Bird of Paradise

So here it is again, my Bird of Paradise.  It has decided this is the year to bloom and bloom.  I'm so excited to see all this activity after nine years of solitary blooms.  This deserves its own post. Here we go.

Before they bloom they look like

 

this, then

this.

  I love the way they start out green and become shades of red and orange with the outer covering of the blossom wrapped in layers around it's special charge.

 

 Then they turn their heads to the side to prepare to bloom.

Then one morning I walk out to see that it's just opened up to reveal one blue petal and two orange. They just slip out of that tightly wound bud and stand away from the bud in petals sequentially farther away from their sprouting place. You can still see the reddish and orange color on the stem and a bit on the bud itself.

Here you can see that two more orange petals have emerged and one more blue. The red stem shows more in this photo.

Here's another view of my special beauties, showing even more of their character. I've not done anything different to my Birds this year. They've unfurled their feathers just because this was their time. Nature is mysterious and wonderful when it surprises us like this.