Bob Mays

A Brassavola nodosa #orchid hanging on our front porch. The blossoms have a heavy fragrance at night. 🌱 #FlowerReport #BloomScrolling #MyGarden

Julia #butterfly (Dryas Julia) in #MyGarden this morning. One of three local Florida native #butterflies (along with the Zebra longwing and Gulf fritillary) that use Corkystem passionvine (Passiflora suberosa) as a host plant. 🌱

‘Belinda’s Dream’ #Rose 🌱 #Roses #MyGarden #FlowerReport #BloomScrolling

Such dramatic colors on this rain-drenched ‘Colorific’ rosebud. A bed of Citronella is in the background. 🌱 #Rose #BloomScrolling #FlowerReport

Firespike is living up to its name in #MyGarden this afternoon, just after a summer shower. 🌱 #BloomScrolling #FlowerReport

A colorful Tillandsia (air plant) blooming today in #MyGarden. 🌱 #BloomScrolling #FlowerReport

Vanda John Farrar ‘George’s Delight’ AM/AOS (V. Srimahapro Star x Van [Vasco] Sasicha). 🌱 #Orchid #MyGarden #BloomScrolling #FlowerReport

More blooms on our Vanda Crownfox Golden Dawn #orchid. 🌱 #MyGarden #BloomScrolling #FlowerReport

The first blooms on my Encyclia tampensis #orchid. 3 years ago I mounted tiny seedlings on this Joewood tree and now patience has paid off. They are native here in S. FL, but have become scarce due to overdevelopment and poaching. Our garden club has “planted” hundreds of seedlings in local parks. 🌱

‘Colorific’ #rose blooming in #MyGarden this morning. 🌱 #BloomScrolling #FlowerReport

Beautiful medinilla blooming in #MyGarden this morning. 🌱 #BloomScrolling #FlowerReport

I only have spikes so far - blooms any day!

Looks like lots more blooms coming on this #orchid. The tag has been lost but I think it’s Vanda Crownfox Golden Dawn. It has been a reliable bloomer for several years now in #MyGarden 🌱 #BloomScrolling #FlowerReport

This #plumeria comes into full bloom about a month later than the other #trees in #MyGarden. 🌱 #FlowerReport #BloomScrolling

This No-ID Papilionanda #orchid is looking good today in #MyGarden. We have lots of Vandas mounted on our plumeria trees. It was an ideal location until back-to-back cold spells damaged them in early 2024. It has taken all of this time for them to start blooming again.🌱 #FlowerReport #Bloomscrolling

They put in quite a show!

The blood lilies (Scadoxus multiflorus) are in full bloom today. The blooms look like exploding fireworks. Unfortunately they only bloom once a year for 2-3 days, but the wait is worth it. 🌱 #MyGarden #FlowerReport #BloomScrolling

They are small, but stunning!

The adult Atala butterfly, with a wingspan of only about 2inches, has a jet black head, thorax, and wings, and a vivid red-orange abdomen. The wings are spotted with pale iridescent blue.

These tiny white Atala eggs are about the size of a pinhead. They are laid on the underside of the leaves of the coontie, the only cycad native to the USA. We have planted dozens of cooties to attract the diminutive but strikingly beautiful Atalas. Zoom in for surprising details on the eggs.

These vivid orange Atala caterpillars with yellow spots are busy feeding on the leaves of a coontie (Zamia integrifolia). They are about 3/4 inch (2cm) long. The eggs are laid on the underside of the leaves, and the caterpillars don’t stray far away. They feed, and will later also attach their chrysalises to the undersides of the leaves.

Here are several Atala chrysalises attached to the undersides of coontie leaves. The bright orange and yellow colors of the caterpillars have given way to duller orange-brown chrysalises with cream colored spots. Notice how the leaves have been chewed up by the caterpillars.

The Atala #butterfly (Eumaeus atala) is one of the joys of living in South Florida. Once thought to be extinct, it has made a comeback in part due to gardeners planting its only host plant, the coontie (Zamia integrifolia). Here are the 4 life stages: eggs, caterpillars, chrysalises, and adult. 🌱

Rainy season (and hurricane season) began abruptly last week, and the rain lilies are true to their name! 🌱 #MyGarden #FlowerReport #BloomScrolling

We’re in the height of #mango season, and it’s common for friends and neighbors to share in their bounty. A friend dropped off these beauties to us, and we stocked the freezer with the fruit. Our own mango tree didn’t produce very much this year. 🌱 #FruitTrees

It can take scores of hours of practice before your mind and your muscles coordinate. Just keep making pots. Relax and concentrate on how it feels. Don’t worry about making pots to keep, and avoid over-analyzing. When a pot doesn’t feel right, smash it and try again, and again, and again.

We just blended very ripe mangos and ice to make a slush, then made our regular margarita recipe (1 part lime juice, 1 part Cointreau, and 2 parts tequila), then mixed 2/3 slush and 1/3 margarita. Swirl with chamoy and sprinkle with tajin if you want.

We harvested our first ripe mangos this week, so it’s mango smoothie margaritas for this Friday evening! 🌱 #Mangos #FruitTrees

Another photo of these beautiful flowers. I *think* it’s Caesalpinia pulcherrima, but it has many common names. Here in #SanAntonio they call it Bird of Paradise. In South Florida I’ve heard it called Dwarf Poinciana. 🌱 #FlowerReport #BloomScrolling

In #SanAntonio they call this flower “Bird of Paradise.” 🌱 #FlowerReport #BloomScrolling

One of my favorite #SanAntonio treats - an icy, refreshing mangonada.

Passionflowers seen in #SanAntonio. 🌱 FlowerReport #BloomScrolling.

The lacy foliage of a mesquite tree in #SanAntonio. 🌱

The honeybees were excited about this magnolia blossom this morning. I was able to catch four of them in this picture. 🌱 #FlowerReport #BloomScrolling #MyGarden