Category Archives: Wild flowers

Flowers for you

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The beautiful Bay Bean grows and flowers along the shoreline

The beautiful Bay Bean grows and flowers along the shoreline

A big THANKYOU to my wonderfully caring  family and friends that have supported me these past few months.

I love you all  !!! 

My experience these last few months with breast cancer has really thrown me for a loop and been a true wake up call. It showed me the strength in having a loving family and just how lucky I am. All those tough days back and forth from Provo to Miami……tests and more tests and my breasts feeling like pin cushions. Barry was unable to come with me but kept a great sense of humour by reminding me that I was getting a two for one deal. He coped so brilliantly here at Harbour Club although it was really rough going and very busy with guests. My sister Eve and our three kids Tina, Mike and Ania rallied around and took turns staying with me in the hotel so I wouldn’t have to face things alone. They sat in on every appointment, asked questions and absorbed all the information so that they could explain things to me as well as to Barry and they waited patiently while I went through all the tests, surgery and radiation. My sister Anna (a breast cancer survivor) sent me encouraging emails every day and suffered along with me having been through it all herself.

It is soooooooo good to be back home and everyone now realizes that we all need to make the most of every day…..enjoy life to the fullest and worry less.

SO, TO ALL THE  LADIES OUT THERE ……… PLEASE GO AND HAVE THAT MAMMOGRAM DONE TODAY.

 

Marta

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Pirate’s Cave at Osprey Rock

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Beautiful spider's web catches the light at the pirate's cave at Osprey Rock.

Beautiful spider's web catches the light at the pirate's cave at Osprey Rock.

We headed out early today towards Osprey Rock as we knew it would be sheltered a little from the wind. We anchored the boat just off the pirate’s cave and since I hadn’t been up ontop of the bluff for a while, I decided to climb up the ladder to get some photos. Just inside the cave were some beautiful spiders’ webs.

Spider's web with the ladder in the background to climb up ontop of the bluff.

Spider's web with the ladder in the background to climb up ontop of the bluff.

What a view from the top as the water was a little churned up and showed off that amazing turquoise colour.

 

I took a photo of the boat anchored below me just off the cave

I took a photo of the boat anchored below me just off the cave

 

This beautiful ground cover with little white flowers was growing out of a small pocket of dirt in the rocks

This beautiful ground cover with little white flowers was growing out of a small pocket of dirt in the rocks

We were in about two feet of water so it was easy to wade back to the boat

We were in about two feet of water so it was easy to wade back to the boat

Malaika is just starting to walk and loves playing in the sand.

Malaika is just starting to walk and loves playing in the sand.

Here she is on the beach at South West Bluff close to Osprey Rock

Here she is on the beach at South West Bluff close to Osprey Rock

Make sure you have a rental vehicle ( Scooter and Amos at Scooter Bob’s will be happy to help you out) and then you can explore the whole island which is full of unique and wonderful more remote places to see.

See you there!!

 

Marta

 

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Orchids

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Orchids blooming with the marina entrance in the background.

Orchids blooming with the marina entrance in the background.

This Tall Encyclia orchid was growing on the rock ridge overlooking the entrance to our marina. The days have been so gloomy and so I decided to see if the rain had made our local plants bloom. The Encyclia Altissima orchids are growing all over and flowering at this time of year. This one was quite showy with vivid purple striped lines on its petals.

The Marina channel and Cooper Jack Bight were perfectly calm creating a pastel backdrop of colours as the sun tried to break through the clouds.

The Marina channel and Cooper Jack Bight were perfectly calm creating a pastel backdrop of colours as the sun tried to break through the clouds.

We have been waiting for days to see the sunshine and today was the day……….and it lasted all day!

 

Marta

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Wild Potato Vine

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Every year before Christmas, I watch for the Ipomoea vine growing in the bush.

Every year before Christmas, I watch for the Ipomoea vine growing in the bush.

Finally, after weeks of looking I spotted this showy, red flowering vine on my neighbour’s property. I’ve been watching out for the Ipomoea vine also known as the Christmas vine and or Wild Potato. I’m thinking this last week has been rainy and cool and all of a sudden, I’ve noticed bright splashes of red adorning the tree tops and in this case, on a Poisonwood tree. Perhaps the rains coaxed the blossoms to open.

A brilliant red flower and a mass of buds on this Ipomoea vine.

A brilliant red flower and a mass of buds on this Ipomoea vine.

