Christia vespertilionis The Red Butterfly Wing

It was love at first sight when I saw this plant at a nursery. It has leaves that looked like purple butterflies in flight. I really liked it. I place the flower pot next to my blue daze and peace lily plants. I enjoyed its beauty for about a week or so before it suddenly dried up and left me for good, taking with it my 3 peace lily plants too. I think it died from some kind of disease because I find white spots on the soil.

GBBD March 2011

1. Miniature roses

For March 2011 Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, I have miniature roses.

Can you see the sun reflected on the water droplet?

2. Costus woodsonii

When the tiny flowers appear in this Costus woodsonii plant, it usually attract a lot of ants with its sugary liquid. The flowers are edible. This hairy caterpillar seem to have cut open the defensive wall of orange bracts that protect the yellow flowers and shifted in. The critter seems to eat the flower but not the leaves of this plant.

I wonder which butterfly/moth this baby belongs to?


“GBBD March 2011”, a copyrighted post, was written for My Nice Garden blog by Autumn Belle @ http://www.mynicegarden.com/ for Autumn Belle on 16th March 2011.

3. Hibiscus rosa-sinensis cultivars - double petaled vermillion red.

4. Tawny coaster butterfly on a palm tree.

This tawny coaster butterfly was drying its wings when I found it near my vegetable plants in the late evening. It walked on to my fingers and momentarily rested on my palm tree just before taking off in its maiden flight.



5. Blue throated sunbird



This looks like a blue throated yellow breasted, olive-backed sunbird sitting on my neighbour's longan tree.
Do you know its name?

6. A Hibiscus rosa-sinensis cultivar - single petal yellow with pink veins.

7. Turnera ulmifolia or yellow alder flower.

8. A pair of pigeons/quails on my neighbour's same longan tree. One was posing like a supermodel while the other one was very shy and somersaulted away when it saw me pointing my camera. I guess he doesn't like the paparazzi!

9. My azalea is still blooming.



Malvaviscus arboreus 



10. Malvaciscus arboreus flowers are always half-opened and pointing upwards. The leaves remind me of grape leaves.

11. Heliconia 'American Dwarf'

12. Anyone know the name of this bug on the Hibiscus rosa-sinensis plant?

My grateful thanks to Carol of May Dreams Garden for hosting Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. To view what's blooming around the world, visit here.

Prayers and Support for Blotanists friends - Japan Earthquake 2011

Many of us have watched in horror at the massive destruction and tragedy in relation to the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on March 11th, 2011.

From our Blotanical community, we have 5 garden bloggers who are residing in Japan. They are ok now, but if you wish to convey your heartfelt messages of support to them, the following are their details with links attached.

1. Mr Lrong - PotagerY and Malaysian in Japan (Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture)
2. Mr Fer - My Little Garden in Japan (Yokohama)
3. Mr Takaedo - Small Vege Garden in a Suburb (Osaka)
4. Mr Nakashima Akira -Garden Life (USA City, Oita)
5. Mr Adekun -Adekun's Japan Blog

This is another defining sad moment in our lifetime, so shocking no words can describe. I spent most of my free time watching CNN, BBC and NHK and I can't help thinking about the Hollywood movie 2012. What is happening to our world now? Is our Mother Earth sick and distressed?

I hope in this trying time, we could find strength in adversity, faith and hope. It has been proven so many times that during a crisis, the whole world can unite and stand as one, to offer assistance, prayers and help those affected.

“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.”  ..... Ryunosuke Satoro.

We can check with our country's NGOs and main news websites on ways we can volunteer / make donations. GOOGLE' s website has resources, emergency aid contact numbers and Google Person Finder on their homepage.