Leaderboard

Watching a group of lions stalk and take down a wildebeest would have to be one of the most breathtaking dramas I've watched. That is not on the same physical scale as viewing the Grand Canyon or Yosemite Valley. I've hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon a couple of times, and to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite a couple of times, which deepens, or heightens the experience,you might say. I'd like to tell you about the view from the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, but I was suffering from high altitude cerebral edema and could not see it very clearly. Diving the Blue Hole in Belize was a magnificent experience. Walking through a forest of giant redwoods is humbling. Watching lava flow in Hawaii is incredible, and watching new beaches being formed by waves pounding the new lava day after day. But there are many natural wonders on earth I've yet to see -- calving glaciers in Alaska, trekking the Himalayas to gaze up at vast peaks, the splendor of Victoria Falls, Iguazu Falls, Niagara Falls, the Amazon, the giant baobab forests in Madagascar. The world is filled with amazing wonders to see, how could I possibly pick a single one?

They look similar as aduts. The D. lastelliana has been a bit more sensitive to cold. It also has the "heel" when younger and seems slower growing when young. Back when D. leptocheilos was first getting common and was being sold under the name D. lastelliana, that was what I was told to look for. If it had a heel it was "true" D. lastelliana (which was rare), no heel it was actually D. leptocheilos (which was what was in the nursery trade in FL).

Of course it's not all garden chores while in Hawaii. There was some down time for a day at the ocean, a short trip to Kona, and I entertained some visitors. The boulder at the entrance to the Areca vestiaria path is a favorite place for portraits. Here is Gina (JungleGina) with travel companion Nicholas who came through for a tour: I persuaded friends Rich and Barbara to pose with Bo before dinner: Barbara returned the favor and took this photo: Dinner is served! Some furry visitors: An afternoon break by the ocean:

When I return after a few months absence, it's fun to wander around and see what's happening with the palms and plants. I never know what I'll find. This nun's hood orchid must be in season, because I saw a few in bloom: Nearby, a vriesea I had previously planted caught my eye, and the Ireartea deltoidea behind it had grown some leaves after having been nearly defoliated by insects the last visit: .. .. Ti plants always bowl me over with their color, here next to Licuala peltata var. sumawongii: Shocks of color from bromeliads and anthuriums: .. .. Check out this perfect pineapple: . . . . . For some reason this pic is duplicating itself here, can't remove it.