B N Sullivan Photography: Ruby Tuesday

Showing posts with label Ruby Tuesday. Show all posts

Boot Hill Graveyard at Tombstone, Arizona

Boot Hill Graveyard

Location: Tombstone, Arizona, USA

In honor of Halloween, I chose a photo of the famous Boothill Graveyard in Tombstone, Arizona for this week's Ruby Tuesday entry. (Note the ruby red car parked outside the fence, heh heh.) I visited the historic town of Tombstone during a trip to Arizona with some friends earlier this year.

Hula Girl Hibiscus

Hula Girl hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinesis)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

This bright yellow blossom with the ruby red throat is the Hula Girl hibiscus, another cultivar of Hibiscus rosa-sinesis. This hibiscus has several interesting characteristics that set it apart from other hibiscus varieties. First of all, the blossom is larger than most. The average Hula Girl blossom is about 5 to 6 inches (12 to 15 cm) wide -- definitely the largest hibiscus blossom in our garden. (In fact we think their size makes them look a bit like yellow satellite dishes!)

Another characteristic of the Hula Girl hibiscus is that, unlike most other hibiscus varieties, the blossom does not immediately wilt and die when it is picked from the bush on which it grows. Because it stays fresh for quite awhile after it is picked, this variety is the one you will most often see worn by hula dancers in their hair, or tucked behind the ear, and that is said to be how the Hula Girl hibiscus got its name.

Female Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

I usually post flower photos for Ruby Tuesday, but for a change, here is an adolescent female Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), with her ruby bill. These birds are native to the eastern United States mainland. They were introduced into Hawaii in the late 1920s.

Baja Fairy Duster (Calliandra californica)

Location: Tucson, Arizona, USA

This delicate blossom is known as the Baja Fairy Duster (Calliandra californica). The plant has its origins in Baja California, but I photographed this one in Tucson, Arizona. Although this shrubby plant grows wild, I was told that people sometimes add it to their gardens to attract hummingbirds.

Red-billed Gull (Chroicocephalus scopulinus)

Location: Otago Peninsula, South Island, New Zealand

The weekly Ruby Tuesday photo meme features photos of red things. But last week the meme's founder and host, Mary, suggested that this week the participants all post photos that have just a little red in them.

My choice for this week's "little bit of red" Ruby Tuesday is this Red-billed Gull (Chroicocephalus scopulinus). Although its common name is the Red-billed Gull, please note that he has red feet, too!

The Red-billed Gull is native to New Zealand, where it is called 'Tarapunga' in the Māori language. I photographed this one last December while I was traveling in New Zealand. The photo was taken at Macandrew Bay, on the Otago Peninsula, which is located outside Dunedin on New Zealand's South Island. The gull had stationed itself on a picnic table, apparently hoping for a handout.

Bottlebrush Tree Flower

Bottlebrush Tree (Callistemon sp.)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

The Bottlebrush Tree (Callistemon sp.) in our garden is blooming. The common name comes from the flower's resemblance to a bottlebrush. The genus name, Callistemon, means "beautiful stamens." The clumps of 'bristles' on the bottlebrush flower actually are the stamens of individual blossoms -- so, each flower on this tree really is a cluster of small blossoms. Each of the 'bottlebrushes' is about two inches (5 cm) long. This is a macro image, so it appears somewhat magnified.

A Hibiscus Called 'Ecstasy'

'Ecstasy' Hibiscus

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

Most of the hibiscus varieties in out garden bloom more or less continuously, but this cultivar blooms at irregular intervals. 'Ecstasy' is the name of this hibiscus. We have two plants of this variety.

Starry Wind Hibiscus

'Starry Wind' Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

I hope people are not growing tired of all my hibiscus photos. We have 28 varieties in our garden, and many of those are red, so they are obvious subjects for Ruby Tuesday.

This velvety red hibiscus blossom with the yellow 'star' in its throat is called Starry Wind. It is a patented cultivar, developed by Florida plant breeder Wendy R. Bergman. We have several of Wendy's hibiscus cultivars in our garden. I posted a photo of the one called Candy Wind in July of this year.

I took this photo with my point-and-shoot camera, on the macro setting. I'm quite happy with the result. Don't tell the folks at Nikon!

Royal Poinciana - Green Seed Pods

Royal Poinciana (Delonix regia)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

Seed pods are sprouting on the Royal Poinciana trees in my garden. The new seed pods, which resemble long green beans, are between 12 and 18 inches long (about 30 to 45 cm). The pods are green and soft right now, but later they will harden and turn brown as the seeds inside mature.

This is the latest photo documenting the seasonal stages of the Royal Poinciana. In May I posted a photo of buds on a branch of one of the trees. In July I posted a photo of a single Royal Poinciana blossom, and another of a mass of blossoms on the same tree. Later, I'll post a photo of the mature brown seed pods -- but as of today, the pods are green.

UPDATE: Here is a photo of a mature Royal Poinicana seed pod.

Hawaii Belle Hibiscus

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

This hibiscus variety is called Hawaii Belle. It grew slowly for about a year after we planted it in our garden, but now that it is established, it produces a steady supply of ruffled red blossoms with ivory accents.

Red 'Ohi'a Lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha)

'Ohi'a Lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha)

Location: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Big Island, Hawaii

If you have not been to Hawaii, you probably never have seen this native blossom. The 'Ohi'a Lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) is a Hawaiian endemic plant. Here is a brief description from the University of Hawaii's Botany Department:

This extremely variable species may be mature and flower when only a few inches tall in bogs but may reach towering heights in other habitats. Leaves range from thick and very pubescent to thin and glabrous. Flowers may be either red, or less frequently, yellow. The species is the most pervasive native forest tree in Hawaii, found on all the major islands and in a variety of habitats. It is an important food plant for native birds.

I photographed this one along a hiking trail in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, on Hawaii's Big Island.

Royal Poinciana in Profusion

Royal Poinciana (Delonix regia)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

Last week for Ruby Tuesday I posted a photo of a single Royal Poinciana blossom. Here is another, surrounded by another and another and another! When these trees flower, they are completely covered with a dense profusion of blossoms. At this time of year, when seen from a distance, Royal Poinciana trees look like bright scarlet clouds perched on a trunk.

Royal Poinciana Blossom

Royal Poinciana (Delonix regia)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

Back in May, I posted a photo of buds on a branch of a Royal Poinciana tree in my garden. The trees now are in full bloom, bearing masses of brilliant red-orange blossoms. In this wide-angle photo of my back garden, you can see the Royal Poincianas in the background. Today's photo shows what an individual blossom looks like.

Princess Michiko Hibiscus

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

This is the Princess Michiko hibiscus, another of the 28 varieties of hibiscus in my garden. Most of our hibiscus varieties bloom continuously, but the Princess Michiko only blooms now and then (like the Ecstasy hibiscus, which I posted back in April). The Princess Michiko blossom is much more complex than most hibiscus flowers.

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