Environment 3 - Flowers vs Weeds

Frangipani or Plumeria rubra, origin: Tropical America(Pasir Ris Park, Singapore)

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I have captured some pixs of flowers on the way to the bus stop or to the neighbourhood coffee shop recently and am amazed to find so many beautiful flowers, once I open my eyes to them. Credit to the ones who planted them and also the ones who nurture them now.

[Note: I am a novice with flowers. If you know the names and properties of any of the flowers, please do let me know. Thanks.

The National Park Singapore has an excellent website and flora index. Click here]

Pink Frangipani (Pasir Ris, below a block of HDB flats, Singapore)

Orchids at home


Ipomoea tricolor, aka "Morning Glory", but not the common ones (origins: Mexico, Central & South America ) (pix taken at: Haw Par Villa, Singapore)
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(Outside the MacRitchie Treetop Walk, Singapore )


Pink Hibiscus, overhanging from someone's garden, West Coast Road, Singapore

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Hibiscus blooms in different colours according to the PH of the ground. Purple for acidic and pink for alkaline.

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The following flowers are roadside flowers, cultivated by National Parks Singapore, by West Coast Road
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The following pixs are captured outside by the pavement of a private estate at Pasir Panjang

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Heliconia psittacorum 'Lady Di' (origin: Tropical America), along Victoria Street, Singapore


Lily, aka Crinum asiaticum, at Singapore Management University

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Barringtonia asiatica flower, origin: Madagascar to pacific, seaside tree

East Coast Park, Singapore

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Bougainvillea, outside my neighbourhood coffeeshop

Along the fence of my house

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Lotus



'Weeds' or are they?

... I wonder why certain plants are called 'weeds'. Someone once defined them as plants whose virtues are not discovered or understood yet.

This is a rare sight in organised and developed Singapore.

The creeper bears fruits similar to that of a passion fruit. Birds love them.

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Close up of the fruit

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If I were to have a wild flower mini-expedition in my neighbourhood, I will see what I can bring back to grow. One of them could be the morning glory (Argyreia nervosa, origin: India). I will have them weave around the railings of my balcony. Then I will have the purple corollas in the morning and just green vines in the afternoon on.
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At one time, morning glories were common sight in Singapore. However with rapid development and much land turned into residence or carefully nutured gardens, these wild flowers now are almost rarely found.

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I would also like to have a mimosa patch, so that children can keep themselves busy when they visit my place. Or for that matter, I can keep myself busy touching them and watching the leaves rapidly closing in instantly. It can be very therapeutic! :)

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[Note: Surprising this humble plant has its origins in Brazil and its called Mimosa pudica. A foreign talent! Read here. ]

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This is a small wild flower by the fence. Looks very pretty to me, so I wonder why certain plants are called 'weeds'. Someone once defined them as a plant whose virtues are not found or understood yet. I am thinking if the same philosophy applies to people too, as many are judged and rejected all too soon! :)

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Flower or weed, both of them contribute as much to the ecology and harmony in nature. No one is more or less. In the book, "A Course in Miracles", page 293, para 2, line 7, says, "The miracle is one thing you can do that transcends order, being based not on differences but on equality." That means there are no 'big miracle' or 'small miracle'. Weeds and flowers alike are miracles of equal extent.

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I ought to get a new and better camera with a powerful zoom, so that I can capture the parakeets that fly to my area every morning. They are so happy after their breakfast of oil palm seeds every morning. These birds are offsprings of escaped pets. These birds are native to Mexico Australia and Central America south to northern Nicaragua.

.Yesterday, a tiny bird came and sat on the balcony railing. It has a thin long curve beak to suck the nectar in the flowers, but it is not a humming bird. I have seen a humming bird before in my place, they are tiny like a big bee and their wings oscillates like those of one.

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