Tropical Splendor

I am blessed to work in an area of extreme beauty. The ibis, egrets, herons, osprey, eagles, manatee, and dolphins are so common around here we take them for granted, not to mention the many varieties of palm trees and unusual plants of all kinds. Not long ago I stepped out the front door of the house I've been living in for the last year. A bush I had brushed past daily without noticing a thing about it suddenly was festooned with these most exotic flowers. I have no idea what they are called, I really should look them up. But I had never seen anything quite like them before. They look like something alien to me with such radical shape and color and texture. Tropical plants can be so extreme. I really need to get hold of a better camera because these photos just don't do these flowers justice.

Welcome to Florida!