A benefit of living in a rainforest

Travelling with house sits, we experience new environments and new landscapes. This home is certainly no exception.

This is our first time of living in a rainforest. Those who follow this blog will know I've mentioned that it rains a lot, here in Hilo, Hawaii. The enjoyable outcome of that is the lush tropical plants we see, right in our own back yard.

We're living in a house where your living quarters are on the second floor. The ground level houses a workshop, laundry, and carport. This is a common house plan here.

This is the view from our deck off the living area, looking to the right. The adjoining lot is undeveloped, and I call it "the jungle". My first day here, I walked through and took photos. Oh, by the way, there are no snakes in Hawaii, which put me at ease.

This is looking directly out along the back property line. This growth stands about 15 feet (5 metres) high.

Large tanks like this one are a common site in this area. The homes in this neighbourhood, at the edge of town and at a high elevation, are not connected to town water and therefore rely on rainwater collection. There's no need for bottled drinking water here; this rainwater (filtered) is excellent.

You may notice the overflow spout running into the black bucket. Some days since we've been here, even the black bucket overflows. Boy has it rained!

Now let me take you on a walk around the yard, to get a closer look at the plants and flowers.

At a distance

A closer look

So many variations of the flower of this plant

Here's one ...

... and another ...

... and another ...

... and the ugliest one, IMHO

A nice burst of deep red colour

And the flower, up close

A nice variegated plant

I think this is mother-in-law's tongue at the base of this tree

Loved the spotted leaves here

Then noticed the delicate flowers

Loved the variety of textures and shapes here

A nice burst of purple in amongst a mostly green area

With raindrops, of course!

Love the texturing of these leaves

And the vibrant colour of the flower

Love the yellow in this red bloom

We have a close friend who can usually tell us every Latin and common name for most plants, but I wonder if he's stumped by some of these. I know that those I do recognize would likely only be house plants in Canada; they wouldn't survive outdoors there.

As I write this blog, it's dark outside. There's a loud chorus of peeps, which I understand are coqui frogs, so named because of their sound (ko-keee). Some areas of Hawaii have tried to eliminate them, but obviously have had little success. Part of the problem is there are no predators here - no snakes - so no natural population control. It sounds like there are still lots of them out there! 

Note: We have the homeowners' approval to show photos of their home and pets.