It’s called Spautumn

_DSC2058aWhite plumeria1 6

I’m gonna tell you a funny story. That’s not very funny! Actually, ignore that. I’m just going to ramble. And distract you with pretty pictures.

I went to New Zealand a couple of months ago (I actually started writing this only a month after getting back, but now it’s been 3. Oops.) and split my time between two Bens. It was amazing.

I took tons of photos, of course, and spent many hours editing, cropping, lightening… and then I deleted them all. I’m not sure how, though I have a hunch that I managed to select two folders while deleting something else. Woo!

It’s winter here (I got a winter birthday! In name only, because it felt like spring, but still. If I were in school I could bring cupcakes to class like all the school year birthday kids!) and leaves have changed colors, the sweet gum trees are dropping their seeds, and the Galahs are feasting on them at the side of the road.

Taken during a morning run
Galahs and Gumnuts 3

They didn’t like me very much.
Galahs and Gumnuts 4
I’ve started editing NZ pictures again, but… man that’s a daunting task and it’s going slowly. I hate redoing work.

So in the meantime you wanna know about something cool? Pretty flowers are cool! I took these on several different photo walks from late summer to winter.

Sometimes known as frangipani, the plumeria tree is really interesting. It’s produces beautiful flowers frequently used in Hawaiian leis and it looks like an emaciated succulent when bare.

I totally wasn’t exaggerating: strange cactus, perhaps? Plumeria leafless
Shortly after it leafs out, it starts the long process of blooming. Not that it takes a long time for it to flower, but that it just keeps going and going and going.

Early afternoon sun._DSC2072aWhite plumeria1 7

Late afternoon rain storm._DSC2007aPink plumeria1 1

I remember them first flowering in… December, maybe? At this point some of them have lost their leaves, and some still have a few buds developing into flowers.

 The flowers are just so perfect and lovely.

_DSC2176aPink plumeria 3

They feel really good, too. Texturally. They’re thick and meaty with a velvety skin.
_DSC2201aPink plumeria 5

I wonder if they’re edible? I bet they’d taste good, like orchids._DSC2221aPink plumeria 10

So anyway. All at the same time, while the sweet gums are dropping leaves and seeds, some plumeria are bare, others are budding, and the magnolias are starting to flower. wtf winter, Oz?

It’s totally Spautumn. New season. I’ve named it.

*_DSC2189aPink plumeria 1

3 thoughts on “It’s called Spautumn

  1. Wow. I think you can buy these in Michigan as patio plants. One season only. I’m sure. Probably couldn’t overwinter indoors, not enough sun. These photos are amazing especially second to last one.

  2. Amazing pictures! I bought two plumeria in may, hopefully they will survive the winter (inside of course) in Belgium.
    Just went to Malaysia and brought some branches, hopefully they will grow roots soon now…

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