Still Hung Up on Red

Back in January while walking the dogs along a path that passes through the site where a little eco resort used to be, I heard a vigorous tap, tap, tapping from up in a dead tree.  Searching in the tree canopy,  I was able to spot a flash of red and saw a lineated woodpecker busily working on what I thought might be a nest hole.  It was too obscured by foliage to get a photo, but you can see that the chips had been flying!

Wood chips on the ground.

I walk the dogs this way a couple of times a week and heard the woodpecker at work on several more occasions, with more chips collecting on the ground.  Then nothing - not another speck of wood, not a sound - until early March.  In March I saw and heard lineated woodpeckers making a grand commotion whenever I would pass by with one of the dogs.  I assumed they had an active nest and were busy with their young.  Finally on March 24th I saw this:

Two little woodpecker heads sticking out of the nest hole!

And a little later that morning when walking dog number 2, I saw a little woodpecker on the other side of the tree.  So there are at least two woodpecker chicks, maybe three.

Search for the spot of the red crest.

They are not easy to see with the phone camera images when they are up so high, but they made lots of noise and some odd almost purring sounds.  They looked ready to leave the nest and sure enough, there was no sign of them after that day.  I think I saw them as they were getting ready to fly.   It was a real treat to see that the parents had successfully raised their young.

In other red news, the tomatoes are coming in fast and furious.  The bags are keeping would-be tomato eaters away long enough for the fruits to ripen on the vine.  There is nothing like a just picked ripe tomato with a little sprinkle of salt.

Tomatoes and salad greens fresh from the garden.

Too many tomatoes to eat, so I made some quick sauce that I will freeze for later.  

Two pints of tomato sauce.  

More red-on-the-wing in the form of a butterly.

Finally, a variable cattleheart butterfly sat still long enough for me to get a decent shot of it.  Look at those ruby red spots along its body.

And the final bit of red for today's post is the flower of the prickly pear cactus.  Some species of Opuntia develop fruits that are large enough to eat, but ours don't get much past this stage.  The hummingbirds and butterflies love this flower.

Prickly pear flower

That's all the red for now.  Wishing you a colorful day.

Flowers, Fruits, and Insects

It was a bright, sunny day today with a nice breeze.  A good day to wash clothes and get them on the line to dry.  After getting the clothes hung, I decided to have a wander around and take some photos of various plants that had caught my eye over over the past few days.  One of the brightest spots was this big yellow flower on a sort of morning glory-looking vine.  I don't know what it is, it grows wild along the edge of the marsh.  

The insects seem to like the glands at the center of the flower.

While getting that shot, I noticed that the leaves were infected with a rust fungus.  The undersides of many of the leaves were covered in spore-bearing pustules.

The leaves seemed unaffected by the fungus.

 I had also noticed that the pricklypear cactus (Opuntia sp.) was flowering.  Numerous buds and spent flowers were obvious.

You can see the shadow of my clothes on the line.

Tomorrow, this tightly closed bud will open.

 

Wish I had gotten this shot yesterday; it looks a little wilted here at mid-day.

 

I was struck by the intense burgundy color of the new leaves on this mango tree.  

The variety is white mango.  It hasn't fruited yet, so I don't know how they taste.

 Behind the mango, at the edge of the marsh are these massive ferns.  They are over 7 feet tall!

 

What looks like burned tips is really the spore-bearing portion of the fronds that are covered in velvety spores.

 Summer before last, or maybe even longer ago than that, I planted a Moon Flower Vine at our house in Minnesota.  It grows wild here!  The white flower to the left is one that was wide open last night.  They open for only 1 night.  I want to plant some next to the cabana so I can see what pollinates them during the night.  There are 2 buds on the right side of the photo.  This too, is in the morning glory family.

 

We planted this tamarind tree about 6 years ago.  It got a rough start and was moved to several different spots before we found a place it likes.  It is beginning to bear pods in significant numbers.  These will fill out and when ripe contain large hard seeds covered in very tangy paste.  I love to eat them straight off the tree.

 

Last week this lime tree was covered in blossoms and now there are clusters of little fruits.

 

And some bigger fruits, too. This tree bears small numbers of limes throughout the entire year.

 

Another citrus tree we planted, a sweet orange, is putting on new growth and will flower soon.  The aphids on the new growth are being tended by ants.  We will wash these off with soapy water from our grey water system.  Otherwise, the trees won't bear many fruit.

 

I love to walk around and see what is growing, blooming, fruiting, etc.  Never a dull moment here in the tropics.