all kinds of plants, both local and imported species.

I have limited time so i just took photos without getting their varieties. I only know their general group, e.g. tillandsia but not the species or variety. I will be posting first some of the foliage plants. Next posts will be bonsai, tillandsia, agave.

Pick your choice!

an aroid

Colocacia

croton

bamboo

birds' nest fern

Aglaonema

a tree (hardwood)

Calathea

Alocasia

For the photos of the exhibit please visit The Plantchaser's post, i will not post the landscape designs because he has already posted them in his site. I am sure you will appreciate the plants better when already used in landscape designs.

Foliage Plants in January

2012-01-27T12:06:00.007+08:00

Even if rains seldom fall here these days we are still officially in the rainy season, the last few weeks before the dry season begins. But many trees and plants show that they are ready for the dry months. Our national tree, the deciduous hardwood narra or Pterocarpus indicus, already starts to shed its leaves. In the first two months of dry season they are bald and dormant, as if they are in the fall season of temperate countries.

Grasses and weeds are already in their fruiting stages and many already shed their seeds. Annuals are also in the last vestiges of their life cycle, ready to spread their genes to preserve their species.

Since our garden plants are still watered either by rain or by my mother, they are still at their prime, but some symptoms of maturity are already obvious. They are just finishing their last steps of development.

Alternanthera of Family Amaranthaceae

Sanchezia

Aglaonema

Although Aglaonema does not have bulbs, their rhizomes or old stems remain alive during the the dry months. Only 2 or 3 leaves remain alive to make its food. They come alive again after the first heavy rains.

Proiphys amboinensis (?Euricles amboinensis)

This is a bulb plant, and it dries and shed its leaves during the dry season, become dormant and be alive again at the start of the rainy season in May-June.

Chlorophytum or spider plant

Although Chlorophytum doesn't have bulbs, they have fleshy root structures which remain alive with stored energies during summer months. They serve as the first energy source when it rains when it is still trying to produce leaves to manufacture its new food.

Another Alternanthera (ficoidea ?) of Amaranthus Family

Alternanthera (species ?) too of Amaranthus family

Ti plant or Cordylline terminalis

All these plants are not seen during the dry season, they either die or their parts become dormant, to emerge again coming rainy season. The bulbs become dormant during the dry months, but their bulbs just stay alive in the soil. We don't need to uproot them just like in winter climates.

The Caladium:

Caladium bicolor

The Ferns:

The ferns die fully in our area, but they already scattered their spores to germinate and grow when the rains come.

Asparagus plumosus, misleadingly called asparagus fern

native ferns

Reflection Beyond the Self

2012-01-25T22:51:00.005+08:00

Donna's Word for Wednesday has always been a challenge for some of us, but I consider it as one of the most exciting memes. Usually it takes longer to search for the photos, unlike my other normal spontaneous posts. It is now the time for Reflection. This word has a lot of interpretations if someone wishes to. I will go beyond the self reflection, but the bigger reflection around it, literally and figuratively. One is always a part of the bigger whole!

zen in a scene

I would like to believe that the ripples above is just like a figure eight, or infinity, meaning endless! It contributed to the elements in a zen-like atmosphere, or does it not?

alone but not lonely

Let us say that we are just alone if our consciousness doesn't go beyond the self, a whole lot of support is always beyond and around, supporting us.

reflection beyond the self makes the hole, or sometimes whole

Do you think this lone man reflects beyond himself?

Linked to Gardenwalk Gardentalk

Garden Critters in January

2012-01-20T11:18:00.002+08:00

giant wood spider, Nephila maculata

This spider is already a fixture in our vegetation under tree canopies. Wikipedia provided at least 22 names (synonyms) for this species. It is a female, a great size compared to its male counterpart, the small red at its left. As kids we are scared of this because of its size and its very sticky webs, which are difficult to remove when you happen to stick on it. Its bite is reported to be slightly poisonous. I love this shot for the different colors behind it.

this spider is lovely but i can't take a bigger shot with my lens

I had fun making this praying mantis make different stunts or poses for me. I think this pose is its signal that it is ready for an attack, as it was getting angry with my prodding to change position. I have seen 3 colors of the mantis, this one, the fully brown, and the fully green. This time i can't locate the mature stages of the other 2. At the bottom is a juvenile green praying mantis, now praying that i will not harm him.

This swallowtail is common in our garden although not many of them at once. Four is the most number i see them flying at the same time. We have a few species of citrus which are host plants for them.

A not so welcome inhabitant of our garden is this fly. They suddenly become plenty when a lot of mango fruits are decaying on the ground.

Our Little Corner

2012-01-18T11:57:00.003+08:00

The map of the Philippines above left has a small red dot on it, enlarged at the right. The red dot is Mabini, Batangas, my hometown in Southern Luzon. It is like a tongue, almost a peninsula surrounded by water. And that is my little corner of the world, where I get most of the tropical garden photos posted in my posts. I have also written in my previous posts that our area is facing east, overlooking the Batangas Bay. It is reached from Metro Manila in 3-4 hours depending on circumstances, meaning 3h by private car and 4h by public transports.

Decades before, travels allowed commuters the full view of an extended shoreline, but developments deprived that privilege these days. So whenever i had a few days to spare, it is always a treat to go to the shore or to the mountain, a few beach scenes i will post here.

Above is a typical calm day

Different types of shorelines are found in this east side. Some coves are rockies, others have boulders, and most are stones like the above.

very clear waters on calm days

These waters provided local residents with food and some livelihood. During low tides on calm days, the water allows gleaming of shells and fishing.

Colored rocks and stones are very obvious characteristics of these shores. It is apparent that parent materials are rich in minerals rich in iron or sulfur that gives the rusty, red, yellow, orange colors, depending on the concentration on the rocks. Other minerals are surely present on these rocks, however i don't know any research done yet on our areas. Samples of these rocks are shown below.

Bottom right corner of the above photo also shows a rock which depicts volcanic eruption in the past. Some natural stones were embedded in the molten lava and now eroded again by other natural conditions. A rock composed of other rocks is called composite rock (LOL).

boulders from the red rockwall

The above spot is called Pulang Bato (local term) in Malimatoc I, Mabini, Batangas or Red Rocks from the color of the rock wall above it. Just 30ft below this spot is the home of the endangered and rare golden scorpion fish (Rhinopias frondosa). Many scuba divers visiting Anilao, at the west side of the peninsula, come to this spot for the elusive golden scorpion fish, which is known to be nesting there. Red Rocks is also considered nudibranchs hotspot. For a more thorough discussion and photos of scorpionfish and nudibranchs in this area please visit the post by Jayvee Hernandez.

The mineral deposits in the rocks also make the waters of the same color, especially after a heavy rain. It might look muddy, but it actually is imparted by the dissolved minerals and elements in the water. Batangas International Port is at the other side of the bay at the horizon.

Sometimes, big waves also visit this shore, but i haven't done any photo shoot yet during typhoons. Mild waves like the above are typical during regular days.

