Day 27

This one is worth the wait.

Brugmansia

This flower is commonly known as Angel's Trumpet.  It's gorgeous to look at, but looks can be deceiving.  Every part of this plant is extremely toxic.  I have to share an account that I read on Wikipedia that will be sure to make you NEVER want to try this hallucinogenic:

The Swiss naturalist and explorer Johann von Tschudi described the effects of Brugmansia ingestion on one individual in Peru:

Soon after drinking the Tonga, the man fell into a dull brooding, he stared vacantly at the ground, his mouth was closed firmly, almost convulsively and his nostrils were flared. Cold sweat covered his forehead. He was deathly pale. The jugular veins on his throat were swollen as large as a finger and he was wheezing as his chest rose and sank slowly. His arms hung down stiffly by his body. Then his eyes misted over and filled with huge tears and his lips twitched convulsively for a brief moment. His carotids were visibly beating, his respiration increased and his extremities twitched and shuddered of their own accord. This condition would have lasted about a quarter of an hour, then all these actions increased in intensity. His eyes were now dry but had become bright red and rolled about wildly in their sockets and all his facial muscles were horribly distorted. A thick white foam leaked out between his half open lips. The pulses on his forehead and throat were beating too fast to be counted. His breathing was short, extraordinarily fast and did not seem to lift the chest, which was visibly fibrillating. A mass of sticky sweat covered his whole body which continued to be shaken by the most dreadful convulsions. His limbs were hideously contorted. He alternated between murmuring quietly and incomprehensibly and uttering loud, heart-rending shrieks, howling dully and moaning and groaning.^[2]

Excerpt from  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brugmansia

2. ^ Jump up to:^{a b c d e f g h} Preissel, U.; Preissel, H. G. (2002). Brugmansia and Datura: Angel's Trumpets and Thorn Apples. Buffalo, New York: Firefly Books. pp. 106–129. ISBN 1-55209-598-3.

Delay Due to Strep Throat

I've got my camera ready again.  Heading out to capture more beautiful flowers.  Sorry for the delay.  Sick kids = tired Mom = late keeping up with blog

Day 26

Awapuhi aka Shampoo Ginger

If you cut it's bulbous flowering head and squeeze it, a ginger smelling sap oozes out.  Polynesians have used this substance as a natural shampoo for ages.  Paul Mitchell has a product out that's named Awapuhi Clarifying.  How cool is that!  Let's make our own shampoo!

Day 25

Lax Hornpod

This one took me 2 days to track down any info on.  It's just a tiny roadside wildflower that was growing in the gravel a couple of streets down.  I love how it looks like an octopus tentacle.  I've seen images of this flower from Texas to North Carolina, but there are no good details or stories about this particular flower.

Day 24

The Devil's Backbone

This plant is known to be toxic.  If ingested it will cause severe vomiting and diarrhea.  They recommend wearing goggles and using latex gloves when handling it.  It is native to tropical and subtropical North and Central America.  If you see this plant around, just admire it from where you're standing.  Don't go touching it.

Day 23

The papaya or pawpaw tree.  There's more to it that meets the eye.  In some parts of the world they use papaya for medicinal purposes.  I read that they use it to treat dengue fever because they believe it can replace platelets in your blood.  I know someone I'll be feeding papaya to soon.

Others, from Sri Lanka and Pakistan to the West Indies, have been known to have used the green papaya as a means of birth control and even abortion.

Powerful medicine.

Day 22

This one's a gem!  Official name: Clerodendrum Quadriloculare.  AKA Shooting Star, Starburst, Fireworks and Bleeding Heart.  This show stopper is native to New Guinea and the Philippines.  It is not on the invasive species list for Florida.  It flowers during our winter.  I may need one for our yard.  It's so pretty!

Day 21

The plumeria is a fragrant and beautiful flower.  They are used in Polynesian and Pacific Islander cultures to make leis or eis.  A woman may use a plumeria flower to indicate her relationship status.  If she wears one over her right ear, she is looking to be in a relationship, over the left ear, she is taken.

Day 20

This blog is getting more challenging with this cold snap.  Today I found only a few flowers on the Pigeon Plum tree.  This tree is native to South Florida and the Bahamas and the birds love the berries.  We had someone from the wild bird center ask if they could harvest some of our berries once to help feed the birds they care for.  

