Flaming flame vine

I wonder how this plant got its common name??

Inspired by fellow South Florida blogger, TOG of Coral Gables who posted pix of a hedge of flame vine (Pyrostegia venusta), I'm posting pix I took at Fairchild Garden this week. Generally, I'm not a fan of orange flowers, but this was a stunning sight.

The vine is native to Brazil and is vigorous enough to smother trees, so it needs to be con

trolled, but, as TOG's photos show, it makes a nice hedge, too.

Challenging the future

Last Saturday, I was one of several volunteer judges for the high school environmental debates, part of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden's annual Challenge. Pictured are the debate participants.

The Fairchild Challenge encourages middle and high schoolers to become environmentally aware through assorted programs and competitions. Now in its seventh year (and my third time judging the student congress debates), the program is being copied by other organizations around the U.S., and as far away as Singapore, South Africa, Brazil and Ireland.

It really is inspirational to be part of such an endeavor and I encourage anyone affiliated to a botanical garden or a museum to learn more.

The Ramble

Fairchild held its annual Ramble, the weekend before last. I went twice since this year it started on Friday, running through Sunday. The first thing that caught my eye was the Rolls Royce I parked next to.

One improvement over the years is the inclusion of "green" groups, such as Urban Paradise and Urban Oasis, so everyone can learn more about sustainable living. 

Even if you're not into growing things or the environment, there's always great art and food and activities for the kids, not to mention the antiques in the main auditorium.

I spent way too much of my unemployment benefits on a couple of "must-have" unusual plants, including Flame of Jamaica (Euphorbia punicea), a shrub that will put out striking scarlet bracts.

A tiny owl

Fairchild had its first Bird Day on Sunday, which I deemed to be a success apart from the bird walk that started at the ludicrously early 7 a.m. (I can't do anything at that hour other than sleep.) The wildlife rehab center at Miami's science museum was in attendance with a couple of of permanent residents, a red shouldered hawk and an Eastern screech owl.

I'm sure that like me, many of the day's visitors walked right past the tiny owl assuming it was a stuffed bird. You can see what I mean from the first photo. And what a treat to see the hawk up close and personal.

Halloween fishermen at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

These guys look suspiciously like the fruit of the sausage tree (Kigelia africana). I hope the gators give them a pass...

Jacaranda

Here's another flowering tree that's doing well this season. The usual kind, Jacaranda mimosifolia, doesn't really like this climate; it's too humid and not cool enough in the winters. In 1982, when we lived on Maui, up in Kula on Haleakala, the drive up the mountain took us past a row of glorious jacarandas, but I've heard that the best place to see them is Cape Town.

Still, this winter's cold weather seems to have been sufficient to kick South Florida's jacarandas into high gear; my neighbor's is fabulous.

A better species for our climate is Jacaranda cuspidifolia, which produces bigger flower spikes. I had one, but Hurricane Katrina took it out. These pictures, taken a couple of weeks ago, are of the one at Fairchild.