Ok, forgive me, this is rather OT, but there will be an orchid photo also. I thought some of you Pirate fans might like to see some photos from my vacation in the West Indies, where I spent the month of February.

You may know that the movie Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. They are currently filming 2 and 3 there also. In fact, I learned that Johnny Depp purchased one of the small Grenadine islands that was uninhabited, Balliceau, I think. Anyway, we went on a tour of the St. Vincent coastline and here is a photo of the arch where they hung the pirates from in the movie.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y134/ahmcd33/04711b07.jpg

Here is a photo of the sunset from our hotel (I think I was drinking something w/ rum in it when I took it. Lots of that...)

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y134/ahmcd33/3b8d8ace.jpg

The only orchid I saw on my trip, though I learned it is difficult to see far in a rainforest. This was at Montreal Gardens, which is run/owned by an ex. Kuh guy. I have many more plant pics, if anyone is interested, but this was the only orchid.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y134/ahmcd33/1fec269d.jpg

Then we sailed the Grenadines for a week, and then went to Grenada where we met this guy...
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y134/ahmcd33/17ee7b98.jpg

...and stayed on this lovely beach!
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y134/ahmcd33/beab5533.jpg

Thanks for looking! :D

Very beautiful and picturesque postcard like photos, thanks for sharing! :D

I am so jealous....
It's a shame the only orchid you saw was a spathoglottis...please post some of the other plant photos, I collect a lot of rare plants as well.
Jon

I am so jealous....
It's a shame the only orchid you saw was a spathoglottis...please post some of the other plant photos, I collect a lot of rare plants as well.
Jon

It was a great trip, we did a 7 day sailing course w/ Barefoot Charters and went to Bequia, Mustique, Mayreau, Union, and the Tobago Cayes. I would recommend St. Vincent to ANYONE - not a lot of tourists go there and the people are unbelievabley friendly! Everyone honks their car horns to say hello. :) Grenada was unfortunately rather trashed due to Hurricane Frances, but they are trying hard to come back.

spathoglottis? So, THAT's what it was? Flowers looked like a phal, but leaves were much different. I had no clue.

You got it, Jon, will do!

That was fun Heather.

But I still HATE MONKEYS!!!

Hm, well Rick, to each his own, I always say....:)

Okay, let's see...

This is the breadfruit - one of the orignial cuttings sent with Captain Bligh (of The Bounty fame, on the second, succesful, voyage.)
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y134/ahmcd33/6fe88d27.jpg

cacao (chocolate, of course!)
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y134/ahmcd33/3129d5a7.jpg

This is the calabash, also known as the bowlie, as it is used for, you guessed it, BOWLS! :D
We bought a nice hand painted one w/ a mermaid on it....
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y134/ahmcd33/da3b2ed3.jpg

The touch me not, I can't remember the name offhand, something prudica, which I found amusing. If you touch it, it recoils!
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y134/ahmcd33/cd4dec54.jpg

I thought this could be an orchid, but too hard to tell - anyone?
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y134/ahmcd33/8380aa65.jpg

Cool catapillars!
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y134/ahmcd33/c7adcf1f.jpg

Finally, a menagerie! Does that refer to plants also?
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y134/ahmcd33/b196acd4.jpg

Thank you for posting!!
Very cool stuff...I really need to get out of Ohio for a while.
Mimosa pudica is the name you were looking for on the sensitive plant, the hanging trumpets in the last pic are Brugmansias, and the pink and purple plant next to them looks like it could be some species of Acalypha...not sure though. The white flower isn't an orchid...looks more like a jasmine relative. The caterpillars look like they are in the sphinx moth section with the tail horns...but again just a guess. And I was going to guess bowlies were for lawn bowling...lol.
Again, thanks soooo much for posting. I think I need to get off the computer and see it for myself soon.
Jon

Mimosa prudica, :roll: of course! That was it! Thanks... more later...off to bed....

Great photos! Aren't those trumpet flowers poisonous?

YES...they are quite poisonous and loaded with atropine among other dangerous alkaloids. They are closely related to our native Jimsonweed(Datura) and they are all in the deadly nightshade family.
Unfortunately, a bad rumor got around to kids around here that they are a "legal high"...most ended up in the hospital after ingesting the seeds.
I like the varigated one...but the plant itself has a smell that makes me cringe so I don't grow them. I did some investigating on them when I heard about all these high school kids almost dying, and apparently long ago, people would boil the plant in beeswax and cover themselves with this wax. When the hallucinations kicked in they would go on murderous rampages claiming to be possesed by their inner beast, and these events are what inspired the story of Werewolves. Always thought this was interesting since everyone has heard of werewolves, but DO NOT GROW THEM if you have children or pets that are likely to accidently chew on the leaves as it can be fatal.
Jon

Great photos

And Jon, you are a wealth of information...it helps to be single and have no kids :lol:

Very true...kids can wait for now, but I do need to find a girl that can put up with my hobbies like you did...like finding a blue orchid; it's out there...but probably on the other side of the world.
Jon

Excellent info, Jon! I have seen those trumpet flowers down in Florida and that is how I know they were posionous.

Very true...kids can wait for now, but I do need to find a girl that can put up with my hobbies like you did...like finding a blue orchid; it's out there...but probably on the other side of the world.
Jon

true, my wife says I am one of the strangest men she has ever known with all of my unrelated hobbies and so many, thank God she loves me :Party: