Friday, March 14, 2014

The Flamboyant Bougainvillea 'Mrs Eva'

It is a witheringly hot, searing season with rainless days for almost two months now.  Thankfully there's enough stored water in the huge roof-top tanks to drench the plants once in a while. However, my bougainvilleas are not complaining. In actual fact they flourish while we fumed through heavy perspiration and pray for the sky to open up.



The almost leafless Bougainvillea 'Mrs Eva' in full glory. The green leaves are those of the orange Bauhenia kockiana.


This is the whole plant at the height of flowering.



The young bracts are slowly forming. The white-pink-red terminal flowers of Quisqualis indica (Rangoon creeper) also claim some vertical space in this massive  floral display.
 
Another view at another time.
 

A carpenter bee clutcthing on to a faded bract.


 


It was rather late in the evening, thus this blurred image of a hummingbird moth with its proboscis dipped into nectar.



At dusk, dragonflies returned to repose on trimmed stems and branches.



A container-planted B. Mrs Eva with a periwinkle sprouting from its trunk. A random seed found its niche in its crevice and grew as a parasite. The red flowers of Carphalea kirondron and the yellow-orange Codiaeum variegatum (Variegated Croton) add layers of colours.


14 comments:

  1. Wow, what a show. Bourgainvilla are a real favourite of mine, but I have never seen so much colour on one!
    I wish I could trade you some of our cold, grey, windy weather for some of your hot dry weather!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Nick,
      A bit of your cold blowing over here would be just nice, but alas it's wishful thinking :)

      Delete
  2. I love Bougainvillea and when I'm on holiday in hot climate places I always enjoy seeing them. Your wonderful photos reminded me holiday, thank you Elsie!
    The insects are amazing on your photos as well, I know how difficult to take these pictures.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your next holidays would be just a couple of months away, so you can actually start planning!
      Photographing insects can be frustrating as they flit in and out of sight.

      Delete
  3. Two-month rainless days is incredible. I wonder how huge your roof-top tank of water as to make Mrs Eva so powerfully thriving despite that condition. I wish you have a healing rain and also wish even a little of hot air wafting from your place to me through cyberspace.

    Yoko

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mercifully, we just had our first rainfall last night and this morning. I was most thankful for such a ilife-giving rain. The water in the tanks were for backup. I happen to live in an area where we were not much affected by water rationing, though the water pressure was considerably lower.

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  4. Replies
    1. Thanks, and that's the reason "flamboyant "comes easily to mind.

      Delete
  5. Oh Elsie, the heat is killing me..boohoohoo :'(
    Thank God it rained yesterday and this morning..would love to see more rain that's for sure. But your Mrs Eva is flourishing eh? And my what a beauty! No leaves, just flowers!!! Enjoy the view while it last!
    This plant is truly a tropical lover! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was so relieved when the skys open up. My old and faithful Mrs Eva blooms year round. She has never fails me so far.

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  6. OMG your bougainvillea is flambouyant indeed! How so thick and beautiful. I wish ours are already that old and tall, but we have trees around that shades them, so they are not as happy. I smiled and i like your introductory sentence "it is witheringly hot"! We are already entering that zone too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We have endured much suffering under the heat and now we are glad to see the last of it. I hope your hot, dry spell is kinder to you. I appreciate that you are tickled and amused by words.

      Delete
  7. That's so pretty bougainvillea! The rain shall make all of them happy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Actually, Bougainvilleas are most glamorous during hot, dry spells.

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