Bird of paradise flowers — a cure for winter

Bird of Paradise flower in bloom,
Regina Floral Conservatory.
Photo © Shelley Banks 

Spiky orange and blue bird of paradise flowers — like temperamental birds defending their territory in banana palms — remind me of Jamaica where I lived as a child. 

A smaller varietal of bird of paradise ruled the garden along one corner of our house, feathers ruffled, each petal as sharp as a claw, rigid as a parrot's beak. 

Photo info: Taken at the Regina Floral Conservatory, February 27, 2011.