Thursday, July 22, 2010

Las Flores- The Flowers


A small town called Camichin de Juaja is less than a kilometre from the family property in Mexico. It is typical Mexican community with rows of low adobe homes in streets around the main zócalo or town square. To the average American or Canadian it appears very poor but what is a true measure of wealth? Beautiful orchids bloomed in the courtyard of a home where a woman stood outside scrubbing her laundry by hand on a stone wash board. My father asked if I could enter the gate to take a picture of the flowers and she graciously let me in.


My brother Philip pointed out the star cactus flowers blooming at the front of his house. They smell like carrion and attract flies but I did not personally try to find out if this is true. Regardless of the plant's diet, the blooms were beautiful and unusual.


This Tabachin tree flowered outside the window of the guest room. I loved the vibrant red colour and the tree attracted many birds and butterflies. Mom had willed it into holding its blooms until I had seen it but by the time I left the rains had caused most of the flowers to fall to the ground.

Bougainvillea and Crepe Myrtle (lower right)

I put more of the many pictures I took into these collages and all but one, the yellow tree in the lower set, were taken on the family property. It was always interesting to walk around the grounds to see the many flowers and fruit trees.

Passion Flower, Ornamental Banana flower
Edible banana flower, Trumpet Tree (tabebuia serratifolia)

10 comments:

  1. Wow, the colours are so very beautiful!

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  2. You would love this "garden tour" Melissa!

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  3. When looking at all this beauty,I can believe that these people are truly rich.I hope they can appreciate the beauty,even when they don't have all the 'necessities' of life as we know it.
    Blessings,Ruth

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  4. Looks like a gorgeous place, Ruth. Very familiar to the flowers where I grew up (we didn't have cacti, though).

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  5. Rich indeed! Every where I traveled in Mexico the people were so much richer than most Americans, strong family, gorgeous surroundings,happy and full of life. Beautiful flowers Ruth.

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  6. It's fun to see the beautiful flowering plants and trees from a fully different climate landscape. So unusual and lovely.

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  7. We have beautiful flowers / plants / trees here in Canada, but it always fascinating to see what other places in the world have. Mexico certainly is rich in their beauty and colour. Some of these blooms shown here have very interesting shapes. GREAT POST!

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  8. Ruth, how lovely. I have not been brave enough to venture into Mexico due to all the drug violence just over the border from here. What amazing flowers and beauty. And I agree with you about wealth, it is more than money. What a wealth of beauty!

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  9. Beautiful flowers! I really love the cactus flower (though with your description of its smell I am glad to be looking through a screen...) It reminds me of a seastar.

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  10. All of these plants are exotic and beautiful. Lovely photos!

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