Usually, the Ipomoea blooms for the holiday season starting in October but as I said, I saw my first one only the other day while travelling down Venetian Road.  I wandered over onto my neighbour’s property this afternoon to take pictures of  orchids and found this Wild Potato growing on a tall poison wood……a little difficult to photograph as I didn’t want to touch the poisonwood.

The Ipomoea grows throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands and is one of the prettiest with brilliant red flowers.

The Ipomoea grows throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands and is one of the prettiest with brilliant red flowers.

Watch for these flowering vines as you travel the roads of Provo…….it’s impossible to miss with those bright red flowers that stand out amongst the green foliage.

 

Marta

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Christmas Wild Poinsettia

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Wild Poinsettias grow throughout the islands.

Wild Poinsettias grow throughout the islands and we're fortunate to be able to see them growing wild.

The wild poinsettia is found throughout our islands. It has leaves that are shaped like a lance and are often tipped with a deep red towards the centre. This cluster of red leaves gives the impression of a flower but the actual flower is found at the centre and in the photo the flowers have grown into green seed pods. Poinsettias are a favourite at Christmas time and many will buy the cultivated variety.
A floral bouquet of wild poinsettias and wild plumeria or frangipani in the gardens of Harbour Club Villas.

A floral bouquet of wild poinsettias and wild plumeria or frangipani in the gardens of Harbour Club Villas.

These beautiful wild flowers are found growing wild almost everywhere you go. The milky sap from the poinsettia is used as bush medicine and is a remedy for warts and corns.

Marta

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Wild Flowering Vines

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Tiny purple flowers on a vine that I found today.

Tiny purple flowers on a vine that I found today.

I’m not sure what made me look down on the ground but I’m glad I did. We have a rocky bank by the villas that we cleared some weeks ago and now there are many tiny clumps of creeping vines that are like a ground cover. Miniature little flowers with pointed petals are blooming all over and they are so pretty.

These little flowers are really quite lovely and if you didn't look closely, you'd miss them

These little flowers are really quite lovely and if you didn't look closely, you'd miss them

I haven’t been able to come up with a name for them. I also found what I think is a variety of  Creeping Day Flower in a very pretty blue. Some seeds must have blown in and they started to grow under one of my coconut palms.

Tiny, unique looking blooms of the Creeping Day flower.

Tiny, unique looking blooms of the Creeping Day flower.

Several months ago, I came across a plant with pale white flowers at Harbour Club Villas that I identified as a Creeping Day Flower. This one has blue flowers and the same leaf structure so I’m assuming it is a variety of the same plant. Again such small flowers that under normal circumstances you’d miss.

Amazing how many small low to the ground vines there are here in the Turks and Caicos Islands

Amazing how many small low to the ground vines there are here in the Turks and Caicos Islands

 

Keep a close eye out for these miniature flowering vines. They are exquisite with their delicate blooms.

 

Marta

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Blind Eye Bush

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One of the most unique looking flowers that I've seen here in the Turks and Caicos

One of the most unique looking flowers that I've seen here in the Turks and Caicos

Yesterday was a rainy and over cast day and in the late afternoon the skies cleared a little. I took my camera and headed out into the bush to see what I could find. The rains had made all the difference and wildflowers were blooming all over. I found this strange looking bush with the most unique flowers and seed pods and with an even more curious name………… Blind Eye Bush.

The creamy flower of the Blind Eye Bush has a long, elongated column that curls back up into the flower.

The creamy flower of the Blind Eye Bush has a long, elongated column that curls back up into the flower.

This bush had flowers in different stages of development along with unusual screw like seed pods a little like cones.

Here are the brown twisted seed pods.

Here are the brown twisted seed pods.

This was a shrub about 5 foot tall and it grows throughout the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands in coastal and marshy areas. The leaves are in an elongated  heart shape often with jagged edges. The reproductive parts of the flowers are at the end of the elongated column.

The long column coming from the centre of the flower, carries the reproductive parts.

The long column coming from the centre of the flower, carries the reproductive parts.

I must say that this Blind Eye Bush is one of the most unusual plants I’ve seen. I also saw some beautiful flowering vines…..Jaquemontia, Cynanchum, Wild Alamanda, Milk Pea and Urechites or Devil’s Potato along with Jamaican Trash, Jack Switch, Mosquito Bush, Wild Senna and I also managed to get some close up photos of a Gulf Fritillary butterfly.

Blind Eye Bush with it's showy flowers.

Blind Eye Bush with it's showy flowers.

