The Plantain Flower (Musa × paradisiaca)

The Plantain Flower (Musa × paradisiaca) with immature plantains.  These are from the 'Praying Hands' cultivar. Cooking bananas are often informally referred to as plantains. Plantains are a major food staple in East Africa, West and Central Africa (Cameroon), Central America, the Caribbean and northern, coastal parts of South America. The flower has a very long stalk which begins to grown upwards, but after time, it begins to hang down.  ISO 160; f/11; 1/200; @400mm

Different kinds of bananas: from left to right: plantain, red banana, apple banana, and Cavendish banana (GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 by TimothyPilgrim). I have been documenting banana flowers for the last 5 months. See A Banana Flower Fest here.

Here's the plant seen growing downwards. It will bloom several times and produce more plantains as it blooms. The stalk just keeps getting longer and longer. Plantains may be steamed, boiled, grilled, baked, or fried. They are more starchy and less sugary than the regular commercial bananas. The plantain is either simply fried, boiled or added to a soup. "Worldwide, there is no sharp distinction between "bananas" and "plantains". Especially in the Americas and Europe, "banana" usually refers to soft, sweet, dessert bananas, particularly those of the Cavendish group, which are the main exports from banana-growing countries. By contrast, Musa cultivars with firmer, starchier fruit are called "plantains"". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bananahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana ISO 160; f/11; 1/200; @400mm.

Close-up of Musa × paradisiaca ISO 160; f/11; 1/200; @400mm

High key image of Musa × paradisiaca showing both male and female parts of the flower. ISO 160; f/11; 1/400; @115mm 

                                                                                 A SHORT REVIEW OF FLOWER ANATOMY:                                                    

(Crop) The stamens are the long filaments which are the male part of the flower. Here they are seen as the very tiny long structures inside of the stigmas (the yellow female parts). They are made up of the filament and anther, which is the pollen producing part of the plant. The number of stamen is usually the same as the number of petals. The pistil is the female part of the flower. It is made up of the stigma, style, and ovary. The stigma here is the white sticky bulb that you see in the center of the flower, it is the part of the flower which receives the pollen grains and on which they germinate. Each pistil is constructed of one to many rolled leaflike structures (petals), which in this flower can be seen as the yellow petals. ISO 160; f/11; 1/200; @400mm 

The Musa × paradisiaca is a monoecious flower, meaning both male and female flowers live on the plant. ISO 160; f/11; 1/200; @400mm 

A Closer Look at the Zebra Butterfly

On my recent trip to the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa (aka MOSI), Florida, I was able to finally get closer to the Zebra Butterfly. I had been able to shoot it before; but this time I was able to get more images at their butterfly garden. 

The Zebra Longwing  (Heliconius charithonia), aka Zebra Heliconian, nectaring on Button Sage (Lantana involucrata), is a species of butterfly belonging to the subfamily Heliconiinae of the Nymphalidae. It was declared the official butterfly for the state of Florida in the United States in 1996. The butterfly ranges over parts of North, Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean. In North America the butterfly is found in the southern parts of the United States including Florida, Georgia, Virginia, North and South Carolina. In South and Central America it has also been recorded in Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela. 1/400, f/6.3, ISO 500, @400mm

A Zebra Longwing caterpillar (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 by DeadEyeArrow). Common host plants are purple passionflower, Passiflora incarnata L.; corkystem passionflower, Passiflora suberosa L.; yellow passionflower Passiflora lutea L.; and several other passionflower vines.

Zebra Butterlfy feeding on Pentas. The adults are unusual among butterflies in that they eat pollen as well as sip nectar. This ability contributes to their longevity—3 months as an adult.  Because of their relatively long lifespan and their activity throughout the day, this is a popular species with butterfly houses. Another unusual feature is that adults roost in groups of up to 70, and return to the same roost each evening.-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliconius_charithonia 1/400, f/6.3, ISO 500, @400mm

A Zebra Butterfly with a coiled proboscis. The butterfly's proboscis uncoils and coils. When not in use the proboscis is kept tightly coiled underneath the head. 1/400, f/6.3, ISO 500, @400mm

Butterflies can taste with their feet also, with chemoreceptors, cells that detect particular chemicals, on their feet. Females are able to identify host plants by scratching the leaves with their feet. 1/400, f/6.3, ISO 500, @400mm.

