wreaking havoc on the botanical garden

I’m getting used to the Nikon.

I started today – at the botanical garden, as promised – with the 85mm lens (the macro), but conditions were too windy. I couldn’t get anything in focus for long enough, even on auto. It would have even challenged the Lumix. So I swapped out for the 18-55mm lens and tried to content myself with bigger picture stuff.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Nearby was the blossom of the rare Twizzlestick. Or something. I am not even attempting to learn anybody’s name – let’s see if I can just not pass out from the variety.

This would be considered in scandalous taste back where I come from. So much lushness, you can afford to make holes in your leaves? *!*

Ah! Familiar territory. Fern spores. Some were round, as above.

While others looked like donuts. We thought the non-donut ones looked like those apocryphal LSD tabs we were warned about in grade school – those cute little candy dots! – but as we are both children of sunshine and utterly innocent, we weren’t sure.

Said spores. (This is one of the few 85mm shots. Notice how relatively little of the overall scene is in focus? This is the blessing, and the curse, of the 85mm.)

A gratuitous shout-out to the color. This is un-retouched. Yes, it’s not in focus. Grrr.

Speaking of gratuitous, and speaking of gorgeous, this is the rainbow Eucalyptus. Does it come in wallpaper? Can I live in this house? This may be its actual name – I was chatting with another photographer about it. Deepest layer down = the light green.

Plumeria! Just coming into blossom.

Wind-fallen.

Plumeria tree. Never would have guessed. I guess I’ve seen them in Lamu (off the coast of Kenya) in blossom…with full leaves. When this party gets rolling it’s probably quite something.  

And for the day’s mind-blowing, staghorn fern. “Not a true fern, I think” according to a park volunteer.

Little. (These baby, and others its size, were tucked inconspicuously just off the trail – turns out they’d established themselves all by themselves. Go, team, go!)

Bigger. (Same as above – self-started.)

They get to crazy sizes. Those leaves cup falling whatnot and use it as soil. Can you imagine the fun of getting to know one of these day in, day out? The one above and the next one were established by the gardeners: set up, and tied to the tree with either plastic or twine. They’re epiphytes – they don’t harm the tree.  I have no idea if they are native or introduced. Hm.

So there you have it: Kauai. Crazy.

Tomorrow: a kayaking trip up the Wailua River.