How lucky we are to be surrounded with all this natural beauty. Everywhere I go there’s a photo just waiting to be taken or in my case, hundreds of  potential shots!

Marta

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Sword Bush

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I found many beautiful flowering Sword Bush shrubs all over the property at Harbour Club Villas

I found many beautiful flowering Sword Bush shrubs all over the property at Harbour Club Villas

This is an amazing looking shrub when you get up close to it. The leaf like branches are elongated and flattened but what’s interesting is that there are ridges or toothed areas along the leafs edge. From these toothed areas, minute little clusters of flowers appear.

Toothed ridges burst out in clusters of red miniature flowers

Toothed ridges burst out in clusters of red miniature flowers

The Sword Bush is fairly common in our area and I found both pink and red clustered flowers as I wandered around the bush here at the villas.

This Sword Bush was loaded with clusters of pink flowers.

This Sword Bush was loaded with clusters of pink flowers.

The bright red flowers make for quite a showy sight on this Sword Bush.

The bright red flowers make for quite a showy sight on this Sword Bush.

 In bush medicine, the Sword Bush can be used for coughs and colds………….I’m not quite brave enough to try this but I am fighting through a sore throat, cough and cold as I write this! The leaf like branches can be chewed and then spat out. The bitter tasting leaves can be boiled into a pretty bad tasting tea which supposedly stops vomiting.

The flowers develop into seeds and it really does look quite spectacular

The flowers develop into seeds and it really does look quite spectacular

I’ll let you know if I do decide to chew on some leaves.
Oct 3………..I did chew on some leaves for a couple of days. They were very bitter but I can’t tell you honestly if my cold got better because of this or because it had run its cycle.  Next time though, I’ll try chewing on the leaves right away!
Marta
http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

A lazy Leeward Sunday

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Lazing in the water on a Sunday afternoon

Lazing in the water on a Sunday afternoon

I just can’t describe the colour of the water at Leeward on Sunday………the photo will give you an idea of just how the turquoise mixes into the dark blue at the reef line. Leeward beach is a special place as usually the beach is pretty much deserted and that’s how it was yesterday. I must say that there are two beaches Leeward and Malcolm Roads where the colours are always vivid and spectacular for ideal picture taking.
Railroad Vines were flowering and creeping along the sand and sand dunes

Railroad Vines were flowering and creeping along the sand and sand dunes

The Railroad Vine or Beach Morning Glory flowers here in the summer time. It was used for medicinal purposes in days gone by. The sap of the vine and leaves can be used for jellyfish stings and the root and leaves when made into a tea can be used as a diuretic effective in treating kidney and bladder disorders as well as gout and rheumatism.
The Railroad Vine trails along the beaches at Leeward and can grow to lengths of 10 meters (30 feet or so)

The Railroad Vine trails along the beaches at Leeward and can grow to lengths of 10 meters (30 feet or so)

Sea Purslane

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A grasshopper sits posing on a pretty, pale pink Sea Purslane flower

A grasshopper sits posing on a pretty, pale pink Sea Purslane flower

Sea Purslane grows abundantly in salty and dry habitats such as on the tiny cays just out from Harbour Club Villas and Marina. We decided to explore one day and stopped on a little cay with a spectacular view of the Five Cays shoreline.

View of Five Cays shoreline from one of the tiny cays where Rock Iguanas have been introduced

View of Five Cays shoreline from one of the tiny cays where Rock Iguanas have been introduced

We spotted some Rock Iguanas but they scurried away quickly as we approached. I did manage to get a photos of one though!

This rock iguana was very wary and was ready to take flight if I came any closer

This rock iguana was very wary and was ready to take flight if I came any closer

On one of the slopes of this little cay, a carpet of sea purslane cascaded over the rocks. Some had star shaped pink flowers that bloom throughout the year.

Sea Purslane carpets the rocks on this little cay

Sea Purslane carpets the rocks on this little cay

Sea Purslane is a succulent herb that makes for a great ground cover. It grows along beaches and along the edges of salinas and has smooth, fleshy leaves. The leaves are edible and have a salty taste. I’ll have to find out if iguanas eat the leaves as this island seemed pretty limited in the way of food. 

Sea Purslane is also know as Sea Pickle and can be used medicinally for treatment of scurvy and kidney disorders

Sea Purslane is also know as Sea Pickle and can be used medicinally for treatment of scurvy and kidney disorders

What a great plant and useful for so many things!

 

Marta

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com