| Bougainvillea, a strikingly beautiful | | | | be seen on all these tours is the |
| plant seen in abundance in Puerto | | | | dramatic sight of Bougainvilleas near |
| Vallarta, Mexico, derived its name from | | | | every subject of interest. |
| Louis Antoine de Bougainvillea, an | | | | Another tour where Bougainvilleas can be |
| admiral in the French Navy that | | | | seen at every turn in the road is the |
| encountered these plants in Brazil in | | | | Home tour, where visitors are escorted |
| 1768 and described their beauty to his | | | | through selected homes in Vallarta's |
| fellow Europeans when he returned home. | | | | finest neighborhoods. The cobblestone |
| Bougainvilleas are rapid growing plants | | | | roads, white and pastel colored villas |
| that produce white flowers year round in | | | | with their red tile roofs, the |
| sunny warm climates and Vallarta | | | | incredible hillside views of the city |
| perfectly meets their requirements by | | | | and Banderas Bay, and of course the |
| providing approximately 320 sunny days | | | | magnificent tropical foliage with |
| per year with an average annual | | | | Bougainvilleas around almost every home, |
| temperature of 78°F. Being deciduous, | | | | provide these tourists with a day full |
| they do fine without much watering | | | | of unforgettable sights. |
| during the seven month dry season in | | | | Puerto Vallarta currently has seven |
| Vallarta from November through May, when | | | | world class golf courses with the |
| there is virtually no rain. As thorny | | | | construction of an eighth course near |
| vines, they seem content growing up, | | | | completion. Three additional courses are |
| horizontal or even hanging down and can | | | | on the drawing board and will probably |
| reach out or up almost 40 feet. | | | | be built during the next five years. |
| It's almost impossible to go anywhere in | | | | They are all magnificently manicured |
| Vallarta without seeing bougainvilleas | | | | courses, some rolling throughout the |
| growing profusely. They are everywhere | | | | foothills of the Sierra Madres, others |
| along the roadside, can be spotted on | | | | along the shore of Banderas Bay or the |
| the Sierra Madre hillsides, act as | | | | Pacific Ocean. Aside from having |
| potted plants or serve as ornamental | | | | absolutely perfect weather conditions |
| shrubs around almost every casita and | | | | for golf for eight months of the year, |
| villa, are all over the golf courses, | | | | these courses have one other thing in |
| and are around all public areas of | | | | common; they are all beautifully adorned |
| interest. Bougainvilleas can be seen | | | | with strategically positioned |
| hanging over walls, from terraces, and | | | | Bougainvilleas. Typically, when visitors |
| from window sills in every Vallarta | | | | play the golf courses around Vallarta, |
| neighborhood. Because they are so dense | | | | they will take a number of photographs |
| with foliage and prickly thorns, they | | | | of the scenery and it will invariably |
| are ideal for and routinely used as | | | | include Bougainvilleas. The standard |
| colorful hedges along walkways and | | | | comment is that it's exactly what one |
| between lots. | | | | would expect to find in Paradise! Of |
| Now we ask, if all their flowers are | | | | course, their comments may differ a bit |
| white, why are these plants so beautiful | | | | immediately after spraying a tee shot |
| and colorful? The answer is that it's | | | | out of the fairway and into one of the |
| not their flowers that have drawn our | | | | magnificent Bougainvillea bushes with |
| attention, it's their bracts! All | | | | their thorny branches and profusion of |
| bougainvilleas have small white trumpet | | | | bracts and leaves hanging down to the |
| shaped flowers in clusters of three, | | | | ground, making their ball virtually |
| surrounded by three or six brightly | | | | irretrievable! |
| colored bracts. These bracts are | | | | Included with the gorgeous and |
| actually modified or specialized leaves, | | | | infinitely differing evening sunsets, |
| generally slightly smaller than the | | | | the Guadalupe Church, the sand |
| green foliage leaves and their purpose | | | | sculptures on the beach, and the bronze |
| is to attract pollinators. In the case | | | | sculptures on the malecon, the colorful |
| of bougainvilleas, these bracts can be | | | | Bougainvillea bracts are among the most |
| pink, magenta, purple, red, orange, | | | | photographed topics in Vallarta. If you |
| yellow, white, or a combination of | | | | bring a camera to this tropical |
| colors. Poinsettia is another example of | | | | Paradise, make sure you've got plenty of |
| a beautiful plant, where the bright red | | | | spare memory or film because it's quite |
| color that we're familiar with at | | | | easy to get carried away taking pictures |
| Christmas time is actually the | | | | before you've seen it all! |
| Poinsettia bract and not a flower. | | | | If you're fortunate enough to be one of |
| In Vallarta there are numerous tours | | | | the 50,000 North Americans living here, |
| that are taken on a daily basis by | | | | the next time a visitor to the area |
| thousands of cruise boat passengers and | | | | comments on all the beautiful |
| other visitors. They include Safari | | | | Bougainvillea flowers, you can be a real |
| tours, Canopy tours, Jungle tours, City | | | | smart aleck by informing them that what |
| tours, etc., all of which have many | | | | they're admiring are actually bracts; |
| beautiful sights to see with "photo ops" | | | | that all Bougainvillea flowers are |
| galore. One common "photo op" that can | | | | white! |