Tecoma Stans - Cheery Yellow Bells

Tecoma Stans are cheerful and showy flowers to brighten the day. They bring on the sunshine even on dull days. 
 
I've rooted many cuttings and have them planted in as many spots as possible.

 
The cluster of delicate flowers are borne on racemes. 


A young and tender bud just prior to flaring out its petals. Blurred images of lilac Hydrangea and red Alpinia purpurata are seen in the background.

 
Maroon striae runs down the throat.

 The flowers last about 2 to 4 days,

 and are replenished by newly bloomed ones so that the bush appears to be perpetually flowering. The blurred images of hot pink Madagascar periwinkle are seen inthe background.

Heavy showers bring down many of its delicate flowers.

Beans form rather easily with a row of viable seeds in each of them.

 
It is actually a climber so the stem is not strong and needs staking. It branches easily and I make it a practice to trim off most of them to maintain a sturdy stem.

This bush is container-planted to be trained into a two-tiered standard. Next to it is a Bougainvillea plant of green-yellow variegated leaves and white flowers.

This Pygmy Grass Blue (Zizula hylax pygmaea) butterfly perched tentatively on the tubular part of the flower and peered over its rim, as predators abound.

On the other hand, the ants threw caution to the wind and scrambled right in.

There is no shortage of visitors.

A tiny transparent spider lies in ambush on the side of a flower, waiting for ...

... the kill before striking a predator's pose in anticipation of its next meal.

A myraid of aphids have colonised this bud. The tiny white ones look like their babies or some other critters. This must be a new infestation as ants are not seen yet.

Another tender bud has been heavily populated by aphids making it look like a sequin-encrusted Christmas tree ornament. Aphids come in a variety of colours ranging from pale yellow, green, grey and black.

This cottony stuff covered a nest comprising numerous cells. As it was an empty nest, the ID of its inhabitants remains a mystery.

A soldier beetle rested on the underside of a leaf with its cast-off moult. It was very possessive of its shroud. When I turned the leaf over, it moved to the dorsal side of the leaf, but immediately came back and stayed closely next to it. I was told that it would later consume it for energy and growth.

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” 
― Søren Kierkegaard

My sweet Tasha posing Marilyn Monroe-style between a Philodendron xanadu and a Tecoma stans bush. She was making an attempt to smile for the camera but ended up looking coy and langourous.

"The only disability in life is a bad attitude" - Scott Hamilton

 

A raceme of Tecoma stans and some Thunbergia erecta flowers in a Giant Clam shell.

A hot bowl of Cauliflower-Potato-Leek soup and Butter-Cheese toast for supper satiates the stomach for a good night's sleep.

Pseuderanthemum reticulatum - the insect attractant

The flowers of Pseuderanthemum reticulatum are borne on upright spikes. The 4-petaled white flower has a magenta throat, spreading outwards into speckles and dots.

A lovely spike of delicate flowers interspersed with buds which are ready to pop over the next few days.

Pseuderanthemum reticulatum is a fuss-free plant. Young leaves are yellowish green, becoming darker green with yellow veins or reticulations as they age.

It can be grown as a border plant to provide an effective and attractive screen.

 

A flower fly landed on this petal to contemplate the goodies within.

An ant joined in the exploration of this flower.

A golden drop of nectar becomes a sweet source of sustennance for the day.

This pearl of a drop can be indulged in a different setting just by hopping on to the next petal.

Traces of left-over nectar lead to frenzied feeding from a bunch of ants. They scrambled over each other in pursuit of the sweetness.

A female Jacintha Eggfly (Hypolimnas bolina jacintha) fluttered by and perched on the flower spike.

She immediately started on plumbing the deep recesses for the coveted delicious liquid.

 
This spider made a sudden appearance on a young flower spike.


It smelt the presence of grub and is bidding time to switch on to predator mode.

 

A soldier beetle is waiting on the underside of a leaf, also bidding its time.

With the breaking of dawn, this common garden snail is casting around for a safe place to retire from the onslaught of the harsh sun.

It did a long stretch upwards to reach the leaf above.

And then its a heave-up to position the whole foot on the leaf.

In this upside-down position on the underside of a leaf, it rested for the entire day.

While removing these unsightly 'holey' leaves, I came across this snail stuck onto the underside of a leaf.

A floral spike from the garden is used to brighthen up my kitchen window sill. This small vase has been with the family for more than five decades.