In mating behavior, the male zebra longwing seeks the scent of females still in their chrysalises. The male mates with a female immediately before she emerges from her chrysalis and scents her with his odor so that no other male will try to mate with her. Males can discern females even though to the human eye there is only the slightest difference in color hue between the sexes.-http://bit.ly/10mzEcg 1/400, f/6.3, ISO 500, @400mm.

Back in Puerto Rico Again

I'm back from my trip to Florida, and the first place I visit is the botanical garden. It's my favourite hangout. It's like a little rainforest in the middle of San Juan where plush vegetation flourishes year 'round, and all of the Green Iguanas have been protected from human predation there. The administration has been very compassionate of the Green Iguanas. 

The botanical garden also grows cultivars of medicinal plants, and is unique in that it has very old trees which have formed huge canopies that sustain all forms of life in the midst of a highly urbanised area in San Juan. These canopies form a very humid environment which attract a lot of rain, very much like a rainforest does, but in the midst of the city. 

The Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea)

I surprisingly found this Yellow-crowned Night Heron perching high in a tree. This image has been masked in Photoshop to remove the bright spots of the background foliage which were highly distracting. This is the first time I see one of these at this botanical garden; and it was rather skittish. ISO 320, f/8, 1/320, @400mm

A Great White Egret (Ardea alba) with breeding plumage

The Great White Egret is a regular visitor at the Botanical Garden. They are common, even in highly urbanised areas. I gave this one a 'Chiaroscuro' effect in Photoshop.1/640,  f/9,  ISO 200; @100mm.

  

The Siguana (Ameiva exul)

Soon enough, I saw my adored Siguanas. This one is quite large (16-17" long from head to tail). I love their well developed limbs and how they bend their elbows and seem like they're doing push-ups. I masked this one also and burned down all of the background to a black; then I gave the reptile a 'spotlight ' effect by burning slightly around the stone to emphasize his figure only. 1/320, f/5.6, ISO 250, @400mm

A Female Green Iguana (Iguana iguana)

Surprisingly enough, my favorite species are the 'exotic', or 'introduced'. I say 'surprisingly' because exotic species are often considered 'invasive' in countries which are not their own. I don't use the term 'invasive' to refer to any species, because it tends to be confusing and misleading. The majority of people believe 'invasive' is detrimental; and it sure doesn't help the animal either. The Green Iguana has reproduced rapidly in both Florida and P.R. due to the illegal pet trade in the 1970's and being massively hunted in Central and South America, and deforestation practices going on in Latin America, which is their main habitat. This image has also been masked to darken the background to a full black. ISO 160; f/8, 1/100, @350mm.

A Banana Orchid in Bloom (Musa ornata)

This is another bloom I saw when I visited recently. No masking here; the background was originally dark. I did do minor burning of highlights left by the flash and the sun which brightened some parts of the leaves excessively. ISO 320, f/5.6, 1/80, @200mm

The Bloom of the Cannonball Tree (Couroupita guianensis)

This bloom really is very distinct, in that it grows out of long stems right out of the bark of the tree. You can notice the clam shell-like bract where purple and yellow stamens bloom. Here I simply burned the highlights down from the flash. ISO 320, f/8, 1/80, @400mm

A Cluster Bloom of the Cannonball Tree (Couroupita guianensis)

The flowers bloom in clusters out of round buds, and the stamens open up in clam shell-like bracts. These blooms are pollinated by bats at night. On this one I also burned some highlights down using the burning tool in Photoshop. ISO 320, f/8, 1/80, @400mm

