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.

The Gastronomic Adventures of Ladybugs

Ladybugs are cute little critters. I counted eleven spots on this black-spotted on red ladybug. 

It moved clumsily down this leaf blade of Costus Woodsonii. 

With jet-black round eyes placed low down, they seem to be peering over low-rimmed bifocals.

Its stiff feelers are placed horizontally, looking like the top rim of granny spectacles.

 

It seemed to be sniffing the path as it moved along.

As I continued to observe it I realized that it was on a gastronomic trail which was arduous and torturous; up and down from foliage ...

to stem and finally towards...

a large colony of aphids. This should make a good larder adequate for many rainy days.

What a serendipitous discovery. It is like Solomon's mine of epicurean delights. Such good fortune is truly a blessing from Mother Nature. 

In fact by the next day, most of the resident aphids were ravished by this little fella. It saved me the dirty job of being the Terminator.

Costus woodsonii spikes (Dwarf cones ginger) can last for months. They are borne on the tips of canes.

Some cones are taller

whilst others are shorter. The real flowers are the yellow protuberances that sprout sporadically from the bracts.

The bracts open up when the seed pods ripen.

The dehiscence of seed pods release the shiny black seeds which are most probably dispersed by birds. Costus is easily propagated from stem cuttings thus negating the collection of seeds.

This non-spotted lady bug glided down this blade of variegated Dracaena leaf.

It stopped in its track when it came across this hapless teeny weeny bug, in anticipation of a delicious snack.

 
After this light snack, it then cast around to look for more grub and having found none,

continued merrily along its way in search of other scrumptious meals.