Colored stones very visible in the above photo

Flowers as usual for Fertilizer Friday and January GBBD

2012-01-12T10:07:00.017+08:00

January in this part of the world is most pleasant in terms of temperature, as we are still having the spillover winds from the deep winter of Siberia and Mongolia. At 19 -23C it is already very pleasant for us because this is the lowest it gets in the lowlands. We have very few highlands with lower temperatures that maybe resembling your spring. At the same time, you will be seeing in the news that we have floods and landslides and deaths in some parts of the country. That is because the La Niña phenomenon producing excessive rains is still here. However, rains are not really that excessive, it is just that it drops in some vulnerable sites predisposed by the relentless irresponsibility of the human race. In our area in the province, rain is still wanting. We are in mid-elevation of a few hundred feet above sea level, but not enough to get lower temperatures. I am already happy that we still have very fresh air there, and i can safely watch birds and butterflies, go to the beach or to the mountains without any danger of intrusions. But of course here in the big city where i work, everything is different.

By next month, the temperatures will start going up again as the dry season is approaching. I am sure some of you still remember my posts about the pathetic pictures of our landscape, plants and trees. I hope this dry season will not be as bad, as my salvaged orchids just came out from the Intensive Care Unit. I always describe my two places of residence because i don't have a garden here in the city. The following flowers are in the province, in my mother's care or neglect.

The Faithful: present all year round

the ever present Duranta erecta and the Seemania sylvatica

a lily with the purple Pentas lanceolata

the omnipresent red hibiscus

the red salvia with variegated amaranth

the orange Crossandra infundibuliformis

Crossandra infundibuliformis with the ti plant, Cordyline terminalis

orange Heliconia

The Special: present only during the cold months or short days

the spray chrysanthemum - short day plants

the Impatiens balsamina, only during the wet season

Petunia - available only during the wet season

Orthosiphon aristatus, versatile as long as there is water

Coleus blumei, versatile also as long as there is water

An Early Morning Walk

2012-01-10T08:33:00.007+08:00

When I visit the province and our old home where my old mother, sister and her kids are, it usually is only for the weekend. I will be arriving on a Saturday and leave in the afternoon of Sunday. That means i have the option to watch sunrise from an area about 400 meters uphill from the house. It also gave me a chance for a cardiovascular breathing. The Christmas holidays gave me a few days to take advantage of that, and also roam around for whatever things that might take my fancy.

So i woke up early that morning, braving the cold. Cold here means about 19-20C, which only happens this time of the year courtesy of spillover winds from Mongolia and Siberia. And to savor that cold means you have to be out early, a few hours later the temperature soars up again. Everybody in the house and the neighborhood, except for some dogs and chickens, is still in bed.

I will be repeating here that our area faces the east to the bay, with other islands in the horizon. At our back are hills, which took out our privilege to watch nice sunsets. In case we want to watch them we have to walk for about 2 hrs to the peak and watch the sun set in the western islands.

My room view

View from my chosen area in the hill

I love the dew on the cobwebs in the grassy meadow. These grasses are also grazed by cattle tethered in the area.

If you look closer the orange spider is still asleep on its web

These grasses are at the flowering stage this time of the year.

I love also the patterns created by the color of grasses and weeds in the area. Tall coconut trees are at the background.

Start of the year, start plants

2012-01-08T15:19:00.003+08:00

Gardening in the tropics is much unlike that of the temperate or subtropical climates. We have annuals, biennials and perennials. The annuals germinate at the start of the rainy season and finish life during the dry season. Biennials, are of course on the ground for two years after which they finish fruiting and then die. Our perennials are real perennials. They are always on the ground unless we uproot them, or prune them severely, or destroyed by typhoons!

I have been blessed with some blogger friends who are generous to send some seeds. Lily is mostly growing lilies, her namesake, although she also grows some annuals. She also tried breeding and exchange her seeds with some other breeder-hobbyists across the globe. Lily, The Suburban Gardener from Illinois, sent me seeds and bulbs through the post office at the middle of 2011. She painstakingly gathered seeds from her own plants, put them in personally made small packets, and placed them in a bubble sheet envelope. We were discouraged at first because we thought the package got lost in the mail. It came much later than our expected date. This might have caused most of the seeds to loose germinability. There are more than 10 different seeds, but did not germinate successfully. Only 2 seeds and two bulbs were successful and now growing steadily.

Being excited of growing temperate plants not common here in the tropics, I might be rewarded of some success.

A few coneflower seeds germinated although with a very low percentage germination

Gaillardia showed higher percentage germination

All the Lycoris radiata bulblets sprouted and they seem so happy with our sunshine

The four Rhodophiala bulblets also grow well, with very long leaves of more than 2 ft each. I don't know if that leaf length is normal, because they are so thin and long.

Allium purple is not successful, different unwanted seeds are growing in its pot.

Clematis blue did not germinate as well, and its pot is conquered by Impatiens balsamina volunteers

I bought a pack of petunia to indulge my mother's patience in watering my plants when I'm away. She must see some flowers if my experiment will not be successful. She is 81 and getting plants to flower is happiness!

At least the petunia is already giving its first bloom. My mother will not see the experimental plants until a few years from now.

To go with the temperate seeds, i also planted Eucharis grandiflora from a neighbor. It already produced some leaves. At the front are my transplanted Gaillardia from its germination pot.

I am trying to grow this Clerodendrum in a pot. It is commonly growing in our unfarmed areas. It is now beginning to show the start of flowering. I just don't like the smell of its leaves.

I salvaged this Crysothemis pulchelia from totally drying last dry season. Then I saw a lot of germination in a pot which turned out to be this plant. I didn't know it seeded and now regaining its ground.

A lovely Coleus looted by my mother from a neighbor. Its first leaves are big and real beautiful.

And to complete my newly planted or newly acquired plants, this Epiphyllum oxypetalum is now producing its first shoots happily. In two years i will witness my first Queen of the Night bloom, if ever i can wait until midnight.

Leaving plants for a while

2012-01-04T22:28:00.006+08:00

Let us leave flowers and plants for a while. Let us talk about fish. I have been posting plants and some places for a few years, then maybe you will go along with me talking about fish! But i am sure you are not familiar with this fish. This is the smallest fish harvested for commerce. Most Filipinos don't know about this too, or have seen this, we were just a bit lucky!

'Sinarapan' or Mistichthys luzonensis is endemic in the Philippines found only in Lake Buhi, Lake Bato and Bicol River in Camarines Sur province. This province is in Luzon, the basis for its species name. Even at maturity its length only reaches about 12.3 mm. Being a delicacy it is a candidate for extinction, so care should be done to protect this species.

'Sinarapan' is transparent with only the eyes and the entrails being black. You can see its size in relation to a human palm. I even cropped the palm to magnify it a bit.

From the nearest highway to Lake Bato, we walked through rice fields, hiked muddy circuitous paths, and crossed two rivers via hanging bridges. It was high noon, fortunately there are some trees and coconuts along the way that moderately sheltered us from the intense heat of the sun.

A tree in Buhi town proper fully clothed with another plant species growing in its trunk. This is typical when the area is very high in humidity.

Top and bottom: the bridge we crossed to reach Lake Bato, which is still beyond these coconut plantation.

