Madeira - Day 20 - Botanical Garden continued .

The day had started out cloudy and cool but gradually the sun made occasional appearances and I started stripping off layers.

The bright sun sometimes washed out the colour in my photos, shade was actually better.

These remind me of sunflowers, in that I just have to

smile when I look at them.

Next I came to an area planted primarily in orchids.

Strange to see them growing outside rather than the "babying" they get at home.

The house contained displays of stuffed birds and sea creatures (seals, turtles etc) and the rose garden in front had been dug over and severely pruned.

Next I walked into an area signed as the Succulent Garden.

Cacti and succulents of all sorts and sizes.

and little ones planted out ready to make an impressive show later on.

Again, plants I had never seen

before.

Now this is what all the guide books and brochures picture,

the patterns are achieved through coloured foliage,

bordered by the cactus garden,

a bougainvillea hedge

(I've never noticed the little interior flowers before)

and the views out across the Atlantic.

Hungry now, I stopped for a coffee and almond cake (they had run out of custard tarts).

You find cats sleeping anywhere!

Here I saw something else I had never seen before; a Bee Moth (in North America they are called Hummingbird Moths). It looked just like a tiny (about 2 inches across) Hummingbird with its wings going so fast I could barely see them and an appendage that looked like a beak (but isn't) to get the nectar. It was flitting about way too fast to get a picture.

With loud sounding of its horn the smallest cruise ship was leaving.

As I walked out I passed a large planting of these "Bird of Paradise". I didn't pay them much attention. Seen them before.

But when I stopped to take a picture I realized that they are not just orange but they also have 2 blue "tongues" that I had never noticed before.

Walking out of the gate, I was just in time to catch another bus down the hill (not nearly as hair raising as the trip up).

The bus dropped me in the old quarter. Still doors that I haven't photographed.

This artist knew about the blue tongues.

Today was cloudy and cool, and, as I had walked a lot yesterday, I stayed home. Did yoga, read

and

painted again.