Palm at a traffic light junction

I've seen these palms from afar and sitting in my car I knew that all I could do was gaze with a longing to see these flowers at close range. Today, my wish came true when I got bored waiting for the lights to turn green at the traffic junction. Looking out of the window of my car I realised that I was actually within shooting range of those palms that I was talking about. Not exactly the ideal distance to take clear images with a digital camera but I passed time engaging with nature during those long-drawn moments at the traffic lights.

Flowers of the Overtop Palm

This must be one sweet palm
judging by the swarm
of flies buzzing
loving
the flowers
you would too
if you had gone closer

Fish Tail Palm flowers

Was I lucky to have seen the flowers of the Fish Tail Palm? Yes, most definitely. In my life till now, I have only seen the flowers of this palm only once. Yesterday was the second time. Consider this sighting a precious moment because I started to get interested in photographing nature only ten years ago.

Palm

是花还是果？我不知道。这树是一种棕榈。看见这样特殊的大自然我只能拍照回家在漫漫欣赏。

Is this flower or fruit? I have no idea. This is a kind of palm tree. When I see this kind of unusual phenomenon in nature, what else could I do except take pictures so that I can appreciate it slowly at home.

Nature's comforts

When I need assurance that all is well, I turn to nature. There is no need for words, no need for lengthy conversations. All I ever need to do is to focus on the parts of nature that appear before me and concentrate on its being - the form, the texture, the colours and how it responds to the time of the day. Yesterday, I found all the assurance that I needed on the premises of a condominium that I was visiting. When I emerged from the underground carpark, the first sign of beauty greeted me from high above against a lovely blue sky was this fruitful palm:

Next were the rich purple flowers of the Bauhinia x Blakeana or the Hong Kong Orchid tree.The orange Ixoras were quietly adorning the flower beds.And leaves so green you forget that elswhere they have no chance to grow.And the final burst of evening sunlight make the fragrant spider lilies hungry for another day.Finally, by the pool, these heliconias enjoyed the last rays of the sun before retiring for the night.

Today, while the blossoms still cling to the vine

Too late to see any flowers. These palm trees present, instead, gems like precious rubies glittering in the strong morning sunlight as if they were wearing their best jewellery for those who took time to appreciate their beauty. For my eyes only because no one else was around except a doting grandfather ushering his tricycle-riding grandson home and then I was truly alone. On my way to the carpark, these regal-looking Pulai trees beckoned and I responded to their telepathic call. I almost expected royalty to appear beneath their impressive forms.

The right timing

Waiting time can be boring. Not if you have a camera and manage to catch the sun's rays lighting up this flowering foxtail palm for just a few precious moments. Says the Foxtail to the Sealing Wax palm, "I glow, I glow, oh don't you know this feeling?"

What palm is this?

Right in front of the Visitor Centre of the Singapore Botanical Gardens, beneath the shades of a gigantic Heritage Tree are these huge fan-shaped leaves of a kind of palm. What attracted me were the dangling inflorescence looking like baits at the end of fishing lines.
There were buds and flowers...
...and a spider couple smiling for the camera.

Palm flowers

Name of palm, unknown at this moment. Taken at West Coast Park. The warm yellow against the brilliant green is simply captivating.

Cayota mitis - Fish Tail Palm

The fishtail palm is so called because of the shape of the leaves. This palm can potentially reach a height of 30 feet and having seen it in parks and nature reserves, under flyovers, in gardens and the sides of roads, I have come to know it as if it were an old friend each time I set eyes on a palm.

Family: palmae (arecaceae)

Origin: Indonesia

I know what to look out for - the bunches of fruits and in particular the elusive flowers. For as long as I have been looking at this plant since the day I got my first digital camera some 4 years ago, I have only seen the flowers only once on a palm that was midway up Bukit Timah Hill. The palm is no longer there and has probably reached the end of its natural life. But I will never forget the flowers and this is the precious photo of the flowers that I never seem to have the good luck to see again.The closest I got to seeing it a second time was when I came upon a palm in a landscaped garden with these clusters of purplish buds and I was so thrilled thinking that if I were to return to see this palm the next day, I would probably get to see the flowers. It was indeed a great disappointment that when I made the effort the next day to see the flowers, I found that the buds have all dropped off, most likely due to a heavy shower. So again, all I have is this picture to show for what I have missed: Since then, I have only seen the tree in various stages of fruiting like the picture below taken at Telok Blangah Park. The lowest most bunch is most probably the buds.

I have learned one thing from being deprived of what I have been pursuing for a long time and that is to never give up especially when you have the will to do something or the wish to make a dream come true.

More photos on my website:

http://www.flowersinsingapore.com/palm5.htm