Killdeer

Killdeer, Charadrius vociferus, Daylily Hills. A pair of Killdeer had taken up residence next to an artificial pond at Daylily Hills. The male attempted to lure me away from the foliage surrounding the pond with a classic broken wing strategy. I can only guess that there was a nest hidden in the surrounding brush. Killdeer are one of the most widespread of the plover family. Lest you wonder, the name, Killdeer, apparently is based on their call. Apparently, they are also capable of fluffing up and chasing large mammals like cows away from their nest.

Big Pollinators

Hummingbird, possibly an Anna's Hummingbird, Daylily Hill. Notice the bright yellow pollen on this hummingbird's beak? Hummingbirds are key pollinators in their native environments. Look for long tubular flowers with nectar on the bottom and there is probably a hummingbird behind it (or maybe a moth). This hummingbird was enjoying the abundance of Aloe flowers at Daylily Hills Flower Fields. Besides Aloe, Hummingbirds are generally necessary to pollinate Heliconia in their native South American Habitat. When these plants are removed to habitats without hummingbirds (or maybe even a particular species of hummingbird), they are unable to be pollinated. Thus, if you go to Hawaii, you'll see lots of Heliconia and you never see Heliconia seed (all planted by man). On the other hand, you will see wild Ginger and notably Ginger is pollinated by bees!

Golden Barrel Cacti at Daylily Hills

Golden Barrel Cactus, Echinocactus grusonii, Daylily Hills Nursery. Daylily Hills Nursery grows cactus and succulents over several acres of property. They have the grounds planted out with huge, mature cacti in broad swaths up the hillside. In the picture, you can see little yellow barrel cacti where bigger bretheren were dug out for sale. The full sized yellow barrel cacti were probably 3ft in diameter and there were a lot of them. Wow. Just one is dramatic but a whole hillside is amazing! They also had some really cool ponds done with vallisneria (water celery), watercress, bluegill and catfish that were a sight to see (in another posting!).

As for barrel cacti, Golden Barrel Cacti are one of several large, barrel-shaped cacti that store water within their bulbous forms. During dry times, they shrivel down and use the stored water, only to swell up again at the next rain. They are fairly easy, if slow growing and like a well drained soil with lots of sun. They need very little water once established. They are also occasionally sold as pot plants. They are, however, not particularly pet friendly if your pet likes to play with your plants!