“The earth laughs in flowers.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

After Bruce left for golf this morning, following a torrential downpour, the sun started to peak out and I headed out with my camera to snap some photos of the flowers in our neighborhood.  I think that I could share half a dozen different flowers in my bi-weekly posts, and never share the same one twice - it's just amazing how many there are.  The sun did not stay with me long, but I decided to keep taking pictures.  I have all winter to shoot some more to share with you in the future.  I must tell you that to take a walk among all of these blooms - especially after a steamy rain shower - is a sensory experience.  Aside from being beautiful, the scents are intoxicating.

I have a "Florida's Shells" book, and a "Florida's Birds" book (a gift from my mom), and this year I picked up "Florida's Flowers" and "Florida's Trees" (I am saying no to "Florida's Insects").  I will do my best to identify the flowers that I can - but many will remain blank.  I don't think that they make a book big enough to contain all of the varieties!

I'm fairly confident that these first four are hibiscus and possibly the fifth.  The red flowered ones are everywhere.

This is the flower of the Orchid Tree - not actually orchids, but so named for the shape of its flowers.

I don't know about this one (the foreground is a Tree Crinum)

The next two show the fruit of the Manila Palm, sometimes referred to as the Christmas Palm for obvious reasons!

Not a clue!

 ~A lucky chance encounter~

 I think that this is a Little Blue Heron. 

~ Lantana~

The next four are Bougainvillea

I came across a yard that had two fruits trees in it - the first being Star Fruit and the second being lemon.  I dearly wanted to grab some of those lemons, but being the law-abiding citizen that I am - I resisted!

~Allamanda~

I will be back with more in the future!