I have only ever been to San Diego in February or March so I can’t testify to anything beyond a very narrow window in the spring, but for me San Diego will always mean Bird of Paradise flowers. A quick look at wiki tells me they are native to South Africa, but here on Mission Bay, and I suspect everywhere in San Diego, they burst out of their big banana like leaves…bold, brash, beautiful and abundant. They are colorful in any light, but with low sun behind them, they simply glow. They burn almost too bright to effectively capture.

I photograph them every visit. These were literally at the foot of the hotel stairs I go down every morning, on a little island between the hotel and the parking lot. My room faces east and my first morning in San Diego, the early sun was full on the flowers on my way out to the car and some errands. A common planting for Bird of Paradise is up against a building, so this isolated stand with access to every side provided a unique opportunity. It took me a half hour to get by this plant 🙂 and I took way too many pictures, from full on portraits, to abstract macros where the light captured in the petals (or bracts or whatever they are) becomes the subject.

All shots with the Canon SX40HS either at full telephoto or full wide and macro. Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and vibrance (though they would not take a lot of added vibrance before the orange blocked up).

And I am certain that next year, come my March visit to San Diego, I will photograph them again!