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