The Androphores of the Cannonball Bloom

These are the long stems called 'Androphores' which grow out of the Cannonball tree's bark, and hang down like ropes. ISO 320, f/8, 1/80, @100mm

The Body Language of a Green Iguana

The dewlap. The first thing to know about Green Iguanas is that they use their dewlap to communicate. There are several things that an iguana can say with their dewlap extended. First of all, an extended dewlap can simply be a greeting of hello. An extended dewlap is often used to say hello to another creature during mating and most generally as a territorial sign. Secondly, it can be a form of protection. A threatened iguana may extend its dewlap to make for a larger presence, which the iguana probably hopes will intimidate a predator into thinking the iguana is much larger than it really is. Thirdly, an extended dewlap can simply be a sign that the iguana is trying to adjust its temperature. 1/400,  f/10, ISO 160, @360mm

Tongue flicking. An iguana's most important sense is its sense of sight, but somewhere between taste and smell, it has the ability to flick its tongue in order to get more information about something in the area. I talked about the Jacobson's Organ in a post related to the Ameiva exul, and as to why lizards and snakes have forked tongues. The tongue of the Green Iguana is not as forked as that of a serpent's, but it's slightly slit at its tip. 1/125, f/10,  ISO 400, @235mm

Stretching limbs. A Green Iguana is able to stretch its limbs in unusual postures as seen here. This posture means the iguana is tired and resting peacefully. They are known to also fall asleep this way, giving the impression they have died or been injured. 1/200, f/5.6, ISO 160, @130mm 

A Watchful Eye.  Green Iguanas may bask in the sun at least ten feet away from you. It doesn't mean they don't keep a watchful eye for suspicious movements; their eyes and their third eye, or parietal eye, are very keen to sense any immediate danger in the environment. 1/125, f/5.6, ISO 200, @310mm

Tail whipping. This is a very obvious form of body language. Whipping its tail is usually the first weapon an iguana will use to protect itself. 1/125, f/5.6, ISO 200, @60mm

Submissiveness.  This behaviour is more often exhibited by females than by males; although I've seen males also displaying it. It is actually a behaviour of confidence in the environment they're in, but in no way means that you can touch or pet them. This behaviour is often aimed at the male from the female Iguana; rather than at humans. Male iguanas also display submissiveness at some point when basking in the sun, or when they're old or sick; but in no way means they want to be petted or touched. They will still whip you with their tails just the same. 1/80,  f/5.6, ISO 250, @400mm 

 

When they turn their heads towards me, I have to make sure I have enough depth-of-field to get most of the head in focus. I like f/5.6 here, because I got most of the head in focus, and that's what I cared about in this image, at this ISO.  1/80,  f/5.6, ISO 250, @400mm 

Madame Butterfly and The Pentas

This April in my trip to Tampa and Sarasota I became familiar with one of the most popular nectar flower plants for butterflies: the Pentas. There are all sort of varieties, but I photographed both red and pink. Seeing so many butterflies I also remembered hearing Maria Callas singing Madame Butterfly, and I decided to include it in this post at the end.

Heliconius charithonia (Zebra Longwing) 

The Zebra Longwing or Zebra Heliconian is a species of butterfly belonging to the subfamily Heliconiinae of the Nymphalidae. It was declared the official butterfly for the state of Florida in the United States in 1996. Here it's seen nectaring on red Pentas.

1/500, f/6.3, ISO 400, @400mm. 

Pentas lanceolata (Star-Cluster) is a genus of the Rubiaceae family of flowering plants from Tropical Africa. This is the popular red species. The plants have dark green, lance-shaped, somewhat furry and deeply veined leaves with full clusters of five-petaled flowers. These may be red, white, lavender, purple, or shades of pink. Some are two-toned. Pentas are attractive to butterflies, and hummingbirds. 1/125,  f/6.3, ISO 400, @330mm

Zebra butterfly feasting on red Pentas, a popular nectar bloom for all butterflies. 1/500, f/6.3, ISO 400, @400mm

