Given the right environment, Catharanthus roseus, commonly known
as Madagascar periwinkle can grow with wild abandon.
It is very grateful for life's little mercies and rewards us with numerous blooms.
Bright or filtered sunlight with lots of water is an absolute necessity.
Even a small amount of fertiliser will get the gardener amply rewarded with a profusion of blooms.
The blooms can be so heavy that they tumble down under its own weight in a planter box.
They are self-seeding, sprouting easily from the ground or wherever the seeds land.
Where the seeds land it is home, thriving in any nook and cranny. Here they
sprouted from the grouting between the bricks of a planter box.
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The periwinkle is a veritable magnet for the many colourful winged-beauties in
the garden. They flutter over in droves, happily alighting over leaves
and flowers.
The Painted Jezebel (Delias hyparete metarete) is a frequent visitor to my periwinkle plants.
The Common Lime (Papilio demoleus malayanus) flits between my citrus trees (calamansi) and the periwinkles for a varied diet.
This skipper butterfly of the family Hesperiidae sank its thick proboscis into the deep recesses ...
to draw out the sweet nectar.
Another one was clearly intoxicated from this fountain of sweetness.
The Peablue butterfly (Lampides boeticus), is another type of flutter-in guest.
One with broken wings but not broken spirit, continued to eye the nectar in the flowers.
Some left their succulent offsprings, the caterpillars behind to their own devices.
With their voracious apetities, they become plump little green sausages in no time. It doesn't care much about the flowers as the leaves are the coveted food.
Sometimes a bit of acrobatics is involved for munching the leaves. A nice soft leaf-mat to lie on makes the job much easier.
This little hairy caterpillar is a fast trekker in his forage for food.
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Usually the blooms present in clusters of two or three in various shades of pink, purple and red.
the reds with white centre
The ubiquitous magenta with white centre.
sweet baby pink with white centre
mauve with white centre
light pink with crimson centre
salmon with pink centre
A hanging pot as viewed from my kitchen window.
I'm have been following the latest updates on the fate of the missing MAS plane, MH370. As there is no hard physical evidence (retrieved) to link it to a possible crash in the Indian Ocean, closure will not be absolutely complete for family members and friends of the passengers and crew. Our prayers are still with them and we empathise strongly with their predicament.
Such lovely colourful pictures. The Painted Jezebel and Common Lime are truly beautiful. Malaysia seems so full of life, or is it just your garden?
ReplyDeleteThe MH370 story is a real mystery. It must be awful for the relatives of the people who were on board. I hope for their sake that they are able to piece together what has happened to that aeroplane.
Ha,ha, its just not my garden. Malaysia is teeming with colours not only from plants but from cultural diversity. The full sunshine and humidity year round encourage plant growth. Of course, sometimes too much of a good thing is not good, when we have to contend with waterlogged soil or burnt foliage.
DeleteOur hearts go out to the family members. May they have the courage and serenity to see this sad episode of their lives through. After three weeks, they have suffered enough.
The Common Lime butterfly is very pretty, Elsie. I think the Madagascar periwinkle looks like my Northern periwinkle! they are the same flowers, the leaves are evergreen. Is it true?
ReplyDeleteI have seen periwinkles during some of my travels to the colder north and they are the same. Of course in Malaysia, their foliage is forever green.
DeleteI understand that these periwinkles are poisonous.... no?
ReplyDeleteDefinitely not. Purportedly, it seems to have many usage medically, particularly the anti-cancer alkaloids, vincristine and vinblastine.
DeleteI had periwinkles but now no more....all gone....!
ReplyDeleteYes, the caterpillars do love them so much!
I thought that its impossible to eradicate periwinkles once they are established in your garden. They self-seed easily and soon you find them everywhere! We called them "bunga automatik" (automatic plants) together with torenia and ruellia :)
DeleteNice collection of vinca.
ReplyDeleteThere are many new cultivars out there but they do not seed as easily. However it is good to have some of them in the garden as they contribute to the periwinkle the gene pool. I have obtained interesting variations this way.
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