Sunday, July 19, 2015

What's On Show This Weekend ... July 18-19, 2015 ... mid-Winter.


Well, old man Winter arrived in the tropics this past week.  He bought some seriously cold nights and early mornings, and some gorgeous sunrises.

Mid-week it was down to between 7 and 9 deg C  (44 - 48 F).  That is COLD for the tropics.  With very low humidity levels and dewpoints below 0, it was really, really, really cold.  Usually, our overnight winter temps don't get below 10 C.  The electric blanket had a workout, and the winter PJs and dressing gown and woolly socks all came out of the closet.  I even wore a jumper to work three mornings last week!!!!  Of course, it was off by mid-morning as the mercury rose to a more comfortable 22 - 24 C  (71 - 75 C).


Aside for the change in temps., the conditions have remained the same.  It's dry season and the skies are usually bright blue and fairly clear.  I spend quite a bit of time watering garden beds and potted plants these days.

This weekend as I strolled around moving sprinklers or watering with the hose, I spotted ...

Streptocarpus

Dragonwing Begonia

Impatiens walleriana

and this Anthurium in bloom out in my shadehouse garden.

Out on the courtyard garden there was

Eucharis

Azalea

Schlumbergera

and Torenia on show.

In my new garden beds near the carshed,

Pelargoniums in pots are finally blooming.

Justicia brandegeana in the tiered garden beds is covered in bracts and blooms at the moment.  For some reason, the wallabies have not feasted on this shrub in ages and ages.  Hence all the blooms.  It's wonderful to see!

Elsewhere, there are flowerheads on  ...

the Bougainvillea,

the white Penta,

and the Polygala.

You definitely know winter has arrived in my tropical garden when you see flowers appearing on my white Bauhinia.  There are now quite a few buds all over the tree, so there will be lots of stark white blooms popping open for weeks to come.

I usually spot quite a few birds as I wander around the garden and this weekend has been no different.

This male Sunbird was enjoying the nectar of the newly opened Bauhinia blooms.


The Forest Kingfisher is always a delightful sight.

I spotted another Spangled Drongo with its fierce looking red eye.

This pair of  Pied Currawongs were just lazily flitting around from tree to tree, looking for something to eat I suspect.


I spent quite a while watching this little Willy Wagtail doing a jig around the yard this morning.  Such a mesmorizing performance! 

12 comments:

  1. What a great post, filled with so much color and sweet flying friends.

    Have a wonderful week ~ FlowerLady

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    1. Thanks Lorraine, it was a terrific weekend and I enjoyed quite a bit of time spent outside in the garden. It's always enjoyable seeing the various birds that come and go here.

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  2. Hello, what a beautiful post, from the gorgeous sunrise, lovely flowers and the pretty birds. Lovely collection of photos. Enjoy your day and the new week ahead!

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    1. Great to see you visiting, thanks Eileen. I do so love this time of the year here in the tropics. It's the best time for tending the garden. It's fantastic having such great birdlife company too.

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  3. That is cold for up there. We are feeling down here too and it doesn't even warm up much during the day. It is dry and cold to be out watering. I'm having a constant battle with the hungry wallabies. Your garden is looking as beautiful as ever.

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    1. Yes we had a bit of that arctic blast that was sweeping up the east coast. The temps did rise a fair bit through the day though, so I didn't have to wear a jumper for long. It's now back to the usual winter temps. Hungry wallabies have turned our front and side yards into something that resembles the face of the moon. There are huge holes everywhere as they dig up the ground searching for edible roots.

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  4. You have got fantastic colour in your garden. Always admire your birds and wildlife. A lovely, ethereal shot of streptocarpus, Polygala looks very exotic. It is amazing how many beautiful flowers grace the gardens at this time of winter. You have got wonderful Geraniums, never know if it is Geranium or Pelargonium, In a way it is still fun to blog, perhaps one can make later a book with blurb or something similar.

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    1. There's always a little colour somewhere in the garden, although at this time of the year when the dry season is at its height, there's really only a few blooms on one plant at any time. Apart from some of the potted plants, like the Petunias, it's hard to find anything covered in blooms right now.

      I've learned that the plants I used to call Geraniums are definitely Pelargoniums. True Geraniums don't grow here in the tropics. I tried growing one a couple of years ago, but it never took off. The Pellies though just adore the heat and humidity here.

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  5. How wonderful to have blooms all year even winter...

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  6. lovely flowers, Bernie, and great photos. Such an impressive array of birdlife. The only one familiar are Pied Currawongs that also visit my garden. I love the sky photos and the colour and shape of the Polygala that I'm also unfamiliar with. Not sure if it's a native or not ...

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  7. It’s funny how your winter is normally not below 10 degrees at night – and we had nights last week, mid-summer where it dipped just below 10 degrees! Well, that’s unusual for us in July so perhaps the whole world had a chilly few days last week. We are back to more normal 15 at night and 25-28 during the day. Perfect :-)
    I enjoyed your winter blooms, many of them are known too me as they grow here, as opposed to your summer blooms :-)
    Hope you have a good weeek in the garden!

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  8. A fabulous array of birds and flowers, Bernie!

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