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Archive for the ‘Islands + Inland’Jul 31, 10 Comments (0)
!oacaruC morf olleH, That’s a big backwards Hello from Curacao for you all this fine evening! By request again and not from the same people, here are more “now blooming” Curacao Wildflowers. Again I shot these with my 105 macro so these are very small flowers! In fact the one at the top left, the whole cluster of flowers is the size of a pencil eraser! Most of these I found along the road and I am sure they are some kind of weed but boy are they ever beautiful! The top right is my newest re-shoot of those tiny starfish looking flowers which I just found the name for. They are called, Tournefortia Volubilis, ( Boraginaceae) Twining Soldierbush and the salmon colored flower at the bottom right both open when the sun hits them in the morning and close within two hours, that’s it! I saw a ton of the blue flowers this morning out in the desert like the ones in the left hand corner. This flower grows wild in big bushes and when blooming like they were this morning it’s quite a sight! I have found it close to impossible to get nice shots out in the wild as the wind is always blowing. For the orange starfish flower photo I first found a cluster I liked then gently cut it and stuck the cut end in a piece of dried wood that was on the ground and used my camera case as the background. I laid on my stomach in the dirt and blocked the wind with my body and thanks to my little tripod I was able to make it work, this is what we go thru for a single photo.
We are off to an employee party, see you all again tomorrow. If you find names for any of the flowers I have sent please let me know so I can update my web page.
See ya, Barry
Jul 11, 10 Comments (0)
Good evening all, this one’s for Aimee tonight, this is her favorite flower called Frangipani or Plumeria. As the story goes, a year ago Aimee was walking around near Punda and passed some gardeners trimming a giant Frangipani Tree. She grabbed a freshly cut piece and brought it home and immediately placed it in water and set it in our kitchen window where it stayed for next two to three months until it finally had roots. Next we bought a big pot and planted it in fresh soil and placed it outside for the first time since she brought it home and weeks later it started to grow. It then stayed in the pot outside on our porch for the next few months until she finally asked the gardeners if they would plant it outside in our garden where it has been ever since. Because of all this rain it finally started to really grow and this week we had the first flowers! Plumeria flowers are most fragrant at night in order to lure sphinx moths to pollinate them. The flowers have no nectar, and simply dupe their pollinators. The moths inadvertently pollinate them by transferring pollen from flower to flower in their fruitless search for nectar. Plumeria is related to the Oleander, Nerium Oleander, and both possess poisonous, milky sap, rather similar to that of Euphorbia. Each of the separate species of Plumeria bears differently shaped alternate leaves and their form and growth habits are also distinct.
Well lets see, what’s going on? We all thought Holland would win the World Cup of Soccer today but Spain took home the gold, we have a whole lot of disappointed folks here tonight! Lance Armstrong is currently 12 minutes behind in the Tour de France and doesn’t think he will be able to make up that much time but may concentrate on a stage win instead. Big congrats to Andy Schleck for winning a very tough stage of the Tour de France today, he’s one of the top riders that comes to Curacao every year and we always end up running into him and his brother Frank.
I took the dogs to the beach this morning and bagged trash while they played and then spent the rest of the day at home on the computer. That’s about it gang, be back tomorrow, Barry
Jul 6, 10 Comments (0)
Hi readers of the blog, welcome to another night of “what’s going on in Curacao”! Here’s a new flower I found today. We have a local book on the island called “Our plants and trees” where I found this information, “This comes from a flowering tree called, Cordia dentata, Clammy cherry, Lolbolly tree or White manjack. Here on the island of Curacao the locals call this Karawara or Karawara di Mondi and the Dutch call it just Karawara. This tree has oval-round leaves and are rough to the touch. When flowering it grows large umbels of small yellowish white flowers which is similar to the European elder. After the blooming period, large, white, glassy berries are formed on the flower stems. The contents of these berries are very sticky. Many birds are very fond of these fruits. The bare-eyed pigeon swallows the berries whole but smaller birds which peck at the berries get the sticky substance on their beaks and when trying to rub it off on some branch they usually drop seeds on the ground which in time will make new trees. The branches of this tree are being used as ribs in small boats and the locals here put the berries in drinking water to give it a fresh taste. Also the flowers can be put into a container of drinking water and drunk during the day to “refresh” the kidneys.”
This morning I took the dogs for a nice long walk without the camera and ended up seeing a bunch of cool stuff so the minute I got back home I grabbed the camera and went back out to re-find and shoot what I had seen earlier. We had a nice rain go over this morning and after it was dead calm making it a perfect time to shoot flowers. I back home again around 10:00 and it was hot and humid so after a shower I took for an afternoon of running errands and then spent the rest of the day on the Mac! At 5:00 I went for a fast one hour ride with some friends and came home very tired. That’s about it guys, puppies are still doing great, we are walking them so much every day that they have no time to even think about being bad!