It was a big challenge for me to cross this bridge that sway to our steps, and made me a bit dizzy and scared. Only one handle guides us through, which i found more difficult to hold because my short arms can't reach it. It took a long time for me to navigate the span of this bridge, which the locals cross so fast without hassle.

We found this purplish black basil near the path during our hike

A fisherman catching the famous 'sinarapan' in Lake Bato using specially made nets.

The fisherman turning over his catch to his wife, either for their own food or for sale.

Our companion trying her luck to catch some 'sinarapan' using a very small fishnet.

We were treated by the barangay chairman to lunch with two native dishes of 'sinarapan'. Eating it is the best reward we got after the hike. At last we were able to taste this famous small fish, which might not be available anymore for the next generations.

This is linked to Outdoor Wednesday, but the logo is a bit shy to show up! It is also joined at the end of Watery Wednesday.

Wildflowers in the tropics

2011-12-20T23:27:00.002+08:00

These are tropical wildflowers. They are normally very persistent and grow even in harsh conditions. Harsh in the tropics means dry and infertile soils or long rainy days, lots of weed competition, shady locations, eaten or trampled by grazers, and weeded by people. They produce lots of seeds or their roots and stems can multiply fast. They can be invasive in better conditions or when allowed to grow unrestricted.

Weeds are only weeds when they are not yet domesticated or planted in containers for some use. Just like the Mimosa, which is an obnoxious weed here, is an ornamental in temperate countries. I see also in some blogposts that porterweed is also cultured in gardens.

Mimosa pudica

Urena lobata or Caesar weed, flower size is about 1.5 cm in diameter. For botanical descriptions, medicinal values, and other names, and references, click HERE

Above and below: porterweed or Stachytarpheta jamaicensis

wild cosmos plants, Cosmos caudatus. This weed is supposed to be brought in by the Spaniards

This looks like a shrimp plant, but it remained green until it dries to brown. It is different from the common green shrimp plant in literature. But this is very drought tolerant and can still be seen with little greens even when most other plants turned brown in the dry season. Seeds are inside those structures, which might be bracts.

For the last plant, will anybody be interested to plant them as ornamental plants in their gardens? I am thinking of planting one in a pot at home, and if it will be pruned or trained, i guess it will be nice. Who wants green shrimp plants? Me!

Do we really know Santa Claus?

2011-12-18T15:44:00.009+08:00

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year to all!

It is now the season...season for Santa Claus! We all know him, and most children in the world know him. His presence with us is maybe as old as the Christmas tree, although i haven't searched that. Commerce use him to the fullest, with lots of his images of all sizes, as well as the gifts he will be giving yearly. And there is even a Santa Claus University. In 2011 alone, there are 2000 enrollees in one University of Santa Claus in South California. And because there is the idea that he is from North Pole, there is even a Santa Claus Village at the University of Lapland in Finland, and says that he lives in that village.

It was also told that Santa enters the house through the chimney. How about kids in the tropics, where chimneys are not a part of the house! I wonder if you experienced waking up at midnight trying to spy on Santa Claus. But most kids, as they grow-up, learn that Santa Claus is either their moms or their dads who put the gift in that famous sock, which contains Santa's gift when they wake up every Christmas mornings.

But Santa Claus is a real person in history, who is actually St. Nicholas. I happened to visit Myra, Turkey in 2009, the home of Santa Claus and his church. Rather than explaining it here, these photos will give you clearer information.

St Nicholas in front of his church in Myra, Turkey

Left: St Nicholas Church painting on the wall; Right: remnants of the old floor

Left: The columns of the original church; Right: the church basement passages

Different rooms of the church. More church photos HERE

I enlarged the above epitaph below to be more readable.

St Nicholas is born on the 2nd half of the 3rd century AD, and he was the Bishop of Myra. The basic story why St Nicholas became Santa Claus, HERE.

Please take note of the different rooms in the church, and there is even a room for the Infidels

Most of the roads to Myra from Antalya are along the shore of the Mediterranean

The rock tombs of Lycia are also in Myra (This is a very good reading reference)

The old theater is just beneath the rock tombs of Myra

Beside the old theater, below the rock tombs are the modern vegetable production areas, using modern cultural management practices and modern hybrids. Turkey supplies most of the fruits and vegetables for some European countries. The very old and the very new scenery exist side-by-side in Myra. The old towns during the time of St Nicholas are buried by earthquakes about 8 meters under these modern vegetable farms.

Infamous and Famous Critters

2011-12-17T11:15:00.006+08:00

How many critters in the first photo do you see, and how many kinds?

I was getting some wood from a pile and under the big timber saw a lot of these critters. They look gross, but because 2 kids are near me I just gave them some lecture. And I feel they changed their intention to kill them after my talk. These critters might be infamous and look different from each other, but they are only at different stages of development. Insects, like these beetles, undergo a lot of changes in their looks. That white curled grub at the center is the youngest among those shown. I can't see any egg here, maybe it is very small, or they all already hatched. Those greyish catterpillars called grubs are their voracious stages, which normally stay in decaying logs or in the soil. The browns and black are the adult stages. These are decomposers, helping our organic wastes go back to the smaller parts, for other decomposers like bacteria, fungi and others to further decompose to the basic elements that can be utilized again by plants.

The curled one at bottom left is a millipede

Now these are the famous ones. They are just two of our kitties. Above is still young and below is her older brother. Of course, we all know that they are more playful when still young. Young sister above wants to play with the tail of her brother, she even hides and jump on him from afar. But the brother below doesn't like playing with her, he only wants to clean himself, and watch other creatures around him instead.

Look at him below with some of his acrobatic postures.

Garden in December

2011-12-15T12:11:00.007+08:00

The more frequent visitors here, most especially my blogger friends, might say that they have already seen my flowers here in the past posts. That is really true! But what can I do when most of these flowers are perennially present in our landscape! Our tropical weather permits them to be alive throughout the year. But of course, some of them also rest for a while during our dry season. They are also afraid to come out for fear of scalding or even burn-out (literally)! But this is still a part of the rainy season, so they are happier these months. By February, they will start to rest a bit and consolidate its energies to bloom profusely again like now.

But even if i have the same kind of flowers here, i don't post the same photos, no worries! When i repost the photo, i will tell you that, or i will include a previous link. So....for my friends at the onset or already in deep winter, I am showing you a panacea for the grey or white environment. Sit and relax, and watch our perennial tropical vegetation.

