Saturday, June 13, 2009

My Pet Iguana and the Pitaya


Just kidding! This is NOT my pet iguana. This one was handed to me when I entered the reptile exhibition at the Bali Bird and Reptile Park in Indonesia. I wasn't expecting it as I crossed through the portal, but I was open to the experience. I like to talk to animals, and I enjoyed the feel of the leathery skin. He was a very mellow iguana.

There were lots of iguanas at the Bali Bird & Reptile Park.

This is actually my "pet" iguana. This guy lives on the other side of the wall, but he enjoys sunning on top of it. I talk to him when I am in the pool, and he turns his third eye toward me and makes gestures, but I don't know what he is saying. He is difficult to photograph, although little by little he is allowing me to get closer.
The cactus you see is pitaya. In Hawaii it is called dragon fruit. The plant is growing on the other side of the wall but the fruit is spilling into my yard. Whether I get to enjoy the fruit or the iguana gets them first remains to be seen.


This is the blooming pitaya flower the NIGHT AFTER it bloomed. I missed it. I found out from my knowledgeable morning swimmers that the flower only blooms for one night. The fruit will follow. I haven't tasted the pitaya yet.
I am watching this little bud and hope to capture the flower in full bloom.


Below is a fruit stand on the road between Mérida and Celestún with typical Yucatecan fruit, mamey and pitaya.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hope your night blooming cereus is the red fleshed kind...I'm addicted to them but not so much for the white fleshed ones. The one I had in my yard bloomed on a regular basis but it only had one small fruit during the time it was here (the hombres yanked it out). Anyway, I liked the flowers but the fruit was junk. Deb.

Linda Dorton said...

Deb, I wonder if I will ever know. Another bloomed the other night. The bummer was the first bloom looked so good and the following day the whole thing was on the ground, dying. I will be sure to let you know if these ever come to fruit! I missed the grand opening of the flower again! I have some other pitaya cuttings growing in another part of MY yard and hope one day to see fruit there too.

Unknown said...

Too bad your actual pet shied away from the camera. Maybe next time, you could show us a close-up shot. Anyway, how long has he been your pet? Your fondness towards exotic animal seems deep, what with your keenness towards their leathery skin. I would love to meet more of your wild pets some time. Have a good day!

Randal Barber @ Poggi's Animal House