Off to bed, have a wonderful Wednesday! Barry
Jun 28, 10 Comments (0)
Hi friends, I have had so many requests for more Curacao Wildflowers so here you go again. These are four more that I found either along side the road or out in the desert. The red one is the flower that I brought home from Sunset Waters yesterday and re-potted it and it’s doing great! Unfortunately I don’t have a clue what any of these are, possibly weeds?? If any of you have any time to surf the web or already know please send me a note and I will go back and label them all online. Many have asked me what is the secret to shooting flowers? Well really folks I am not a pro at flowers but am learning by trial and error. For these small wildflowers you first need a tripod that is a must! I am using a Nikon 105mm 2.8 macro lens but a 60mm would work nicely as well. If your shooting flowers in the wild you will need a calm morning or evening with zero wind, moving flowers are a nightmare to shoot. Find a flower with a nice background, just get on your knees and look behind it, the best backgrounds are typically dark so your flower really stands out. I shoot a lot of mine at around 250 F-14 using a slow rear flash on just about every shot, flash is very important and if the flower is moving a little this will help to keep it sharp. Normally I find if I shoot to low of an F-stop like F-5.6, thru F-8 the flower is not sharp enough, and if you go too much like F-22 your background will then start to become distracting, you just have to mess around with it and see the results for yourself. Go out right after a rain shower, that is the best time as you get all those tiny droplets on everything, it’s really beautiful. If you have any general questions I can help and if I don’t know the answer I bet I can find someone that does, good luck and most of all have fun!
It was an overcast day here in Curacao, it looked like it was going to rain almost all day but it never did although it looked like Venezuela was getting hit hard! I’m out, busy day tomorrow, Barry
Jun 22, 10 Comments (0)
Hi friends, I found the coolest little flower this morning that I have never seen here before, they look like individual little starfish?? They are called, Twining Soldierbush, or Tournefortia Volubilis, I shot this with my macro lens as the whole cluster of flowers was only about an inch tall, that’s tiny! From a distance they didn’t look like anything and I am not even sure what drew me close enough to look but I sure am glad I did. I only found them in one small area on the top of an open hill in a shaded area. It rained again all morning and it came down hard but seconds after it stopped I grabbed the camera and the dogs and we took off to see what new little treasures awaited us. We ended up hiking for about two and a half hours making a big loop out in the desert and moments after getting home it started to rain again! These flowers were the highlight of my walk although I did get some other really nice shots that will make great greeting cards for some lucky person down the road. If anyone can help me with a name for these please let me know so I can get them identified and labeled online. At 1:30 in the blazing heat and 100% humidity I went all the way back to the area were I found these new starfish flowers only to find all of them were closed up for the day like so many flowers here do, oh well will try again on Thursday.
Not much to report today, we are all inside hiding from the heat but I will probably go biking in a little while as the trails dry very fast here, there will only be mud in a few areas. Thanks again for all the great support, I have a fun little rock crab photo I will send tomorrow, one of the many other things I found this morning.
Have a wonderful day, Barry
Jun 21, 10 Comments (0)
Hi guys, I was shocked today at how many folks liked the flowers from yesterday and seven people asked for more so here you go! I shot these along the trail tonight on my walk with the dogs although with me taking pictures there wasn’t much dog walking going on. It’s funny though, Inca will just stand next to me and keep guard never leaving my side but Indi is off constantly doing her own thing and I really have to keep a close eye on her as she eats everything. From left to right again, this first one is in the orchid family but for the life of me tonight I can not find the name, the 2nd one is Melochia tomentosa, Black Widow, Balsam, the 3rd is the cool seed pods from a tree called, Guaiacum officinale, Lignum Vitae, along with these seed pods the tree also has tiny purple and white flowers as well, the 4th is some kind of Sage, either Cordia curassavica, Black Sage or Croton flavens, Rock Sage, please if you know tell me right away so I can make corrections online. Most of our wildflowers in Curacao are small and you literally need to “stop and smell the roses as they say” you really have to slow down and look but once your eyes get trained it will open up a whole new World. I found out that many of these plants are used for medicinal reasons like the Black Widow, Balsam (photo 2). Tea, made from the leaves of this plant, is supposed to be an aid against anemia and to purify the blood. Also gargling with an extract of the root soothes a sore throat and was formerly considered the best medicine against high blood pressure. The Lignum Vitae tree (photo 3) produces wood which is extremely hard and in the shipping industry it is used in the making of pulleys. This wood when thrown into water will sink! And last (photo 4) Black Sage, an extract of the leaves seems to be helpful against diarrhea and menstrual pains, and the branches when tied together are still being used as brooms to sweep earthen floors.