Mussaenda philippica 'Doña Luz'

please help me identify this plant

Turnera subulata

Turnera ulmifolia with a yellow sulfur butterfly

variegated amaranthus

marigold, Tagetes erecta (2nd generation from seeds courtesy of Skeeter-In the Garden)

periwinkle, Vinca rosea syn. Catharanthus roseus

candle flower, Pachystachys lutea

Cat's whiskers, Orthosiphon aristatus

Pentas lanceolata

thornless red rose

Asystasia intrusa

Heliconia

Euphorbia millii

Impatiens balsamina

Sanchezia speciosa

crotons, Codiaeum variegatum

GBBD Bloggers Bloom Day Fertilizer Friday Blooming Friday

Beyond Our World

2011-12-12T09:42:00.007+08:00

Batanes Province, Philippines is a group of ten islands in the northernmost part of the Philippines. It is reached by a 40 min plane from Manila or shorter from Laoag, Ilocos Norte. It is already near the southernmost tip of Taiwan. Wide bodies of water circle these islands, the North is Bashi Channel and Balintang Channel, where the Pacific Ocean merges with China Sea. It is also famous for frequent typhoon visits, that its old famous stone houses have meter-thick walls to withstand gusty winds. One of the most beautiful characteristics of Batanes is its zero rate of crime, the people are helpful and old traditions are still intact. Moreover, the climate is subtropical unlike the hotter temperatures in mainland Luzon.

Not many Filipinos have reached Batanes because only one airline goes there, making expenses a bit costly. Only determined tourists, travelers and nature photographers really take time to visit these islands, as it really is a haven for photographers. Being in the typhoon belt, visitors must be prepared to stay longer when an unexpected typhoon arrived. The main island is Batan, where the airport and commercial district is located. Going to other inhabited islands like Sabtang or Itbayat takes 40 min to 4 hours, respectively. Due to climate change, they say typhoons are not anymore that frequent in Batanes.

The photos I posted here are all in Batan Island. My older post of these islands are HERE and HERE.

West side of Basco, the capital of Batanes

Valugan Beach facing Pacific Ocean

View from Fundacion Pacita and Abad residence

grazing grounds for cattle

The House of Dakay, UNESCO heritage building, in Ivana town is the oldest stone house being built of lime and stones in 1887. It survived an earthquake in 1918 which leveled off most structures in the area.

Fundacion Pacita at the promontory overlooking the Pacific Ocean

Some information links:

http://www.ironwulf.net/2009/05/13/batanes-accommodations-and-places-to-stay-in-basco/

http://www.sabtang.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivatan_people

http://www.philsite.net/batanes.htm

http://www.batanesonline.com/Features/Majestic.htm

5th Floor Window Left Side

2011-12-09T05:29:00.008+08:00

I am showing you the different sunset scenes as seen from my 5th Floor Window, depending on different atmospheric conditions. The sun also shift its positions either to the left or to the right of the structure.

These are the two main structures in my angle of view, which i normally make as subjects for the sunset shots. The left is the main Iglesia ni Kristo church, while at the right is a television channel tower.

The sun moves its position to the left or right of the church. It is more than twice the distance from the church to its right during summer months, April to June

That tarpaulin billboard is maybe half kilometers away from the church but it blocks my view. It is only removed during strong typhoons.

The Iglesia ni Kristo Church is fully lighted only once a year during their Annual Anniversary. I will post the lighted church in the future.

Skywatch Friday

Watery Wednesday

2011-12-07T10:00:00.003+08:00

Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, Philippines

Lake Sebu is one of the bigger lakes located on top of the mountains, specifically in Allah Valley, South Cotabato, Philippines. It has an elevation of approximately 1000 m, and a total area of 891 sq km. Rolling hills covered with thick rainforest surronds the valley and the lake. Some beautiful waterfalls are also in these areas, flowing their waters to the lake.

The older post related to this, also with Lake Sebu and its waterfalls are HERE.

Ginger, ginger, ginger

2011-12-04T14:49:00.001+08:00

I found this ginger species for the first time when we were in Banaue, of the Cordillera Mountains. I found it so unusual because flowers sprout much earlier than the leaves. I learned later that the flowers really emerge ahead of the leaves, as soon as the rain fell after a long dry season. I wonder about its purpose for the species.

Later that year, I hiked Mt Gulugod Baboy, a mountain near my place in our town. My previous climb there was when i was in fourth grade. A flower spike was also growing in the wild, which prompted me to dig one rhizome. I planted it in an old tin can, where the original occupant already died out. It is now already about a year that it's growing in my mother's garden in the province.

The flower at the right has the leaf already sprouting

This is turmeric or Curcuma longa (also in the farm under the cacao trees), they have similar leaves, which at first glance really looks the same with my Curcuma elata below. The difference is the tinge of purple at the midrib of C. elata.

This is the already grown plant from the rhizome i got from the mountain. Mother wants it to be removed from this area as its leaves are so prolific and will eventually cover the smaller plants like the Caladium, rosemary and the rose.

I removed the already bulging rusty tin can, and i saw a lot of rhizomes ready to grow and spread.

Somehow, the tin can didn't seem like restriction as the rhizomes are so plenty and healthy looking. They really resemble the immature ginger we are familiar with. However, our common ginger is of a different genus, Zingiber officinale. Both Curcuma and Zingiber are in the Zingeberaceae family though.

A week later the rhizomes turned green, at this stage they are ready for planting. I might not plant them anymore, as I think they will become invasive in our property. Just like the Alocasia, when they are already in the soil, they are very difficult to eradicate here in the tropics. I wish I can find some adoptors for these rhizomes. Curcuma elata is also called 'Giant plume', and is native to Myanmar.

Curcumin, a compound from Curcuma species, has long been found to be very useful medicinally. If you will read the following, you might look for this compound soonest. Curcumin is a potent scavenger of ROS, superoxide anions, hydroxyl radicals, singlet oxygen, nitric oxide and peroxynitrite. It also protects lipids, hemoglobin and DNA against oxidative peroxidation. So these only means, it is a preventive compound against cancer. Reference

However, Curcuma elata has very low concentration of these useful compounds compared to C. longa or turmeric.

Big Critters

2011-12-03T18:18:00.010+08:00

I don't know what you will think of these photos. We have pets, some house pets and some farm pets. They give our lives more fun especially when the children are still young. They make them natural playmates. And we have farm pets who think they are house pets. Sometimes, you will think the farm pets are really discriminated because they cannot enter the house, or if they do they are shooed away. On the other hand, the house pets can roam around the property without receiving any reprimand.

Pusa is a local term for cat, this one has the most 'creative' name, Pusa!

They are in military attention! These are from three generations.

This is a farm pet, grazing around the property. We have six of them. They have ropes on their heads so they will not go far from where they are left grazing. This is not roped yet because it is still a kid.

When they were still kids, they enter the house for petting, and even when already old cannot get off the habit

This is a neighbor's farm pet, but its skin looks naturally dirty. And who will allow it to enter a house? It definitely is just relegated as a farm pet. Have you seen a cow inside a house!

http://www.camera-critters.blogspot.com/ : http://www.murrieta365.com/

Mixed accidental tales

2011-11-30T18:40:00.000+08:00

I thought 'accidental' is an easier word for Word for Wednesday. However, as I was searching from the files, I thought I am just substantiating the word incidental. So how can i really depict accidental in a more meaningful way? I googled it to reinforce the meanings already in my head. They are the same, as I've already known it: unexpectedly, by chance, unintentionally, casually, fortuitously, not essentially. But accidents are more felt as negative than otherwise! In my photos I view them as "otherwise", unless you will not agree.

