A beautiful wild flower in Mt. Arayat: Capparis micracantha or salimbagat

I would think this flower will be frequently found in gardens as it looks like a relative of cats whiskers, but this plant is actually wildcrafted. It was photographed in a trek to Mt. Arayat Pampanga by Dr. Ernesto Adorio, Mr.Allan Carlos and Mr. Joseph Nuqui. Yet this flower is listed in StuartXchange and reputed to have anti-cancer and anti-tuberculosis properties.

Plant/Flower	Capparis micracantha
Common name	Salimbagat
Location	Mt. Arayat, Pampanga
Camera	Samsung WB100F(Dr. Ernesto Adorio)
Photographer	Allan Carlos
Date	March 27, 2013
Reference	Stuart Xchange
Attribution	gcy of PNPCSI (identification)

Use vertical panoramic shot to capture tall trees

Here is a nice example. This tree is hard to shoot from a distance as you have to stand back to get a full image. Instead we use a panoramic shot in the vertical direction.

Photo taken with a Fujifilm HS25EXR camera, panoramic mode, vertical direction, in the Banyos-Arayat trail of Mt. Arayat.

Canon and Nikon camera kits prices March 2013

These are probably the lowest Hidalgo prices you will get anywhere. We are posting this only for comparison purposes.

Nikon D3100 kit-P17,500
Nikon D5100 kit-P21,000
Nikon D3200 kit-P21,500
Nikon D5200 kit-P31,500
Nikon D90 body-P21,500
D90 kit-P31,500
Nikon D7000 body-P33,000
Nikon D7000 kit-P43,000
** All these are inclusive of a 4GB SD, bag and 1 yr. store warranty.
Nikon D600 body-P71,000
Nikon D800 body-P109,000

Canon 1100D kit-P20,500
Canon 500D kit-P26,500
Canon 550D kit-P28,000
Canon 600D w/ 18-55mm lens-P32,500
600D w/ 18-135mm lens-P43,000
Canon 650D body-P35,000
650D w/ 18-55mm lens-P38,000
650D w/ 18-135mm lens-P49,500
Canon 60D body-P43,000
60D w/ 18-55mm lens-P47,000
60D w/ 18-135mm lens-P57,000
** All these are inclusive of a 8GB SD and 3 yrs. Canon Phil. warranty.
Canon 7D body Mark II-P57,000
7D w/ 18-135mm lens-P70,000
Canon 6D body-P75,000
6D w/ 24-105mm lens-P99,000
Canon 5D Mark III body-P145,000
5D Mark III w/ 24-105mm lens-P188,000Canon 1100D kit-P20,500
Canon 500D kit-P26,500
Canon 550D kit-P28,000
Canon 600D w/ 18-55mm lens-P32,500
600D w/ 18-135mm lens-P43,000
Canon 650D body-P35,000
650D w/ 18-55mm lens-P38,000
650D w/ 18-135mm lens-P49,500
Canon 60D body-P43,000
60D w/ 18-55mm lens-P47,000
60D w/ 18-135mm lens-P57,000
Canon 7D body Mark II-P57,000
7D w/ 18-135mm lens-P70,000
Canon 6D body-P75,000
6D w/ 24-105mm lens-P99,000
Canon 5D Mark III body-P145,000
5D Mark III w/ 24-105mm lens-P188,000
** All these are inclusive of a 8GB SD and 3 yrs. Canon Phil. warranty.

src: facebook mayer page

Kupang tree pompon

I first saw this at the Chapel grounds of University of the Philippine campus.



I will try to photograph more the tree in the near future.

Plant/tree	Parkia Javanica
Common name	Kupang tree, tree bean
Location	U.P.Chapel grounds, UP Diliman
Camera	Most probably a VG-110, or a Samsung WB100F (will later finalize)
Photographer	Dr Ernesto P. Adorio
Acknowledgment	gcy of Philippine Native Plants Conservation Society, Inc.
Reference	stuartxchange
Photos by others	photomazza.com

Firecracker plant, Crossandra infundibuliformis

It is easy to confuse this as a shrimp plant, but this is an orange firecracker plant.

