Hong Kong Orchid Tree

This beautiful flower, growing in the new Enmax Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo, was quite high up in this tree, so I couldn't get as close as I would have liked. It's called a Hong Hong Orchid Tree and I think the flowers are very attractive. So far, I have only seen this one flower on it, and last time I visited, it was dead.

The sun is shining and the sky is blue this afternoon, after a chilly, grey morning for our long walk by the Bow River, south from the Boat Launch in Fish Creek Park. The weather didn't seem to stop the birds this morning, though, as we saw four Great Blue Herons in flight, an Osprey, Blue-winged Teal and many other birds (including the Great Horned Owl pair with their three owlets). Definitely better weather than yesterday, when we had rain with a bit of snow. Other parts of the city had quite a snowfall. It was back to winter jackets, toque, gloves and boots, though.

"Bauhinia blakeana (Chinese: 洋紫荊) is an evergreen tree, in the genus Bauhinia, with large thick leaves and striking purplish red flowers. The fragrant, orchid-like flowers are usually 10-15 cm across, and bloom from early November to the end of March. Although now cultivated in many areas, it originated in Hong Kong in 1880 and apparently all of the cultivated trees derive from one cultivated at the Hong Kong Botanic Gardens and widely planted in Hong Kong starting in 1914."

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauhinia_blakeana