Golden Lotus Banana flower

I am seeing more of this specie of banana plant in our gardens. I first saw them at the Hortpark. This one is in the Ginger Garden of the Singapore Botanic Gardens. They originate from Vietnam.

Flowers in paint

I have run out of interesting photos to upload so I thought perhaps I should post my paintings of flowers instead. These paintings are part of a bigger painting that is currently in progress. I have been procrastinating too long in my quest to paint but once I got started, I was hooked on the acitivity. I only wish that I could take a few weeks' break and disappear into some nice retreat with plenty of flowers and plants and just paint to my heart's content. As it is I only get to do this at night and the colours are rather 'cold' because of the flourescent lighting. Still, just getting hands-on with the acrylic paints and brushes is a great feeling!

Delinia Suffruticosa, Banana flower, Sunflower.

Flower of the Passion fruit.

Alpinia purpurata - "Double Red"

Morning Glory

Heliconia

Hibiscus or Bunga Raya

Musella lasiocarpa - 地涌金莲

Golden lotus from the ground in a corner of the Hortpark hidden from the mainstream visitors. A most unusual banana plant that I was fortunate to encounter. Just when I thought I would be seeing the same old flowers again, Hortpark sprang a surprise. What a day!

Banana flowers

When you see usually see one or two flowers of this particular banana specie, it is expected. When the day rewards you with several of this flower, it is an unanticipated joy. How often do we get surprises like this? Only once in a while.

Purple flower for Alice

Shades of purple, whenever and wherever

I see a flower that has this richly blended colour

I always think of Alice who regularly drops by

with words of kindness and good humour

This post is for her, my fellow blogger

whose visits make my blog that much brighter

Banana flower

I have taken several pictures of this type of banana flower before and I have always taken pains to focus and frame the pictures properly. This time, I had to sacrifice sharpness for the sake of preserving these fleeting moments during which a squirrel hopped onto the banana flower and turned it into food. There was of course no time to do any adjustments to my camera and I just snapped shot after shot because squirrels do not like to pose.

Banana tree

In the heat of the noon day sun I parked under the shade of a flowering copperpod tree. While killing time, I took out my camera to capture anything that might be interesting in my surroundings. As usual, no tree or plant within sight was spared. However, this photo is my favourite because of the soothing colours.

Dance of the Banana Flowers

Singapore Botanic Gardens