Saturday, March 13, 2010

Vibrancy

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 Vibrancy





 anthurium




while I am familiar
with many of the plants 
here in Kauai
because they grow at home,
the extra rainfall 
on this island
and the smaller diurnal range
of temperature
plus a milder winter
and a less intense sun









bougainvillea




make for colours that pop -
such vibrancy















this bare tree
is garlanded 
with plump yellow blooms
like pom poms
I don't know its name...









hibiscus




The mountains
in the centre
of this island
are where you find
Mt Waialeale
which is the rainiest
and the wettest spot
on the planet










spider lily




Mt Waialeale
receives 472 inches
of rainfall a year
that is 39 feet
or 12 metres










orchid



the trade winds
blowing off the ocean
keep this island
cool in summer
usually 23-29 C
or 74-85 F









terminalia




the rainfall
is more prevalent in winter
when the days
range from 18-26 C
or 65-78 F,
although the climate
is termed 'localised'
meaning
that it may rain one minute
and be sunny shortly after









red ginger






The great thing about the climate
on this island
is that if it does rain
you can drive for 10 minutes
 and be in the warm sunshine...




Oh Happy Hula Days





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28 comments:

  1. Fascinating information!

    "Bougainvillea" is one of my favorite words.

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  2. Aloha to you on the garden isle, from Oahu my Friend!


    Comfort Spiral

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  3. Hi Polly
    as my responses to your comments from yesterday were gobbled up I shall try again tonight.
    Thanks for the reference you gave me yesterday I will look it up once I have photo shop installed which is necessary to attempt anything moderately fancy...

    Yes bougainvillea
    along with epiphany
    soliloquy...

    I'll think of some more...

    Happy days

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  4. Hi Cloudia from the garden isle til tomorrow when we begin the trek back.
    It is a long haul so we'll begin with a good shop up at Ala Moana...

    I'll aloha you from there...

    Happy days

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  5. the weather in japan has been rather strange over here (cold one day, warm the next and then snow the next day....) it is refreshing to see these beautiful pictures of the flowers...so much variety too!
    thank you for sharing! aloha!

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  6. Oh Delwyn - it must put one in a permanent state of gratitude to see such vibrant life forms at every turn!! I hope folks are clicking on the pics to see them enlarged - just fabulous.

    Thank you for all the climate information. 39 feet of rain!!!

    I really like your new template/format. It feels spacious and peaceful - like you!

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  7. It is a beautiful place.

    I see you have played with the new templates.

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  8. 39 feet of rain???? It's a wonder there is any soil left for anything to grow.

    Man, I'd sure want an umbrella there.!

    The flowers are stunning and as vibrant as promised.

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  9. I am anxiously waiting for spring here. The yellow flower that you posted looks very similar to Kwanzan cherry blossom that we have here in Maryland. But those blossoms are always pink I think.

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  10. I have never been to a tropical isle - I've enjoyed your photos and info so much being an "armchair" traveler.

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  11. Delwyn,
    Thank you for allowing us a view into your vibrantly colorful world! Wow! It's so dark and gray here...what a treat!

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  12. Right away I noticed the lovely change to your blog. The flowers are beautiful, they really stand out with the white borders. I guess 472 inches of rain has it's benefits, unbelievable, we just had 3 inches and I thought that was a lot.

    Your orchid made me smile, I just came home with one, same exact color, it was an early birthday gift from a friend! Such a coincidence to see the same in your post! Smiles to you, Delwyn
    ...Wanda

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  13. Delwyn
    Love the new look to your blog. Looking at these pictures makes me realize that spring is just around the corner. The pictures with the red flowers are my favorite ones

    Best
    Tracy :)

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  14. Beautiful pictures, both of the flowers and of the island of Kauai. It is my favorite island, for all the reasons you mentioned. I love how it will rain and then the sun will shine. Always temperate, it is truly paradise.

    I'm looking at six inches of new snow...

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  15. Wow. It's so early in spring here that it's hard to imagine that level of color saturation. Beautiful!

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  16. Oh how very beautiful! Those big colorful blossoms are just amazing!
    Our 2 feet of snow melted quickly in the warm spring weather and then we've had 48 hours of nonstop rain....we now have a pond in the back yard where there should not be a pond. ha! Maybe I should buy some koi? That would be fun!

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  17. pretty, and a great find...not too many trees have yellow flowers.

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  18. Wow, beautiful flowers! I like the changes to your blog design; simpler and very soothing, it's a very nice frame for your posts.

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  19. Oh dear ,this is just a wonderful way of making people happy!This people here,I mean me :O)!
    Thank you again for this adventure trough the heaven on blog sky!I love your changed look of the page,it is also better for me to read or look for other beautiful people or post reading right side.Like my brain is better functioning with the right reading combination,anyhoo,I love it!Hope you and your family are fine.Much love,light and peace with the huge smile for you,
    Aleksandra :O)

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  20. Fabulous pictures and great commentary.

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  21. gorgeous photos of gorgeous plants. I only know a few of theses because they are sold in flower shops.
    Nothing like the real thing, even if it the rain that helps them grow.

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  22. Absolultely love the pictures. Just to let you know that I've featured this blog in my 'Sunday Shout Out' post at http://emptythoughtsrewritten.blogspot.com

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  23. Kauai is nicknamed the Island of Love. Do you feel it? It certainly is beautiful.

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  24. delwyn - the vibrancy, the humming vibrancy of those flowers is overwhelming. i couldn't stop scrolling down . it was like a chocolate box to a starving boy!!! thankyou. steven

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  25. Wow, those flowers are vibrant all right, so very beautiful. Anthurium, Orchid and Red Ginger I have seen sold here as indoor pot plants.

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  26. Hi Delwyn! 3rd pic - the yellow one had me stumped and I was very curious, so after much searching I think I may have an answer: Cortez Amarillo or yellow cortez tree. Some images at:
    http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/11/61/91/cortez-amarillo-local.jpg
    and
    http://ntsavanna.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/tabebuia-flower-1.jpg
    Found all over S. America, how did it find it's way to Kauai??
    Happy days! :)

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  27. I see you have been on holidays. These photos are wonderful the colours you have captured are truly amazing. I love the image of the spider lily

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  28. I love the yellow pom poms agains that beautiful blue, blue SKY! I feel as though with all of your wonderful posts, that I too have been on a holiday. Thank you for sharing your adventure - it brings a simple peacefulness to my day!

    and yes, they are Happy Hula Days!

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