Tag Archives: seed pod

Turks Head Cactus Pods

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Half eaten, rosy pink seed pod from the Turks Head cactus.

Many of the Turks Head Cacti here at Harbour Club Villas are flowering and throwing off seed pods like crazy right now. They are providing a feast for our local population of anoles and curly tailed lizards. I haven’t managed to snap a photo of them actually eating one but I keep trying.

This fairly young cactus does not have a pronounced cap as yet but it is producing so many seed pods.

 

An anole lizard has no problem with the cactus spines as he makes for the seed pods.

 

The seed pods are shaped more like a fushia coloured pepper elongated at the one end where it grows in the white part of the cap.

 

Close up of the indentation in the cap left by the seed pod with a curly tailed lizard.

No seed pod but still a fair sized Curly Tailed Lizard and we do have some pretty large ones at the villas.

The seed pods of the Turks Head Cactus provides food for many birds and lizards who injest, fertilize, eliminate the tiny black seed to propagate more cacti.

 

 

Marta

 

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

 

Turks Head Cactus

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Turks Head Cactus has a seed pod that is just like a mini rosy red apple.

Turks Head Cactus has a seed pod that is just like a mini rosy red apple.

 The recent rains have revived all the plants, bushes and everything is blooming like crazy including my Turks Head cacti. 

This one is flowering and fruiting at the same time.

This one is flowering and fruiting at the same time.

A close up of the pretty delicate looking flower of the Turks Head Cactus

A close up of the pretty delicate looking flower of the Turks Head Cactus

The cap of the Turks Head cactus with budding flowers just starting to pop up.

The cap of the Turks Head cactus with budding flowers just starting to pop up.

Looks like one of the numerous lizards at Harbour Club has eated part of the seed pod.

Looks like one of the numerous lizards at Harbour Club has eated part of the seed pod.

This particular young Turks Head is producing flowers and seed pods like crazy.

This particular young Turks Head is producing flowers and seed pods like crazy.

This is my mature Turks Head cactus....I'm thinking it has to be at least 25 years old.

This is my mature Turks Head cactus....I'm thinking it has to be at least 25 years old.

I love these cacti……….hope you enjoy the selection of photos.

 

 

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