We were in the northernmost part of the country, Batanes, a group of islands almost remote and not yet reached even by many Filipinos, because no airline competition exists, therefore the fare is high. Moreover, it is known to be frequently visited by typhoons, so there are stone houses with very thick walls to hide from harsh conditions. A meteorological station is based there. This object is on top of the structure at least 2 story high, so i tried to zoom in from the ground. I just realized later that a view of the sky and the surrounding landscape with my companion is captured in the photo. Accidental?

We were in the Banaue Ethnic Village in the highlands of the Cordilleras. I hope you remember the pyramidal huts in the midst of the forest, being used now as accommodation lodgings for lowland tourists. The above structure is a makeshift stove at the edge of the area, where water is boiled so visitors will have supplemental hot water for bathing. I was taking its photo when the waterman hurriedly got into the scene, showing his fast action. Accidental?

I hope you can identify the two objects above. These are old hibiscus flowers that fell on the timber. However, they were in a very unusual position as if they are holding hands! I don't think someone meddled with them as we were in an area far from the madding crowd. It might be incidental or serendipity, but i just put it here. Accidental?

The "hole-in-the-wall" is a much used word or phrase to depict a small, unpretentious, out of the way place. But this one is a real 'hole-in-the-wall', even with a whole on top. I don't know what the room is used for, but this is an abandoned room in Batanes. Accidental?

While in planes, if still available, i take the window seat. Their routes are normally above the clouds, taking island photos are difficult. However, I was able to shoot these group. These are uninhabited islands and might not yet been included in the country's official count of 7,107 islands. They just accidentally appear on some very clear days.

That mint is not supposed to be there, should it? But it gives life to the scene of otherwise purely rocks and water. Accidental?

Finally, this photo has been with me, hoping Donna will use 'persistence' in one W4W episode. She might not use it, so i placed it here. That area is not supposed to be for them. Those plants could have been from a few seeds accidentally dropped in that cemented structure.There are bits of soil there and papaya's persistence paid off. It thrived and bloomed, and they are also bearing fruits! I always love to see plants growing this way as symbol of perseverance, hope, diligence, hard work! Accidental?

Hidden World

2011-11-28T17:31:00.005+08:00

Our country is an archipelago, that is composed of many islands. It has already been said and written and cited, etc, etc, that we are composed of about 7,107 islands depending on the tide. Some small ones vanish with very high tides, and reappear when low tide returns.

The biggest islands are Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, the 3rd being the largest. Mindanao has the biggest remaining forests, wide and still unexploited rivers plus still fertile soils. It also boasts of many waterfalls to say the least. The Tinago Falls in Iligan City is one of the tallest among them at 240 ft. Tinago in Filipino means 'hidden', maybe because after a long rough circuitous road, it is reached through about 500 steps to the bottom of a deep ravine. At the top edge of the ravine, one can already hear the sounds of the falls with its big volume of water.

conference room

Most of our Muslim brothers are in Mindanao. We were invited by a university there for a lecture on Intellectual Property Awareness. It is amazing to see beautiful and colorful decorations as part of their culture. Marawi City is about 4 hours by car from Cagayan de Oro airport. Iligan City is halfway in between.

This river is at the back of our hostel in Marawi City. It is still big and the people traditionally use this water for many domestic uses. The group of people at the left side under a tree are washing clothes.

close-up of the people washing clothes at the river banks, where they take a bath too

The main Tinago Waterfalls, flows through the river we saw above. Under the main falls is a cave which can be accessed via a raft.

There are small falls at the other sides of the main falls. The area is rich with lush green vegetation of virgin forest, big trees, and bio diverse ecosystem.

Some wood and cement structures are already added to the area to make visitors more safe and the area more manageable.

Provisions like life vests above, are provided for visitors who are tempted to swim its cold waters. I commend the beautiful colors unlike the usual all bright orange vests.

The part of cemented stairs on the way to and back from the falls. We had 3 small stops before reaching the top ledge, to take deep breaths, rest the legs, drink some water, and look back at the lush green forest around the falls.

5th Floor Window

2011-11-25T01:11:00.003+08:00

These are the views from my 5th Floor Window. I guess it is already a bit famous as I have been posting lots of my shots from this position. I hope you will not blame me, as I only have a 180° view from this window facing west. My little corner of the world is fixed and limited to this side alone. I only have the sunsets, and the sunrise I fully give the privilege to others!

I realized sunsets are like our finger prints, or probably like DNA, no two sunsets are alike! And they change every second, as the drama only lasts from 15-20 minutes. Moreover, i observed that for this year, the sun first moved to the right and then back to the far left without passing through the backward path, as in 1 to 10 and then back to 1 again. Maybe the earth just suddenly flipped a big turn. I chose the same spot with almost the same subject to show the magnitude of differences, throughout the months.These are all shots this year.

February, afternoon before sunset

April, above + 2 shots below

May

June

July

August, above and below

October

November, can you guess what animal is that?

Clouds are heavier and thicker during the rainy season. Sometimes the sun can't even be seen near the edge of the horizon because of the heavy clouds. But when they open, an intense sunset is more beautiful.

Skywatch Friday

Blooming Roadsides

2011-11-22T17:41:00.006+08:00

As most of you who follow this site know, I work and live in the big city, but occasionally go home some weekends to our old home in the province. Our area is a bit on the midland overlooking a bay and a mountain at our back. So we have the sunrise view but not the sunset. During the -ber months we get some spill-over cold winds courtesy of Siberia, China and Mongolia. While most of you are approaching winter, we are approaching our best temperatures in the year, and that is around 24-29°C, maybe just like your approaching summer. We now experience some foggy mornings, which we don't experience in the lowlands.

I brave some cold mornings to wake up early, go out and take some photos of sunrise. I leave usually 5:00-5:30am, returning when the sun is already hot and I already feel some hunger pains. Not many flowering weeds are seen during short days. But still there are those which are blooming luxuriantly.

Ruellia tuberosa or cracker plant at the left side of the road

This weed lined both sides of the road near our area, as if both sides are planted with it. We haven't seen anyone perusing this weed, and maybe i am alone in our area finding beauty in them. However, searches point to it as a good source of antioxidants and many medicinal properties. Review of medicinal properties are in Pharmacognosy Journal

Ruellia tuberosa or cracker plant at the right side of the road

Luxuriant blooms can even be beautifully arranged in bouquets. I hope in the future some people study how it can have longer shelf or vase life. We don't have many violet or blue flowers in the tropics, and I find this one very attractive. This plant does not grow more than 1 foot, unlike the Ruellia brittoniana or Mexican petunia, which becomes bushy. They also differ much in the shape of their leaves, this one being rounded.

Those dark protrusions are the already mature seed pods and will eventually dehisce to scatter the seeds.

above shows the different stages of flowers to pods

Wedelia trilobata or Singapore daisy

This is used in landscaping as a ground cover to minimize erosion. However, in our area they are growing in marginal areas like roadsides as weeds. Of course, weeds also control soil erosion, and this is a volunteer plant for that purpose.

a flowering grass

I did not see any insect or butterfly alighting on it when i was there, but I found its value with me, as i consider it pretty swaying with the wind. Maybe the small birds will come by when the seeds mature.

