Mango Flowers

There's a musky smell in the air. Tis' the season for the mango trees to bloom and if you haven't ever smelled a mango tree in bloom it is an odd smell. It's a musky smell, slightly of rotten eggs, but sweet at the same time. It attracts flies, beetles and wasps of all shapes and sizes this way. My trees are covered in blooms. I can't wait for this years harvest. Unfortunately these won't be ready until summer!

"Keitt" tree & flowers



"Julie" tree & flowers



"Neelum" tree & flowers


Family: Anacardiaceae •
Genus: Mangifera •
Species: indica •
Country of Origin: India •
Common Names: Keitt, Julie, Neelum •




Mango Flowers by Eric Bronson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

Blc. x Bc. 'Morning Glory' x 'Maldosa'

Here is another one of my beautiful winter blooming orchids. This orchid should be fragrant at night, but I haven't smelled it yet. I try to stick with species orchids, but every once in awhile I discover a hybrid I just can't live without. Like this little gem. This is my Christmas present to you!

Happy Holidays everyone!
Eric



Family: Orchidaceae •
Genus: Brassavola x Cattleya x Laelia •
Species: N/A •
Country of Origin: N/A •
Common Names: Blc. x Bc. 'Morning Glory' x 'Maldosa'


Blc. x Bc. 'Morning Glory' x 'Maldosa' by Eric Bronson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at www.flickr.com

Symphyotrichum bahamense

There really isn't much information on our native aster. So I'll give you my own observations. Most people would consider this a weed. To me, it is a highly desirable plant. I spoke in an earlier post that I have a "don't pull too early" policy with weeds. I like to wait and see what plant it is first. I've added a lot of natives to my yard this way, including this one. You should try it! This species is a medium sized annual. (1'-2' high) It has beautiful composite flowers typical of this family roughly 1" in diameter. Each composite flower consist of ray florets that are white and disk florets that are yellow/orange. It flowers in our winter months (November - February) which is a plus, as not many things are bloom during this season. This plant grows with no extra care at all, and self seeds easily, here in South Florida. I highly recommend it to native plant enthusiasts or even average home gardeners looking for low maintenance plants.

Family: Asteraceae •
Genus: Symphyotrichum •
Species: bahamense (Britton) G.L.Nesom •
Country of Origin: Native to Florida, The Bahamas, Cuba •
Common Names: Bahaman Aster •

http://www.florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/Plant.aspx?id=4231



Symphyotrichum bahamense by Eric Bronson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at www.flickr.com