Ixora coccinea 'Maui Red'

Oh dear, Delonix...weather does seem to be getting more extreme, everywhere...

Scotland was hit by 80-100mph winds during the week too...

And we've just come out of the longest wettest rainy season that people here can remember... :(

That is a beautiful flower, tho'. The petals are quite different in shape and colour to the ones we have - more rounded.

It sure is. Not exactly sure what's going on. Last year we had a wetter than normal winter, in a La Niña year which is very unusual. Typically La Niña years are very dry and warm...and El Niño years are very wet. The previous winter was an El Niño year and we didn't receive the heavy rains we usually get.

We're back into another La Niña pattern...we'll see what kind of weather it brings this year. :>/

Aside from being male and female, Delonix...what is the difference between El Niño and La Niña? I seem to remember someone blaming El Niño for some bad weather in the UK a few years ago...

La Niña and El Niño phenomenon drastically affects the weather around the world. El Niño is the warmer than normal Pacific Ocean waters (generally off the Peruvian coast is where it starts). La Niña is the cooler than normal Pacific Ocean waters.

Aah...so, does it happen randomly or is there a pattern...can it be predicted whether it will be El Niño or La Niña?

It happens randomly. It's rare to have a La Niña two years in a row...like what's happening now. I'm hoping it's not going to be a strong one! Our weather has been very strange as it is.