Here are some photos from the Fairchild Tropical Garden. The editorial committee, Ljudmila and I took a vote, and we decided that witty captions would only detract from the natural beauty captured in these lovely photos (but I snuck in a few while Ljudmila and the editorial committee were out to lunch).


Screw trees! (In case your wondering, that's a description of the photo, not a suggestion for those cold, lonely nights in the forest.)

Caught us some cactus.

When palm trees stay out in the sun too long, their palms bleach white!

I had something outrageously funny to say here, but, to paraphrase Ljudmila, "Jason, just shut up and show them the darn photos!"

Ljudmila erased my obscene remarks and replaced them with the following: "Beautiful red flowers."

Trifurcating tree trunk.

I couldn't think up any obscene remarks, but Ljudmila erased 'em anyway: "Beautiful red flowers."

Freckled fronds.

Giant seed pod on a giant plant.

"Beautiful red bamboo".

These palms are armed and dangerous!

The silver leaves of Lothlorien.

Definitely a MALE cycad cone (whence the phrase, "hung like a cycad").

"Beautiful red flower."

Ljudmila, Vixen of the Vines!

Ljudmila, Oracle of the Orchids!

Purple orchid.

White orchid (for more orchids, check out the Vizcaya House photos).

Jason stands in front of the amorphophallus plant (insert your own joke).

Do you see anything odd in this photo?

Another orchid!

"Beautiful red flower."

For the parents of all those punk rock kids with purple hair: yes, that color does occur in nature!

Wacky plant.

Drowsy drake.

Great blue heron.

Ferns!

"Beautiful white tree."

"Beautiful purple flower."

It has nothing to do with the camera bag, my jacket is always that uneven :(

Jason fondling a velvety flower (the garden employees did not follow through with their threat to prosecute).

Caught us some more cactus.

Covered in cactus.

Crawling with cactus.

Crazy with cactus.

Finally, something other than cactus. "Beautiful red flowers."

Yesterday, today and tomorrow (that's the name of the plant, not how long it will take to load all these photos!).

It's a pencil tree!

Screw cactus! (In case your wondering, that's a description of the photo, not a suggestion for those cold, lonely nights in the desert.)

The cactus caught us again!

"Beautiful red flowers."

Bamboo sculpture (looks a bit like the intersection of two ruled surfaces . . .)

Cool tree!

Ljudmila and the plant-pot-person.

"Beautiful red flowers."

The strangler fig waits patiently for its prey.

Ljudmila, Princess of the Palmetto.

Here are the lilypods, but where are the frogs?

MY NEW WALLPAPER!!!

This flower is exactly the color of runny eggs.

"Beautiful red flowers."

This palm tree forget to shave this morning.

Below the palmetto.

Coconuts aren't quite ripe yet . . . try again in January.

Ljudmila is usually a vegetarian, but she has been known to chow-down on a good sausage tree.

Finally, a ripe coconut!

Mangrove madness!

Forking palm (very rare, but not quite as rare as a spooning palm).

Mesquite tree (I can smell the barbeque already)!

More of the forking palms.

"Beautiful brown butterfly."

I think that I shall never see, a poem as beautiful as Ljudmila.

Van Dalen's "Flower Square" (close view).

Van Dalen's "Flower Square" (far view).

A heron takes flight (Jason's lightning reflexes at work!).

Horizontal palm tree.

What's Ljudmila looking at?

Aha!

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