This is my first time to link with Wildflower Wednesday at Clay and Limestone. I have some few more tropical wildflowers to link in the future. I linked it as well with Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Daydreamer, and belatedly linked it with Today's Flowers.

Is this a bird?

2011-11-21T17:42:00.001+08:00

I am so impressed with Donna's bird posts, even if she said they are her learning shots, for me they are not amateur looking at all. I love all of them. I don't yet know how to take bird photos except for chickens, but I remember i took a few bird shots when it serendipitously alighted on a tree near me. One morning, I was out early for some sunrise shots which are not very good because of the cloudy sky. And I am rewarded by the sight of this bird. In my many decades on earth, this is the 2nd time I saw the same bird. It roosts in our property in the province.

This is considered a rare bird among bird enthusiasts here, and even among the local people. Even at home my mother only saw it twice in her lifetime. It was some kind of a myth because of its rarity, or maybe because it really is superstitiously always hiding from sight. Since it is white, i don't know if it is albino or real white. We are more familiar with the brown color with black head and tail. But definitely, i saw in the thicket that its partner is brown in color, although I failed to take its photo. The eyes are not red, so I guess it is not albino. I read somewhere that this bird has the beak and head of a crow but the tail of a pheasant. I am glad it did not have a black head with a white tail. That way it would certainly be more unusual. It just allowed me to take 3 shots, and then it flew away going to its brown partner.

It is the White Morph Philippine coucal, Centropus viridis, an endemic species.

look at that stance, it really is lovely

look at that tail, elegant

...there it is, eyeing me too!

Request for Photo Likes

2011-11-19T19:58:00.000+08:00

Hello my Blogging Friends,

I joined one photo in our province's photo contest, to the urging of our Tourism Officer from our town. Our province of Batangas has 34 towns, and my photo represents our town's entry. However, voting has been up already for two weeks but I saw it just today. I looked at the entries and some already got more than 1000 likes today! I wonder how my photo can compete with that!

So I would like to solicit your help by clicking the link and liking the photo there.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=291205514237195&set=a.281466695211077.75285.211504502207297&type=1&theater

Thank you very much.

Andrea

Dill or no Dill Continues

2011-11-18T08:56:00.006+08:00

Related to last post: The last photo in the previous post looking like bark is actually a fossilized coral rock I found on our beach. Thanks to those who tried to guess what it is.
*************************

I am very much inspired by the turn-out of comments in the previous post linked to Word for Wednesday. However, i still am in limbo for the real ID of my supposedly "dill-but no-dill" plant! I have tried Google search, inputted the flower photos for it to search for similar images, but still no deal or no dill!

One of Onenezz and Tropical Nature Photos thought it is a citronella plant, but i searched and citronella plant has very much larger leaves and the venation and patterns are different. The more differences it has with citronella grass, which i personally know is a monocot, as grasses are monocots. My mystery plant is a dicot with almost parallel venation, might somehow be mistaken for a monocot. I would love to show you other photos of my mystery plant, "dill or no dill".

This plant when densely planted can serve as a soft hedge around the garden, and people trim the top to be denser and offer more fence-like protection.

"Dill or no dill against the sky, it sometimes grow up to around 1 meter high

a more close-up view of the growing point

a mature "dill or no dill" with mature flower stalks

maturing "dill or no dill" plants

a profusely blooming "dill or no dill"

a transparent white Ideopsis juventa lingering on the drying branches, which i purposely cut for them

they even mate there clinging on the dried leaves

this is a blue and larger form of the Ideopsis juventa

I am not familiar with this butterfly, it is like a small Hypolimnas bolina female

a lot of them at least 4 species congregating there sipping "dill or no dill" sap

Other critters also love to reside in the lush growth of my "dill or no dill" plant. This cricket doesn't want to leave it too.

I just don't know if it also sips the sap of the green plants

this green spider is camouflaging inside the thick leaves, even built its house there

...and i also saw a baby praying mantis. Praying mantis are territorial, so it will just stay there and prey on whatever comes to its home for food. It looks like it is praying, maybe begging for food to come! Or maybe praying that he will not be the prey for a bigger one!

POSTSCRIPT

Appreciation and gratefulness is due to One for her identification of my "dill or no dill" plant, as Artemisia scoparia. It is very common in Malaysia especially for landscaping. It is rich in essential oils used for medicine and industries. The vegetative plant is also feeding lots of butterfly larvae. The plant is anticholererolemic, antipyretic, antiseptic, cholagogue, diuretic and vasodilator. It has an antibacterial action for Staphylococcus aureus, streptococci, Bacillus dysenteriae, Bacillus typhi, Bacillus subtilis, Pneumococci, C. diphtheriae, mycobacterium and others. It is also used in the treatment of jaundice, hepatitis and inflammation of the gall bladder. Reference: http://www.naturalmedicinalherbs.net/herbs/a/artemisia-scoparia.php

Camera Critters

Textures and Patterns in Nature

2011-11-16T10:12:00.001+08:00

I have many photos of different tree trunks or their barks. I just take their photos whenever i see one. However, i can't seem to use these photos in my blog posts. Now that i have more time in my hands I cannot find the barks i took before. So i just put here some of my recent ones. I included some information about the pictures.

I will join this post to Donna's Garden Walk Garden Talk Word for Wednesday: Texture and Pattern

These ipil-ipil trees, Leucaena glauca or L. leucocephala, are leguminous trees, meaning they can get the free Nitrogen from the air through their roots. It is special as their roots are inhabited by bacteria helping the plant to absorb nitrogen. So even with low nitrogen in the soil they survive well. In our area the leaves and twigs are cut and fed to cattle and goats, which make Batangas beef famous in the country for having good quality meats. However, it contains mimosine that is toxic to non-ruminants.

Trunk of Citrus, fully embraced by these maplike structures called lichens. This is a symbiotic relationship of an algae and fungus, which when growing separately are very much different in morphology and habit than when in partnership in lichens. With these symbiotic relationship they are able to withstand adverse environmental conditions.

Decaying trunk provide house to a lot of organisms either seen with the eyes or microscopic. Termites made those hollow pathways, the remnant of soil they put in their tracts are still there. Termites have special enzymes in their guts which decompose cellulosic materials of wood. Then other insects, spiders, fungus, bacteria will follow and eat the smaller debris and enhance decomposition.

This is cured wound of the bark of another legume. The bark is the phloem vessel of the tree which transports food from the leaves to the roots and other parts of the plant. The cambium layer of the phloem is a very active component of the wounded areas which heal through time producing these scar.

When newly developed cells are added inside the bark, there will be natural peeling of old barks just like our old dead skin cells, which peel off when we take a bath.

A natural bark structure of a tamarind tree. A lot of organisms also inhabit these natural crevices for protection and safety. Spiders, lizards, beetles and a lot more insects abound in these crevices.

Can you imagine that the above are the flowers of the tamarind tree? The ground is fully carpeted with the dehisced flowers. At fruiting time the ground is replaced by dropped fruits.

This is an almost smooth bark of a forest tree found at the edge of our property. But we will note that there are patterns in the bark giving its characteristic texture. It is a fast growing timber species, whose timber is not hard enough for furniture, but in making pulp and paper.