Plant/flower	Crossandra infundibuliformis
Common Name	Orange Firecracker plant
Origin	Southern India and Sri Lanka
camera	Fujifilm HS25EXR
Location	Fairfield School
Date	March 24, 2013
Photographer	Dr.Ernesto Adorio
Reference	Wikipedia: crossandra infundibuliformis

Heliconia bihai (carribea),erect lobster claws.

The flowers of this plant differs from the heliconia rostrata by being vertically erect. Here is a mature specimen from Teacher's village.

Plant/flower	Heliconia bihai
Common name	erect lobster claw, false bird of paradise
Location	Teachers' Village
Photographer	Dr. Ernesto Adorio
Camera	Fujifilm HS25EXR
Date	March 24, 2013
Reference	Wikipedia: heliconia caribaea

Shanghai beauty flower

A lovely flower to photograph with red petals and yellow pistils. Here is one I shot in Teacher's Village. It is surprising the first time to know it is a jatropha.

Plant/Flower	Jatropha pandurifolia
Common Name	Shanghai Beauty
Camera	Fujifilm HS25EXR
Photographer	Dr.Ernesto Adorio
Location	Teacher's Village(1-3), Fairfield School(last photo) Quezon City
Reference	Stuart Xchange

Heliconia rostrata

The attractive usually hanging flower is the national flower of Bolivia.


They grow easily in the Philippines.

Plant/flower	Kingdom(Plantae),unranked(Angiosperms, Monocots,Commelinids), Order(Zingiberales), Family(Heliconiaceae), Heliconia rostrata
Common name	Lobster claw, False bird of paradise
Camera	Fujifilm HS25EXR
Photographer	Dr. Ernesto P. Adorio
Location	U.P. BLISS, Quezon City
Reference	wikipedia

Kapok tree , Ceiba pentandra

The kapok tree is native to the Americas.



Saw these in the U.P. BLISS area.




I will wait for the tree to open. Unfortunate I have not seen the flowers!

The next two photos are at the back of the San Vicente BLISS area.

Plant/tree	Ceiba pentandra
Common name	kapok, ceiba, silk cotton,duldul
Camera	Fujifilm HS25EXR camera
Photographer	Dr. Ernesto P. Adorio
Location	U.P. BLISS, Diliman, Quezon City
References	st. john beach guide/kapok, wikipedia:Ceiba pentandra

Eucrosia bicolor

Last Monday, I saw a Eucrosia flower appear in our area, after its first appearance in 2011. This flower is a native of Ecuador and Peru. It is now widely propagated in the Philippines.

Plant/flower	Kingdom(Plantae),Clade(Angiosperms,Monocots), Order(Asparagales), Family(Amaryllidaceae), Genus(Eucrosia), Species(Eucrosia bicolor)
Common name	Peruvian lily
Camera	Fujifilm HS25EXR bridge camera(1st photo)
Location	Philcoa, Quezon City
Photographer	Dr. Ernesto Adorio
Reference	Wikipedia

No more links in new articles to images in Facebook

I have decided not to post new photos or albums in Facebook, further I have decided not to link to contents of my friends in Facebook. I want total control over my photographs starting tomorrow. But I will only post textual content (no images).

Our blog articles are missing already some images linked to Facebook. The changed link addresses simply make our articles useless, leaving only text! I want peace of mind.

Slipper orchid from the paphiopedilum genus

Here is an unusual orchid specimen with a fly-catching behavior, similar to those of the well known pitcher plants of the nephrentes family.

Plant/Orchid	Paphiopedilum
Common names	Slipper orchid
Location	QCMC 2013 orchid show, Quezon City, Metro Manila
Camera	Fujifilm HS50EXR bridge camera
Photographer	Dr. Ernesto P. Adorio
Reference	Wikipedia

Pitogo or Queen Sago, a survivor plant from the age of dinosaurs!

