WE'RE GOIN' BANANAS TODAY!
These are small apple bananas that grew in our front yard last summer. I took pictures as they grew from blossoms to ripe fruit.
Above and below: Apple bananas, July 13.
Click here for technical information on Hawaii's commercial banana crop. We are in the Puna District. On the chart, note that Puna is at the top of the rainfall per year list, with an average of 140 inches. In other words, it is very good banana weather here — it is raining even as I type this! Banana plants have high drainage and nutrition needs, but they still grow wild all over the place.
Above: August 1. Just under three weeks later, and you can see how quickly the fruit has grown from the blossoms. I love these rubbery red "elephant ears" that drop off the blossom as the cluster matures. Some sort of nectar or sap drips from the red tip, too — it's all quite suggestively phallic.
Above is a close-up of banana blossoms, pod, and emerging fruit.
Above: The mature tree. Below: Baby trees grow around the base of the mature tree. We cut down the mature tree once it bears its fruit. It will not bear again, and eventually it withers and dies anyhow. Meantime, removing the finished tree ensures better nutrition for the rest of the group.
This is just a close-up of a banana leaf that I liked. I think they look the most interesting when they are starting to fade, spot, and turn colors like this one.
Wishing you a beautiful day,
Bill Brent
LitBoy.com is a professional blog. Keeping it online costs me $179 per year. That's before paying me for my writing, photography, or anything else I do. If you enjoy this blog, please use the Tip Jar at the top of this page. Your two-dollar minimum donation helps keep this banner-free site alive. It's quick and easy!
This meter displays this year's contributions to date in U.S. dollars (after the funds processor takes its cut). Make a donation, watch the meter rise! Usually I post your contribution within 24 hours.
All original materials here on LitBoy.com (writing, photos, drawings, etc.) belong to Bill Brent. If you want to re-use something here, please ask. Higher resolution images are available.