The extensive root system helps its heavy top be safely anchored to the ground.

I would like to ask you if these are dill flowers. The leaves look like that of dill and the scent seems like dill too, but i am not sure if it really is dill. When the branches are cut and about to dry, some butterfly species love to hover or stay in the branch for days. So when it's butterfly season, i usually cut some branches and just lay there to dry. In four days the butterflies are hallucinating again.

These are the vegetative immature stems of the flowers above, which i call dill. I bet it has patterns and texture too, unless they don't!

Those are the 2 butterfly species, which don't want to leave the drying stems of the dill. I disturb them to leave but they can't fly fast after too much time sipping the sap. My conclusion is that they somehow feel groggy or they get drunk after these dill parties. I describe them as hallucinating butterflies.

This is also a natural art, do you think it is also an old bark from an old tree? What do you think is it from?

Making a Living

2011-11-15T09:46:00.003+08:00

During our previous trip to Mindanao to visit the Tinuy-an Falls, considered one of the biggest falls in the country, I documented some scenes depicting people's ways to make a living, to feed their families in the best they could within their circumstances. They might not be getting much, but certainly they have the most 'colorful' businesses.

Tinuy-an Falls in Bislig, Surigao del Sur is reached by 1.5 hours plane from Manila to Butuan City, then a 6-hour bus ride to Bislig City, and another hired van for 1 hour from the city proper to the falls. At least there are convenient highways, and roads to the falls are already paved and organized. There are also buses which leave Manila to these areas in Mindanao, but it takes days to complete the travel. Going to Mindanao means passing by a few islands, so the passengers have to disembark in some ports for the buses to be loaded in cargo ships, and the passengers also ride on the ships. They only board their busses again when they reach land. This system of transport is called roll-on-roll-off, which is shortened to "ro-ro" ships.

The Bachelor Tours buses ply the routes from Butuan City to many parts in Mindanao. We also took this bus for another 6 hours from Bislig City to Davao City, our exit airport back to Manila.

Above is a tricycle terminal in Butuan City. Tricycle is a very common mode of local transportation in the Philippines, not only in Butuan City, but also in other parts of the country. It is a convenient way of transport for very short distances. We also have this in Thailand known as 'tuktuk', in Cambodia, Indonesia and India. Although the forms and models are different in different countries, it is basically a local transport system in Southeast Asia.

The engine is provided by a motorcycle with two wheels, and at the side of the motorcycle a body carriage is made with another wheel to balance it, so it has only 3 wheels giving the name tricycle. Six passengers excluding the driver can use the above model; 4 at the back and 2 in front near the driver who is on his motorcycle. In other provinces, the motorcycle is in front looking like it is pulling the carriage.

Bus terminals are complete with colorful stores selling all kinds of small things and gadgets; from small bags, toys, eyeglasses and cellphone loads.

Above stalls show food snacks, candies and plastic toys.

Walking sellers like the above are also plenty, styrofoam packs contain foods like burgers, hotdogs, sandwiches, noodles, etc. There are even full meals for those who don't want to leave their bus seats and eat at their convenient time, despite inconvenient circumstances. But buses also have stop-over restaurants for passengers to stretch themselves and take their meals or snacks, and go to the toilets. Can you imagine the trash especially styrofoam and plastic trash generated by this system! And who invented the technologies like these? It is so convenient to use, that hazards of using them take 2nd priority. It might take time before these can all be regulated and stopped!

Above items are specialty delicacies made of sweets. Normally these are rice cakes contained in empty coconut shells. I am sure most of us who are environment friendly people prefer this practice.

People who don't want to leave the buses can just buy their snacks from these vendors, who bring their items to the passengers. Look at the expression of the above woman, with all her life's experiences seen on her face. I took this from inside the bus, though hazy because of the glass, i still want to capture the vendor's expression.

This is the close-up of the woman's goods for sale: boiled eggs, fried peanuts, boiled peanuts, different kinds of crackers, pretzels, different kinds of chips, different kinds of drinks, and water. Are you looking for more!

This is one of the stalls in one of the bus terminals. The seller is seen via a very small window where she gets the payments for her sold items. Normally, these permanent stalls have refrigerators inside, where cold drinks and water are available.

I included this photo because it is another mode of transport during that escapade, when we went to Hagonoy Island, also in Bislig City.

And this is it, Hagonoy Island. I have already posted about it previously HERE.

Spiders in Space

2011-11-12T21:21:00.004+08:00

Spiders are very common in our property in the province. This is one of the most obvious among them as this is the biggest, as well as the biggest webs. Sometimes their houses are on top of tall tress, or in between gaps of two trees. Even if they are found in many places, I am scared of them. This might be due to their size as well as the very sticky webs which are very difficult to remove on your body or clothing.

The webs sometimes glitter in the morning specially after the rain.

I see several webs with newly hatched eggs, but this one seems to be the only baby left on its brood.

Close-up of the above spiders

Love even the Obnoxious!

2011-11-11T05:08:00.012+08:00

In this country, this weed is considered obnoxious and much hated! People who has encountered this in the farm most probably have experienced its thorns, and they are not just thorns. They are hooks. When they attach on you they will be very difficult to detach, and the thorns attack in unison, because they are very close to each other and very sharp! The resulting wounds are not only sore, they are also itchy! And the scratches stay with you for maybe one week. And if you scratch them, you will have more problems. Are you not scared yet?

The wonder of wonders, it is considered ornamental in some temperate countries, domesticated and cared for as would any other ornamental plant. This is the Mimosa pudica. In Pilipino it is called "makahiya", meaning shy! It came from the plants' habit of folding the leaves when touched, blown or shaken. In Latin, 'pudica' also means shy, bashful or shrinking.

The flowers are lovely, but look at the hooked thorns bending backwards

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimosa_pudica

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mimosa_Pudica.gif

Above is a video showing movement of leaves responding to stimuli. The orientation of leaf movement is termed nyctinastic, while movement due to stimuli is termed seismonastic. These are the cells response to loss of turgor pressure. If the video doesn't open at once, please click the links to see actual leaf movements.

The leaf movements are the plant's defense mechanism to escape attacks by predators. Insects might be scared of plants with fast movements like this. But bigger animals like cows and humans are more scared of its thorns.

No big animal can enter an area with these lush growth of Mimosa pudica.

Vegetative growth without flowers yet

It is also a nightmare for the owner of this area, with the difficulties he will encounter in clearing this site for agricultural purposes. And this plant also spreads so fast during the rainy season, which aggravates the problem of the landowner. It is more difficult if it grows on areas already planted with useful crops. Herbicides are not practiced here, so the traditional weeding methods are employed. Its roots have to be fully removed because the roots also rejuvenate well.

A Sour Post

2011-11-07T14:50:00.002+08:00

Averrhoa bilimbi with common name in English as tree cucumber or tree sorrel and "kamyas" or "kalamyas" in Pilipino is a very important plant in this country. It is an ingredient in many of our food preparation. We are fond of slightly sour dishes and stews, so its sour fruits are very handy for this purpose, especially in our dish called 'sinigang', a slightly sour stew of either port, beef, chicken, fish or shrimp. Ripe fruits are also made into jellies, jams or pickles. Most houses in the provinces have at least one kamyas tree in their backyard.

