flowers

Puerto Vallarta Botanical Gardens.

Dan Drews5 Comments

No stay in Puerto Vallarta is complete without a visit to their botanical gardens. We have been annual visitors and never disappointed.

Founded in 2004 and open to the public in 2005, it is situated about a 45 minute bus ride into the Sierra Madre Mountains on a winding road. The Gardens is situated on 64 acres at an altitude of 1300 feet above sea level.

The Gardens was selected by the Canadian Garden Tourism Council in 2013 as one of the top ten gardens in North America worthy of a visit, it lived up to that reputation.

Abundant in greenery, many flowers, trails and a top notch open air restaurant, it is very easy to spend the better part of the day. With so much to take in, it can seem at first a bit daunting to get a grasp on all that it has to offer. It doesn’t take long to get lost in the beauty all around you.

Armed with insect repellant and our cameras, we set out. For the first time since purchasing, I took the opportunity to try out new lens extenders; these allow you to get great close up shots. A bit of focusing problems at first, but when I switched over to manual focus, (read, trial and error) I liked what I saw. With 3 separate pieces at 12mm, 20mm and 30mm, they can be used singularly or in combination. These are attached next to the camera body and the barrel mounted to that. Some of the pictures that follow were taken with the 20mm lens in place, camera hand held. A tripod (it was at home) and a remote release are essential for this kind of shooting. Next time.

The pictures below are just a small portion of the 100s that were taken. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did taking them. Cheers.DSC_0089

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When the flowers bloom, the bees come uninvited.      Ramakrishna
Grasp

How Sweet it is.

Dan Drews6 Comments

This brilliant eye catcher is known as the primavera tree. It is very prominent in Puerto Vallarta at this time of year, even though it is not a native species to this countryDSC_0018

These large trees are actually native to South America, and is the national flower of Brazil and Venezuela. Once the blooms are finished, leaves will emerge, usually in the rainy season.

Their sweet fragrance attracts both bees and hummingbirds, and the large flowers, 1-3″, are pollinated by visiting bats. The wood is also prized for it’s few knots and very straight grain.DSC_0077DSC_0073DSC_0081

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When I saw the word for this weeks photo challenge, the title for this blog just popped into my head. The phrase really does not have anything to do with flowers ,but was uttered by Jackie Gleason in the 1963 movie Papa’s Delicate Condition.

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Bougainvillea
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Mexican Honey Suckle

 Next week we plan a trip to the Puerto Vallarta Botanical Gardens. This seems to have become an annual event, but one that never disappoints. Pictures to follow. Until then, cheers.

And now for a totally different kind of sweet. A child’s delight, and a dentists nightmare.IMG_1612

Sweet

Thru the Lens

Dan Drews1 Comment

This year at the lake, we have been surprised, blessed and entertained by a number of visitors to our trailer. Due to the fact that this year we have been putting out bird seed, which has attracted both fur and feathers. To capture all this activity, I got to play with my first DSLR camera, and I have to say that the results have been very rewarding. It has been somewhat of a trail and error approach, (heavy on the error) but I am slowly mastering the beast! We do have a black bear that visits the park, but I guess she is camera shy. So we sit patiently on the deck, cameras in hand waiting for old friends to show up and maybe bring a few new friends with them so we can share the details with you.

Red Squirrel
Red Squirrel
Silvered Bordered Fritillary
Tiger Lily
Crow
Crow
Nature’s ferris wheel
Water Lily
Tiger Swallow Tail

The flowers and butterflies were discovered as a result of our many treks on trails, and kayaking in the surrounding area.

If you get the opportunity, grab the camera, even a point and shoot works well, and experiment. You might just be surprised what your results can be.
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