Life Springing Up in the Desert

Posted by Kanga.

It has been a wet winter. The proof is in the grass sprouting up from the sands.

It’s a regular camel banquet.

There are even flowers.

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Seeing the Forest and the Trees

Posted by Kanga.

I’ve been enjoying the plethora of trees. The city is spred out over a large area and heavily forested. We spent the afternoon in the botanical garden.

The mud dauber wasps made it challenging to find the women’s restroom.

Can you see the frog?

Here he is.

This was the most unusual flower – golden shrimp plant.

Despite the heat, it was a pleasant afternoon.

Urban Bees

Posted by Kanga.

DaddyBird noticed these bees taking up residence in a potted plant just outside the entrance of our apartment.

There isn’t that much follage in our neighborhood – a few potted plants, but not a lot of gardens or parks, so it is a little surprising to see “wildlife” in the heart of the city. These little fellows are making the best of the situation.

Complicated Plant

Posted by Kanga.
Previously, I had seen a very large version of this plant that sent up a giant stalk and then put out tiny and rather silly looking flowers. So, when this one appeared in front of the library, it gave me a change to document it’s reproductive process.

First, it sends up this tall stalk and clumps of buds.

The blooms are mostly just pestles and stamens and it blooms up the stalk.

Then come the seed pods, which fall to the ground.

You might think, as I did, that this is the end, but NO. There’s more.

There is a secondary bloom stage in which leaves and blooms come out of the same clusters that produced the first blooms.

KL Flora pt2

KL Flora

First, let me correct a slight faux pas in the previous post. DaddyBird did go to France, since he landed in Nice in order to get to Monaco, but Monaco is a separate country and not IN France. Some of you may remember that Grace Kelly was the Princess of Monaco. Silly me, I should have remembered.

Now, back to Kuala Lumpur for the flora. I’ll let them speak for themselves.

May Day

After the last entry on flowers, Kazul wanted to know what I would do for May Day. Well, here is your May Day bouquet and I don’t think I had to repeat a single type of flower. All but the last picture were taken on campus.

The petunias were quite amazing. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen so many blooms, so consistently, over such a long period. The temperature has gotten hot enough now that they will not last much longer.
And, here for you Kazul, is a Dr. Seuss tree in a purple pot.