Day 19

Today's photo is from Ocean Studies Charter School.  The bold orange flowers are on, what they call locally, the Geiger Tree.  It derived it's name from the Key West wrecker John Geiger.  It's a lovely tree, but the big surprise for my camera came after dark.  The kids were outside our front door and spotted a little screech owl.  He hung out with us for a while before he flew off and I was able to snap this sweet shot.  Happy day.

Day 18

As the cold front inches closer to us, the flowers begin to close up.  We're not used to temperatures lower than 60, nor are many of our tropical flowers.  Hopefully it won't last more than a day or 2.  Bundle up, and watch out for falling iguanas.

Day 17

Still finding flowers in our neighborhood.  I love the shape of their leaves.

Day 16

I am loving these little buds I found on a cactus down the street from my friend Cindy's house.  It looks like a lot of them have fallen off already, so I'm glad I caught them.  They are the size of a fingernail and come in orange and red.  They remind me of little candies.

Jan 20 the cactus continues to bloom...

Day 15

Today was a sunshiny day.  I hopped on my bicycle, put my camera in my basket and rode around our neighborhood with my daughter in search of new flowers.  I got enough photos for my next post as well.  I'm pulling double duty today since I overindulged on the vino and skipped yesterdays post.  Sorry.

Day 14

Meet the Hombre Bougainvillea.  Love the gradation of these colors.  This little princess bougainvillea can be found lining the front entrance of Founder's Park.

Day 13

Feeling like pushing up daisies today.  Just kidding.  I worked out at Islamorada Fitness and felt like I was going to die.  On the way home I came across these colorful daisies to share for Day 13.  Enjoy.  I'm going to go lay down!

Day 12

Day 12 took me to the Islamorada Chamber of Commerce.  When I dropped the kids off at school this morning these sweet little yellow flowers on a bush in front of the Chamber caught my eye.  I returned later in the afternoon between the bouts of rain to photograph them.

Day 11

Kailee pointed out this bright orange flower in her yard and suggested it for my blog.  Great flower Kailee.  Thank you for the inspiration.

Day 10

The Bougainvillea is tough enough to endure the big dip in the temperature during these wacky winter months.  They are resilient and always add a welcomed splash of color to our tropical landscape.

Day 9

OK, today was just plain silly.  You need to vote on which flower picture you think is prettier.  The fake flowers from South Miami Hospital, or the photo-bomb picture of Angela and the pink flowers in between doctors visits.  Hmmm

Day 8

Today was a crazy rainy day, and I almost ran out of time to capture my photos for day 8.  I saved my beautiful orchid tree for just such a day.  She did not disappoint.  The rain droplets and the pink sky were there to remind me that things are just as they are supposed to be.  It was a wonderful, rainy day in paradise!

Day 7

Pretty little periwinkle flowers to brighten your day.

Day 6

A little something you don't see in Ohio.  This plant is cool.  It reminds me of a pomegranate.  I'm not sure if it qualifies as a flower, so a added a prickly little number to keep up with the theme of the blog.  All the hibiscus flowers are curled up due to the cooler weather today.  60's today, Brrrrr

Day 5

I found out today that a dear old friend had passed away. I found this through our old facebook messages.
He was writing lyrics to a song and shared them with me. I'm so grateful that I never delete anything. Today's flowers are for Sully. You were a very handsome date. I'm so glad to have shared the time we had together.

A young man wanders lonely, with Death walking by his side. Confused in the madness he runs away to hide. Finding no shelter he falls to his knees. Eyes filled with tears, his broken heart bleeds. Tired, hungry, and cold his soul fills with rage.  
Screaming out a cry of why he asks for a turn of the page. A moment passes. He hears the crickets sing. With a deep breath he tastes the pungent smells of Spring. When off in the distance, under the full moon light, he sees a doe dancing Free protected by the night. With a shooting star, a smile on his face. Filled with grace, he dances in place. With an understanding, he bursts into laughter. No tears of fears from here on after. Just Love, Life , and Living.
By: John Sullivan
Rest in peace my friend.