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 ABOUTfeatured: 30 Best Snorkeling Blogs Fun Ways to enjoy the caribbeanArchive for the ‘Flowers’Jul 6, 10 Comments Off
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 Off
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 Off
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 Off
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 Comments Off
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
May 8, 10 Comments Off
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
May 9, 09 Comments Off
 happy-mothers-day Good evening readers, I first want to say Happy Mothers Day to my mom in Tucson Arizona, this flowers for you!! I was just telling someone just today that without my mom buying Aimee and I our first computer for our wedding we would probably still be in the stone age! I remember how scared I was even thinking we were getting one and had all these nightmares about having to go back to school or take night classes just to learn how to use it?? But thankfully this was not the case. She walked us thru everything step by step and in no time at all we were surfing the web as fast as dial up could go, so once again momma thanks for all you have done for us!! I wish I could be there to take you out to dinner but am sure the man of the house will take care of that for me. And for all you other special mommas out there Aimee and I wish you a wonderful Mothers Day as well, thanks for taking such good care of us! This was the only flower blooming on the moss sedum the morning I took the picture of the hermit crab in the fossil shell, maybe he ate them all??
Our little island is going to blow right off the map if this wind keeps up, today was down right terrible! You should see the big waves that are rolling in making for very unpleasant diving unless you go down real deep. I had planned on diving the Superior tomorrow but that’s not going to happen now, it’s just way to rough.
After work I took the dogs to Saint Joris for a short windy walk. I noticed this evening for the first time that those red spined cactus were blooming? The flowers are super small and must only bloom late in the day and into the evening because I have never seen it in the mornings, will go back tomorrow evening with the macro lens. Aimee is out with friends this evening, the dogs are asleep and I need to get to bed. I will see you again tomorrow, once again Happy Mothers Day!! Curacao regards, Barry
05-09-2009
Dec 16, 08 Comments Off
 antique-perfume-bottle Good evening friends, I meant to send this out a few years ago but never got around to it. An hour before the 2006 World Cup Mountain bike race was to begin Aimee and I took off out into the bush to pick our spots along side the trail to watch and take photo’s. Along the way while walking on the actual course we found this 100 year old tiny purple perfume bottle laying half buried directly in the middle of one of the trails. This whole area behind the aquarium used to be a dump but was mostly cleaned years and years ago before the aquarium was built. The bottle is an inch and three fourth’s tall or around 4.3cm and has a tarnished sterling silver top, it’s really cool. Back in the States those of you who visited our house know that I collect miniature antique bottle’s although most of those are cobalt blue poison bottles this is a real treasure. Well today while out hiking with Aimee I found these really cool tiny little flowers. Both of us tried and tried to shoot them in the wild this morning but with a breeze blowing from the east it made the task completely impossible. I am a determined soul so I carefully cut one and brought it home knowing that this little bottle would be a perfect holder. If any of you local folks know the name of these please send it to me, can use all the help I can get. So from that day on we have named it our “World Cup bottle” and look at it every day as it sits in our bathroom on a display shelf.
Aimee’s parents and sister arrived in 100% great shape without any problems, they said the airports and planes along the way were packed, tiss the season!! They slept in this morning while Aimee and I did the two and a half hour hike thing looking for little things to shoot. In the afternoon we all went on a fun/crazy trip to the local grocery store, it was a case of culture shock for sure for these guys trying to figure out what everything said as it’s all written in Dutch. Aimee also took them to the beach today and they all went snorkeling and from the sounds of it they all had a blast.
Talk to you tomorrow, Sunny regards, Barry
12-16-2008
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