Wonderful World of Plants, Aloha Style

Little break last week, and for good reason... we were in Maui!  So you may be able to guess what I'm going to show you this week...

In addition to the many fantastic things we did and saw there-- snorkeling with sea turtles (one of my favorite animals), multiple visits to the shave ice stand, surfing, and solid beach time-- I was amazed by the how colorful all the plants were, and so much diversity!  I could go on and on just about foliage.

Why are tropical plants so colorful?

I went online to do a little bit of research, and was mostly unsuccessful in finding an answer.  (True confession, I have had the World Cup on in the background all day every day since it started -- Hup, Holland, Hup! -- so it was a cursory effort).  There was a rather long scientific article about the advantage of colorful fruit, that being increased likelihood of seed dispersion by birds that are more likely to notice the fruit.  And I also found a nice article about tropical fauna, which explained the following regarding reasons for colorful fauna in tropical locations:

• the increased biodiversity creates a greater need for distinction amongst species
• "necessity for communication within closed environments"
• the abundance of nutrient available in tropical environments allows for use of the excess energy for plumage, colors, etc.

I think several of these explanations for colorful fauna can be extrapolated to be reasonable causes for colorful flora. 



Look familiar?

Always lovely hibiscus

Is Southern California a tropical climate?  Not really.  We are quite a bit drier than tropical climates, but we do have the sun and heat that lots of tropical plants like -- there's no reason not to add a bit of tropical life and color to your garden!  Here's an article with a few suggestions.  I already have one or two tropical friends on the patio, and I intend to add another:

More on this to come...

That was one of my souvenirs.  This is my other:

Hello Kitty got a tan too

I will probably be talking about these lovely plants more in the coming weeks.  In the meantime, just as gardening is in my Dutch roots, so is soccer...  In case you missed it, here is Van Persie's amazing goal for you to enjoy!  Let's go, Holland!  Can't wait for the game tomorrow!!