Pentas lanceolata 'Graffity Light Pink'  (Egyptian Star Cluster) is a cultivar at the Marie Selbie Botanical Gardens. 'Cultivar' means that they are hybrids of the same plant with many color variations. 1/250, f/8,  250, @60mm

Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) feasting on red Pentas' nectar. ISO 350, f/13, 1/100, @400mm

Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) feasting on violet Pentas' nectar. ISO 350, f/13, 1/100, @400mm

Puccini's Madame Butterfly sung by Maria Callas (Requires Adobe Flash Player, or watch here)

English Translation of "Un bel di, vedremo"

One good day, we will see

Arising a strand of smoke

Over the far horizon on the sea

And then the ship appears

And then the ship is white

It enters into the port, it rumbles its salute.
Do you see it? He is coming!

I don't go down to meet him, not I.

I stay upon the edge of the hill

And I wait a long time

but I do not grow weary of the long wait.

And leaving from the crowded city,

A man, a little speck

Climbing the hill.

Who is it? Who is it?

And as he arrives

What will he say? What will he say?

He will call Butterfly from the distance

I without answering

Stay hidden

A little to tease him,

A little as to not die.

At the first meeting,

And then a little troubled

He will call, he will call

"Little one, dear wife

Blossom of orange"

The names he called me at his last coming.

All this will happen,

I promise you this

Hold back your fears -

I with secure faith wait for him.

To Sir, With Love

Buddha Statue holding an Aechmea brachteata Bromeliad. ISO 400, f/4.5, 1/80, @60mm

Although I was baptised as a Catholic, I do not practice any religion. Later in my life, however, I became a believer of Buddhism, although not a practicing Buddhist. My inclination towards Buddhist teachings sprung from my reading Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha, a novel about a man who led an ascetic way of life in a journey for self-discovery. The Four Noble Truths are regarded as the central belief system of the Buddhist philosophy. These four truths explain the nature of dukkha commonly translated as "suffering", "anxiety", "stress", "dissatisfaction", its causes, and how it can be overcome. According to the Buddhist philosophy, the Buddha first taught the four noble truths in the very first teaching he gave after he attained enlightenment. I personally do not consider Buddhism a religion, but a way of life.

"The  historical Siddhartha Gautama adopted an extreme ascetic life after leaving his father's palace, where he once lived in extreme luxury. But later he rejected extreme asceticism because he found it was an impediment to ultimate freedom (nirvana) from suffering (samsara), choosing instead a path that met the needs of the body without crossing over into luxury and indulgence. After abandoning extreme asceticism he was able to achieve enlightenment. This position became known as the  Middle Way and became one of the central organizing principles of Theravadin philosophy. 'The middle way which enlightens the eyes, enlightens the mind, which leads to rest, to knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nirvana'". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asceticism. I also included a clip from the film 'To Sir WIth Love' about a novice teacher who is sent to teach at a roughhouse London school in the mid 1960's. Lulu is a Scottish singer who sings the song and also stars in the film. The teacher reminded me of Buddha.

“To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one’s own in the midst of abundance."-Buddha  ISO 400, f/4.5, 1/80, @60mm

“We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.”-Buddha  1/100,  f/9, ISO 250, @60mm

“You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection.”-Buddha  1/100,  f/9, ISO 250, @60mm

Lulu singing 'To SIr WIth Love" (Requires Adobe Flash Player or watch here)

Compassion at The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens

“Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.”-Buddha

            1/800,  f/5.0,  ISO 200, @60mm

“You cannot travel the path until you have become the path itself.”-Buddha

   1/160,  f/6.3, ISO 400, @60mm

“To understand everything is to forgive everything.”-Buddha 

1/125, f/10,  ISO 400, @60mm

Hohenbergia stellata, ISO 160, 1/80, f/8, @60mm. Is part of the family Bromeliaceae.

Adenium obesum (Desert Rose), ISO 250, f/8, 1/80. The desert rose is scientifically known as Adenium obesum. It is in the Asclepiadaceae, or milkweed family.