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