a flamboyant red state

I really do need to get out more often.

On my walk last night, in a futile quest to shoot the comet Neowise for you, I realized I had almost missed one of our best flowering periods of the year. I have always been fond of the yellow Primaveras, but my favorite flowering tree is what English-speakers call a Flamboyant -- or Royal Poinciana.

Even though they are not native to Mexico, Flamboyants can be found almost everywhere in the country. Some growing wild, but most of them are specimen trees anchoring urban landscapes. This time of year, when they are in full bloom, they show up as scarlet patches on country drives.

The Flamboyant at the top of this essay is part of a series of the trees planted in front of houses along calle Puerto de la Navidad in Barra.

I have written previous essays about the tree (better than a box of keeblers -- where I compared the tree to Tolkien's Lothlórien; and a tree as lovely as a poem). I knew about the tree before I headed south because former blogger Isla Gringo often wrote about the tree, its exquisite flowers, and the sabre-like seed pods that are a favorite of hungry squirrels.

In this part of Mexico, they put on quite a show in the late spring and early summer.  We have plenty of local trees that produce tropical-colored flowers. The orange-red blossoms of the African Tulip tree are also putting on an early summer show.

And red seems to be this season's color. The architect who built my house had a great eye for landscaping. She chose plants that would stagger their red blooms throughout the year. This month, they have decided to all put on a show at the same time.

The stars are this Lipstick plant -- backed up by the pinkish blossoms of a Crown of Thorns.

And then there are these blossoms that look similar to a lilac. So far, no one has been able to identify the name.

I am told that red is one of the most attractive colors to butterflies. I can believe that based on the number of visitors at the plants in front of my house.

While I was photographing the plants today, I realized that I spend almost no time out there enjoying the flowers or the butterflies. Maybe, when I say I am going to get out of the house more often, I could spend a bit of time enjoying the sights close to home.

Even if they are not Flamboyant.