Monday, April 27, 2015

Plant Life – Prince Philip’s Steps – Genovesa Island, Galapagos

In addition to the very cool birds on Genovesa Island, there were some really pretty flowers and interesting cactus.
Lava Cactus
It seemed odd to me that we’d see cactus while visiting these islands on the equator.  After all, I’ve always thought of cactus as being products of the desert climates.  Well, I guess one learns something new every day!  This is lava cactus, and it was growing right up out of the lava field we hiked next to.  I loved the way the morning light played over the cactus.
Goat’s Head
These little blooms could be found along the ground on and around the path we hiked along.  They reminded me of some woodland wildflowers I might have seen in the Midwest……altho we were about as far from the Midwest as we could possibly be!
White Hared Tournefortia
These are really tiny little blooms that I saw in a few different places on our hike.  I knew I’d have a hard time getting close enough to take a close-up of just one bloom, so I settled for capturing the bunch of them!  I really like the way the green leaves offset the blooms.
Arrow Leaf Morning Glory
We were up really early for this hike, and were rewarded by getting to see this version of a Morning Glory!  I love the fluted petals, and the way it looks so delicate in contrast with the lava rock beneath it.
Scorpion Weed
The flowers on this weed are really, really tiny.  I wondered where the name came from, and then I realized that the shape that the blooms formed looked sort of like the pinchers of a scorpion – ugh.  Oh, well, the flower is really pretty, even if I can’t say the same for its namesake!
Enjoy!
 


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