I went to visit the puppies tonight they look great and are really growing, our little black male still needs a good home, hint, hint, hint!!! I am off to bed, have a great day tomorrow, over and out, Barry
Jun 20, 10 Comment (1)
Hi friends, by request this evening we have some Curacao Wildflowers for your viewing pleasure. Today was pretty much non-stop rain but in-between downpours I rushed outside to photograph a few of the flowers. From left to right, 1st we have Antigonon leptopus, Coral Vine, Bride’s Tears, 2nd is called Jatropha gossypiifolia, Wild Physic Nut, Belly Ache Bush, 3rd I need help finding a name, (sorry) and the 4th is called Datura metel, Prickly Burr, Devil’s Trumpet. I shot these in the field behind the new Dolphin Suites Hotel at the Sea Aquarium. Today I spotted at least 30 different little flowers that have popped up out of nowhere from all this rain and I bet tomorrow there will be even more as it’s still coming down. I did manage to get the dogs out for a two hour walk in the mud from 4:30-6:30, it was so humid but at least we were able to get out and do something. I carried a rake with me tonight and ended up cleaning up some of the trails that got used in last weeks big race, if I don’t do it no one will and besides it’s good exercise. Not much to report today, it’s rainy and very quiet, it was a nice relaxing day! Thanks again for all the great notes we loving hearing from you! Off to bed, Barry
Jun 16, 10 Comments (0)
Good morning friends, I ended up trying to get to bed early last night but with a party next door, the phone ringing and the cat’s fighting outside it was very difficult! I did a dolphin dive with George, Tela and Pasku yesterday morning but with no sun and very overcast skies my photos looked like we were at 100 feet, you really need the sun! The puppies are doing fine at the “Puppy Hotel”, I am loving the break I am getting and finally able to get some odd jobs done around here. Tomorrow I have two friends from Bonaire coming to spend five days with me, they both work at the one and only Wannadive Hotel and dive shop.
Here is something Aimee and I have never seen before, this is a blooming Curacao Candle Cactus. I found this in the parking lot last week during a rain storm, it was actually raining when I took this. We have three different species of this cactus on Curacao but all are called Candle Cactus in general. Pilosocereus lanuginosus has robust arms and grows in clumps, Subpilocereus repandus has a giant trunk at the base and then arms growing out of the trunk, very much like a tree and this one seen here with the flower is called, Ritterocereus griseus and it’s arms grow individually from the ground with the arms shooting high in the sky. What I didn’t know was that these creamy white to pinkish flowers only open at night or as you see here during a rain storm. This species like many other cactus flowers is mainly being pollinated by bats, so I guess I will need to go and check these out at night. The dark red fruit is round and covered with spines and once these have been removed the fruit is highly edible and makes great jams. The fruit of these cactus is what keeps many of our local birds and reptiles alive during long periods of drought when other fruits are very scarce. The locals here chop these cactus off at the base and take them home and build fences around their properties with them as they grow very fast and make the best fence in the World!
I have two dogs crying waiting to go, talk to you tonight, have a great day, Barry
May 8, 10 Comments (0)
Hi Friends, I first want to send a big warm hug to my mom in Tucson, Arizona and wish her a “Happy Mothers Day”!! I unfortunately don’t get to see my mom or friends much as we are so far away on what seems like another planet at times!! My mom who’s name is Joy, is one of about four people on the list that replies to almost every blog I send out and should get a medal for that alone!! I have tried and tried to get her to come down here and visit but she is just not an “outside girl” but makes up for it by sending us goodies and being my number one fan with constant support filled with compliments. So momma, even though we never get to see you thanks for everything you do!! And for all my other mothers out there I wish you the best on your special day as well and hope the men in your lives didn’t forget or drop the ball!!
Aimee and I are still struggling with the puppies, yes they are cute and cuddly but man-o-man are they ever a lot of work!! Aimee gets up every night now at 1:00am and takes them for a walk outside and then again at 5:00, she usually goes to work half asleep and in a daze!! Please help us with a home for the two black ones, the pictures can be seen on the www.coralreefphotos.com site so send your friends there to check them out, the brown puppy is taken.
Once again, Happy Mothers Day to all and to all a good night!! Love, Barry and Aimee
Oct 3, 09 Comments (0)
 Cycad Good evening all, something a little different for you all tonight. With all the rain we had a week ago our plants around the house as well as the whole island are all sprouting new growth! This is a Cycad we have in the back yard and this morning before I left I quickly stood on something tall and shot straight down into the center of all it’s new growth! The wind was really blowing causing the upper leaves to move but ended up giving it a cool look, stare at it too long and you will think you have had to much to drink! I know kind of strange but it’s something different for a change!
No word again about our car. After work I raced to the garage but to my disappointment they were closed! I could see our car inside and I yelled to it saying “everything’s going to be alright, mommy and daddy still love you”! I waited but heard no answer?
It looked like it was going to rain all day but nothing, maybe something will come in tonight? So my plan tomorrow is to walk the dogs from the house to the trail head with my bike and get them out for some exercise, it’s been two very boring days for them!!
I did a fun snorkel today with our beautiful dolphin trainer Zenzi, I will send you a photo tomorrow. Time for bed, see ya, Barry
3-10-2009
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