Orchids peaking through the Palmettos
I thought these orchids deserved another photo just on their own. They are so beautiful. As you travel along Provo’s roads, have a look along the roadside and in the bush. You’ll see these orchids stretching up to the skies.
Cheers,
Marta
What a find.......a praying mantis on one of our wild orchids
I was trying to get some good photos of one of our island’s orchids and came across a praying mantis that was hiding in the petals. This orchid is found almost everywhere at this time of year and is known as Encyclia altissima (formerly known as Encyclia hodgeana). When in bloom, the flower sepals are greenish-yellow with brownish-red striping and the petals are yellowish-red with accents of purple. We have at least four different species that are found here and there’s pretty much one of them flowering for every season of the year.
Great camouflage..........It looked like a green twig until it moved!
The praying mantis is named for its front legs which are bent and held together at an angle that looks like it is praying. These insects are quite the predator. They have triangular heads which can turn 180 degrees to search their surroundings with two large compound eyes and three other simple eyes located between them. Anyway, I was fascinated and spent a while taking photos.
Marta
The bride and groom pose for photos on Grace Bay beach
The Turks and Caicos Islands with incredible white sand beaches and crystal clear waters have become a favourite for romantic beach weddings. Consider our islands for that very special wedding surrounded by family and friends.
Time for the bridesmaids to have a little fun
If your planning to get married soon, think about a beach wedding on Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Marta
Can you see the two fishermen?
I took this photo from the boat out at SW Bluff by Osprey Rock looking towards the flats and beaches edged by the shoreline.
Nice catch.......bonefish on the line!
Love is in the air at this secluded and picturesque beach.
My mystery plant bloomed today and what a colourful flower it has.
It’s been a few weeks now that I’ve been watching and waiting for this plant to bloom. I had thought it was a purple ruellia but when the red balls opened and flowers started to appear, I realized it was something else. Well, today there were five flowers that opened and what a treat. Bright red petals around a central yellow flower. I looked it up and it is called a Butterfly Weed or Wild Ipecac and is much loved as a food by the Monarch butterfly. It grows throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands and has been used for medicinal purposes. You can make a poultice from the crushed leaves that emit a white milky latex and apparently the plant has antifungal, antiviral and anticarcinogenic properties. Poultices have been applied to warts, ringworm and tumours and a powder made from the crushed roots of the Wild Ipecac is said to induce vomiting.
Closeup of the vibrant red-orange and yellow flowers of the Wild Ipecac
The sandbar at Bonefish Point
The sandbar at Bonefish Point is absolute heaven. It doesn’t matter when you go, at low tide, high tide or some where inbetween……….there’s always something special that will catch your eye. Bonefish, star fish, blue crabs scuttling in the shallows, nurse sharks, herons, pelicans, shells and conch too. As you walk along the beach from Osprey Rock to Bonefish Point, you’ll go through different types of beach formation. Some areas are littered with conch, others have coarse particles of coral, a small inlet with smooth round pebbles and of course there’s stretches of fine white sand that the Turks and Caicos are know for.
A blue crab strikes an aggressive pose !
This little blue crab was not happy to be confronted by my camera
The weather was perfect today for a trip down to Bonefish Point. I know you’ll enjoy all there is to see and explore at the South West end of the island.
Marta
Cruising too close???? Not for Mickey at Flamingo Divers who took this classic shot.
Our guest and diver Daniel had an amazing underwater scuba adventure when he saw sharks up close for the first time. Can’t imagine what it would be like to be that close ! I’m hoping Daniel will have a chance to send me a few words on his diving. We have some of the clearest water ever here in the Turks and Caicos. Come and experience it for yourself. See you then!
Up close and personal with a shark
Diving is the best in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
See you soon
Marta
Jane and Jennifer climbed up through the hole in the rock to see the view from the top and the inscriptions.
The pirate’s cave at South West Bluff can be accessed through the water. Jane and Jennifer climbed up the rope ladder into the little cave, through its roof opening, and onto the top of the cliffs where shipwrecked sailors came ashore in the early 1800s. In the rocks ontop of the cliffs there are carvings with the names of the sailors. The wide cove from Osprey Rock to Bonefish Point is a great place for seeing cruising rays, turtles, juvenile sharks, barracudas, crabs and other marine life. This is one of my favourite places to go to by boat or road. It’s a little piece of heaven that often is yours alone to enjoy. As our islands get busier and more known, it will become more difficult to find these treasures!
Inscriptions carved in the rock by shipwrecked sailors
This inscription is found up on the bluff along with others. A newspaper in Nova Scotia indicates that the St.Louis burned on August 30th, 1842, and was lost. She sailed from Boston to New Orleans with some 24 people on board who were rescued by a brig called Impulse. Apparently she also was wrecked on the Caicos Reef on September 3rd, and was still carrying the crew of the St. Louis. There was no loss of life in either incident.
All this history and it all can be seen if you climb up the rope ladder to the top and look down in the rocks.
Happy searching the next time you’re at South West Bluff.
Marta
Jane checks out the bright orange colours on a Bahama sea star or starfish
Hi everyone,
I can’t tell you what an exceptional day we had! Not only were there dolphins, but we watched two pelicans dive bombing for fish. How do they do that???? The starfish were icing on the cake and we saw many of them in different sizes mainly off the sandbar at Bonefish Point. A blue crab was in the water too but he was too fast and scurried away.
Marta
Check out more underwater photos of dolphins, whales and more at http://www.diving.tc