Smallest Slitherin

Tetracheilostoma breuili

An interesting discovery this week while filling wheel barrows of previously dredged silt and soil for a new garden bed from the aqueduct at Diamond Falls Botanical Garden www.diamondstlucia.com The tiniest of snakes was found in the soil, as thick as a piece of cooked spaghetti and around 4 inches long. St Lucians are extremely panicked by snakes due to the nasty past of placing one of the deadliest snakes ,the fer-de-lance, onto the island during slavery to keep them from running away into the forests. This soil snake as its called here is totally harmless feeding on termite eggs and other small nibbles. When i did a google search the name Blair hedges http://php.scripts.psu.edu/dept/evobio/hedgeslab/index.php appeared noted for his discovery in 2008 of the worlds smallest snake in Barbados and named after his wife !! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbados_Threadsnake I sent him pictures of the found snake and was told it wasnt the tiniest but was St Lucia's endemic thread snake,
Tetracheilostoma breuli.He asked if we find another one to put it in a jar of overproof run to preserve it so he can compare with previos collections. We will see if we come across another wiggly little snake...

Baby Blues

I didnt notice the shocking blue colour of this lizards eyes until I downloaded my pictures. He was occupying a dearly departed Lipstick Palm  Cyrtostachys renda, that didnt make a recent transplant...I will attempt another division from the mother plant this time with a younger specimen, I've read that this palm is difficult to transplant.

LOVE IS IN THE AIR

The tropical Love Apple

Syzygium samarangense

HAPPY VALENTINES

 

 

Superb indeed

Gloriosa superba

Barbados Horticultural Society's Show of Shows.....

 

The Barbados Horticultural Society  horticulturebarbados.com was formed in 1927 and their infamous flower shows were hosted at members homes. In the 1970's they started to acquire buildings and adjoining lands at Balls plantation giving them a permanent headquarters for their annual flower show. I  heard about this society from attending other garden shows in Toronto and Chelsea,London. They have won a treasure trove of gold medals at Chelsea.  I have been in the Caribbean for 5 winters and have never had the opportunity until now to attend this Show of Shows.

The cut flower entries were plentiful. I was amazed how fresh the Hybiscus stayed.

The BHS is world renowned for their flower arrangements and displays here are a few standouts

They also had a fine cactus and succulent display as well as potted plants and bonsai.

Outdoors were plenty of local vendors selling a wide array of plants.

A wonderful day out with my Bajan/Canadian gardener Deborah http://kilbournegrove.wordpress.com/