A Pair of Bulbuls on Balcony

This pair of Yellow Vented Bulbuls (Pycnonotus goiavier) was first spotted perched on a branch the Rangoon creeper.

 

They took turns to perch on the branch at a spot just above a clump of Alpinia purpurata (Red ginger torch) providing me with a nice photo finish :)

Sensing my presence, they then flew up to the glass balcony above.





This climbing variegated Bougainvillea Mrs Eva scales up two floors and spread out out on the glass balcony. 

It blooms continuously and at certain times of the year, it loses all its leaves and only displays its showy magenta flowers.

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.

Colourful Sun-nourished Bougainvilleas

Bougainvilleas are sun worshippers and are some of the most colourful plants around. The array of colours is diverse while many cultivars come with variegated leaves which enhance its appeal.

 

The colourful 'flowers' are actually bracts while the tiny flowers in the centre are generally pale cream to yellow

Bougainvillea 'Golden Glow' 

 

Ocher-yellow bracts

 

Orange bracts

This Bougainvillea' Mrs Eva' exhibits a non-foliage day.

 

Soft pink bracts with variegated leaves.

Bougainvillea 'Barbara Karst'

 

Yellow Vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier) on a branch of Bougainvillea 'Raspberry ice'

Pure white bracts.

White bracts with variegated leaves. The lavender bracts are from the original stock plant.

 

Tasha

A golden dragonfly  turned up on the trimmed-off ends of a bougainvillea stem. It stayed on this stem the whole day. It flew off when it rained, only to return to the same stem as soon as the showers ended.

As I went snapping away, it turned around in disdain to give me a traditional 'Kiwi insult' by showing me his full posterior. It's an utterly rude shot but I simply can't let this pass.

An issue featuring Bougainvillea, called Bunga Kertas in Malay (paper flower) from the postal department.

A Glorious Curtain of Bauhenia Kockiana

In my hometown garden, there is an ancient vine that never ceases to enchant with its endless blooms. In fact, I sometimes felt rather impatient for the blooms to be over and done with, as I needed to do some hard pruning.

A single inflorescence showing flowers of varying shades.


Even with the vine covered with blooms, many buds can be seen, ensuring a long flowering period.


The flowers themselves are long-lasting so much so that the vine seems to be blooming for about nine out of twelve months.


Inflorescences are terminal.


Clusters of buds develop fast to form gorgeous blooms.

 
A green stigma drips with nectar while a bud peeks out.


A newly bloomed flower is yellow in colour. As it matures over several weeks, it takes on an orange hue which over time developed an orange-red hue.



Glistening drops of nectar? for the taking.


Numerous seed pods are formed which dehisce to scatter seeds all over the garden.

 

 Newly emerged leaves are light green looking very similar to betel vine (sireh). As they mature, they take on a darker hue.


At the front-left corner of the car porch 

The long vines of Bauhenia kockiana and Bougainvilla Mrs Eva got entwined and entangled with each other.

Bougainvilla Mrs Eva at its most beautiful hue of lavender. A week later, the colour wóuld have faded and it wont be as fresh-looking.

A Curtain  of Cascading inflorescences(at the Left side of the car porch)

The cascading Bauhenia vine continues along the left side of the house forming an expansive curtain.


The tattered bamboo screen once taken down would not be replaced as the cascading vines would take over its function.

 

Bauhenia inflorescences under dappled light.

A casuarina tree is seen in the background.

They flourish under full sunlight. The flowers have no fragrance. I presume this as a trade-off for its loud visual presence. That alone is sufficient to attract the pollinators, not to mention the nectar that they exude.