This is a survivor from the Jurassic era, when dinosaurs used to roam the surface of the Earth! It is remotely related to the palm family. The specimen below was seen in QCMC orchid show. I choose the name Cycas Recurvata rather than Cycas Revoluta (Japanese sago palm) to match with the local Pitogo name listed in stuart xchange.

Plant	Cycas Revoluta
Common name	sago palm, sikad, pitogo
Location	QCMC, Metro Manila
Date	March 11, 2013
Camera	Fujifilm HS25EXR bridge camera
Photographer	Dr. Ernesto Adorio
Acknowledgement	Lito Aplaon(local name)
Reference	Wikipedia

Juticia Fulvicoma, Mexican plume plant

We have presented yellow shrimp plants, Pachystachys_lutea in our blog. Here is a red one, either a Justicia Fulvicoma, or Justicia Carnea. We shall zero in the correct scientific name shortly.

Plant	Justicia Fulvicoma
Common name	Mexican plume flower.
Location	Quezon City, Metro Manila
Camera	Fujifilm HS25EXR
Photographer	Dr. Ernesto P. Adorio

Texan silverado flowers

Plant/flower	Kingdom(Plantae),unranked(Angiosperms,Eudicots,Asterids, order(Lamiales), family(Scrophulariaceae),genus(Leucophyllum), species(L. frutescens)
Common Name	Texas Silverado (Silver Sage)
Location	Clark Field, Pampanga
Date	March 7, 2013
Camera	Fujifilm HS25EXR bridge camera
Photographer	Dr. Ernesto Adorio
Acknowledgement	Dr. Romana delos Reyes (identification)
Reference	Wikipedia

Jacob's coat, copperleaf plant

The specimen's leaves are coppery green with red splashes(Wikipedia).

Plant	Acalypha Wilkensiana
Common Names	Beefsteak plant, Copperleaf, Fire-dragon, Jacob's coat
Camera	Fujifilm HS25EXR bridge camera
Location	Clarkfield, Pampanga
Date	March 7, 2013
Photographer	Dr. Ernesto P. Adorio
Reference	Wikipedia
Acknowledgment	Dr. Romana delos Reyes(Identification)

Moon in the early morning.

I caught sight of the moon one day in February 28, over Philcoa, early morning.

Camera	Fujifilm Finepix HS25EXR bridge camera
Settings	1/250s, f/5, ISO 100.
Location	Quezon City, Philippines
Date	February 28, 2013, 6:12AM
Photographer	Dr.Ernesto P. Adorio

Flowers: Plumeria alba Blanco

This is a popular plant grown all over the Philippines, the beauty and the scents of the flowers are its selling points. An unusual feature of the flowers is that they have no nectar! This particular specimen is found in my school UPDEPP at Clarkfield.

Plant/Flower	plumeria alba blanco
Common name	frangipani, kalachuchi
Location	UPDEPP, Pampanga
Date	March 5, 2013
Camera	Fujifilm Finepix HS25EXR
Settings	1/400s, f/5.6, ISO 400
Photographer	Dr. Ernesto P. Adorio
Reference	stuartxchange,Wikipedia

Silver Dollar fish

Here is a gentle fish, quite different from its relatives, the pacus and piranhas! They can live to ten years. Formerly this specimen has a companion, probably male, and it did not like and killed it by repeatedly ramming it.

Fish	Animalia/Chordata/Actinopterygii/Characiformes/Characidae/Serrasalminae/[Metynnis, Myleus, Myloplus, Mylossoma
Location	Diliman, QC, Philippines
Camera	Fujifilm Finepix HS25EXR bridge camera
Photographer	Dr. Ernesto P. Adorio
Attributions	Engr. Daniel Adorio(aquarium owner)
Reference	Wikipedia

Structures: a gleaming feedmill factory.

Structure	Feedmill factory
Location	Pulilan, Bulacan
Date	March 2, 2013
Photographer	Dr. Ernesto P. Adorio
Camera	Fujifilm Finepix HS25EXR camera
Settings	f/5, ISO 100,1/340s