With the many Filipinos scattered around the globe, lack of fresh kamyas can be easily remedied by bringing with them the dried fruits. It is also now processed into instant powders for easy and accessible use.

I am amazed that a lot of countries aside from Southeast Asia, but even South America, and even France use this fruit in recipes. It is also traditionally used here for medicinal purposes, as well as in India and Indonesia. Both fruits and leaves are traditionally used for many ailments. Researches also revealed that it has potential for hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia, meaning it can reduce blood glucose and cholesterol. However, i personally know it has a high oxallic acid content, so eating the unripe fruits should be in moderation, or else it will react with the calcium of the teeth enamel.

Leaf arrangements make it also a nice ornamental plant

The flowers are small which are borne in clusters arising from the trunk and branches. This flowering habit is called cauliflory or cauliflorous.

The full trunk and even the small mature branches bear fruits as in above photos. Those are located near our house for easy access.

Immature fruits

The above fruits can still be allowed to ripen further, however ripe fruits are also green only more juicy and softer.

Post Script: I was inspired to post this because Francisca of View Thru my Global Lens posted 2 lovely photos of its flowers, only because of her curiosity.

The Singing Mimic

2011-11-05T20:49:00.004+08:00

This is known as katydid in American English and bush crickets in British English. I am amazed when i read that there are at least known 6,400 species. They are also called tettigoniids because they belong to Family Tettigoniidae of Class Insecta, and also known as long horned grasshoppers.

One trivia here is that a bushcricket called Platycleis affinis has the largest testes in proportion to body mass of any animal recorded. This accounts for the 14% of the insect's body mass and are said to enable a fast re-mating rate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tettigoniidae).

The following katydids mimic a leaf because they stay in very leafy trees, which they eat too. The males sing very loudly at night as courtship signals, but silent during the day because they are nocturnal. The sounds are brought by rubbing the toothed ends of their wings. I tell you they are really loud, but pleasantly loud. When we were kids we love looking for them in their habitat, put them in wire baskets so we can hear their songs every night.

Ephemeral: Tropical Style

2011-11-03T13:28:00.006+08:00

I never intended to join the 'ephemeral' craze at Garden Walk Garden Talk as Word for Wednesday. I just arrived in the city last night, Wednesday night, which means I am already late for W4W. Yes, I just let it go last night to rest. I was on the road for almost 6 hours because our bus broke the airconditioning unit and we had to wait for the next bus of the same company. To add more constraint to that is the long queue of vehicles going to the city, after a long weekend to celebrate All Saints' Day/All Souls' Day. This is a traditional cultural happening here in the country, to visit the tombs of departed relatives on November 1 or 2. Most city dwellers go home to their provinces for this yearly event, which also serve not only to visit tombs of dead relatives but also reunion with the living.

I have visited and commented on some links, and I can't seem to let it pass even if late, it is already Thursday now. The word 'Ephemeral' has now been used widely: noun or adjective, to denote short or fleeting existence, transience. But short existence is very arbitrary. I am familiar with it in Botany, to denote those plants which stay dormant underground and suddenly finish its growth and reproduction when conditions arise. Such conditions are not constant, and ephemeral plants seem to adapt to these fleeting moments. So there are spring ephemerals, desert ephemerals, and weed ephemerals. This botanical term exists only in temperate climates. Dictionaries provided wide ranges of definitions, maybe a good site for plants is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephemeral_plant, or here for wider use: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephemeral.

We don't have ephemeral plants because we don't have extreme seasons as you have. But we have a lot of plants which grow and reproduce only during the wet season and lay dormant during the rest of the year. However, the definition has transcended to mean a lot of things, transitory, and it is already accepted even to describe art, or human existence, depending on the time frame. So, I might as well use it with our conditions. For our sake, I will call it wet season ephemerals or "wet tropics ephemerals". I hope no authority on 'ephemerals' will sue me for using it very colloquially, for our own tropical use. They are normally called wet season plants, but to be more internationally sounding (and for W4W), I will call them such. What do you think? (These are all taken in our property).

The Bulbs

blood lily

amaryllis

The Weeds

Mimosa

The Rhizomes

taro

Caladium

The Moss

The Fungus

The dew and grass

Autumn at the World's Other Side

2011-10-27T18:12:00.005+08:00

I noticed that most of the garden bloggers are from the temperate climates. Did you observe that? That is advantageous for me, as I see the plants, flowers and gardens uncommon in our tropical conditions. I have always been telling everyone that in Southeast Asia and maybe the Caribbean and those around the equator, we only have two seasons, the dry and the wet. I wonder how most of you from the temperate and sub-temperate regions would feel if you have our conditions. Will you be glad that your garden will not experience winter? Will you be glad you will not be making lots of mitigation such as shade houses or putting your plants inside when the cold strikes? And most of all, the plants are mostly green and continuously flowering throughout the year. Colors are everywhere! And you can leave your garden just by themselves and go to the beach, enjoy the sun and the open skies.

The disadvantage is the deprivation of autumn colors, can you live with that? And of course you will not be able to shovel the snow, and there will be no snowman.

I showed this 2 ft long leaf (Artocarpus spp) as a representation of autumn color. It is the extent of its color before turning brown and totally dry. However, only few leaves exhibit this transformation, most just become brown, fall and decay. It is a continuous process as a result of their age throughout growth and development. And this drying and fall does not happen en masse just like in your Fall/Autumn.

This periwinkle, Vinca spp., flowers all year and is one of the most tolerant of our long dry season. Ours just died because the leaves were all eaten by the sphinx moth larvae. Somehow, it doesn't produce shoots again if all leaves are devoured by larvae. It is cross pollinated so we get other hybrid colors in the next generation.

Lantana camara, also a perennial plant, rain or shine it will not leave you.

This one, Asystasia gangetica, is prolific during the wet season but difficult to withstand the dry if not watered properly.

Turnera subulata, is also prolific because it produces lots of small seed pods which just germinate anywhere. It can also withstand dry season well. But look what happened when there is continuous rain.

These flowers are the result of just a half day continuous rain. The other species which is more yellow and thicker petals, Turnera ulmiflora, is more tolerant of continuous rain. However, because it continuously produce flower buds, the next batch of flowers are ready again the next day.

Celosia argentea or cockscomb

Above and below: Celosia argentea 'plumosa' species

I don't know its name

an orchid which flowers the whole year, Epidendrum radicans, but i know it, LOL

The thornless-scentless rose. It just tell us that if we want to smell the roses, we must endure its thorns. This reminds me of Antoine de Saint Exupere "we must be patient with the caterpillars, if we want to be acquainted with the butterflies".

This one looks like a weed, but its color is lovely. I also don't know its name. Thanks for Sunita in supplying its identity as Brazilian button flower or Centratherum intermedium.

Note: We still have a lot of colors now, but the photos might be too heavy in one post!