Sunday, May 25, 2014

Visiting the Lesser Antilles--Dry Hillsides

The Caribbean abounds in cruises. We get on ships and sail over blue waters, the skies flecked with fluffy white clouds, picturesque islands in the distance. 


approaching an island
passing an island, Lesser Antilles
When we go ashore, there are big tropical plants with intensely colored flowers to marvel at.
Ixora
Ixora with heliconias butterfly (black stripes)
But much of the Caribbean is very dry. Some smaller islands have no permanent water and some hillsides on other islands are virtual deserts. 




dry hillside
dry hillside
Dramatic cacti and yuccas are native here, even though they seem like ornamentals.

tall cactus
tall cactus
Cacti on a ledge
Cacti on a ledge
This large prickly pear (Opuntia) has ripening fruits

a big prickly pear
a big prickly pear
And here are fine-looking agaves.

agaves
agaves 
An impressive array of water hoarding plants just around the corner from the yacht clubs.



(Pictures from the Lesser Antilles, mainly Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands).


Comments and corrections welcome.

Seen on a cruise on Sea Cloud II organized by Academic Arrangements Abroad.

Kathy Keeler













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