Hot, Hot Midnight

Epiphyllum Midnight, blooming in the garden. Epiphyllums are easy to grow. They have awesome flowers. They are downright durable. I'm always amazed that you don't see more of these around. Perhaps they're not as popular as they could be because each flower only lasts a couple of days or due to the odd spine or two... Still, on a full grown plant, they bloom for weeks with bloom after bloom, making an incredible display.

Agapanthus or Lilly of the Nile

Agapanthus blooming in the neighborhood. This is one of the darker cultivars. They happen to grow grow amazingly well in Southern California although some cultivars are reported to survive up through zone 7. My dark clones and white clones have managed to interbreed resulting in a mish-mash of light lavender offspring that have sprouted up below them from seed. Consider it an experiment in Mendelian inheritance or perhaps in recessive mutations since none of the offspring were either white or dark purple (all being a more or less standard lavender).

Oh yes, Agapanthus, while called the lilly of the nile is neither a lilly nor from the Nile! They originate from South Africa as do Amaryllis, both of which do stunningly well here.

Mockingbird Body Slams Fledglings

Mockingbirds are fierce protectors of their nests and territory. Shown here is a Mockingbird body slamming a fledgling red tailed hawk. The pair of mockingbirds harrassed the pair of hawks until both hawks left. Talk about David and Goliath...

Juveniles on a Rampage?

Juvenile Red Tailed Hawks, Buteo jamaicensis, just recently fledged. Philip Unitt, Curator, Department of Birds and Mammals at the San Diego Natural History Museum, was kind enough to ID these two for me. They appeared to be variants of a red tailed hawk, to my novice eye, as the coloration didn't quite match the coloration of adult red-tailed hawk. Fledglings never even occurred to me as these are rather large birds (although it is that time of year...). Pretty doggone cool! There must have been a good nesting year, with the wet Winter we had, as there are four of these guys patrolling the canyon in back of the house. Imagine if you were a trying to keep four of these huge birds fed.

Red tailed hawks are found from Canada clear down through Panama. The can reach about 3.5 pounds and about 26" in wingspan! These were being pestered by two mockingbirds but that is for another day...

Parakeet to Good Home

Someone's pet parakeet has taken up residence in my front yard. Between the hawks and the ravens, I'm a little worried for it. It appears to be a young female. I've put out water, bird seed, some lettuce and a millet sprig but would prefer that it find a good home. If the owner (or other good potential caretaker) of this lost parakeet would like to come catch it....it's in my tree fern. Send email...

Lock Ness Monster?

Nessie shows up in the oddest places! Loch Ness Monster? ...or just something natural? Care to enter a guess?

Sticky Fingers or Nature's Natural Bug Trap

Drosera rotundifolia, Sundew, Cedar Bay, Alaska and a small spider both out hunting for prey. Sundews have a sticky, sweet nectar on their hair-like stalked mucilaginous glands that cover their leaf surface. The "nectar" attracts small bugs which quickly get enmeshed by the closing stalks where they are digested for their nitrogen. The bugs supplement the sparse nitrogen available in the acidic bog environments that these plants favor. These nifty little plants will propagate from leaf cuttings, given the proper environment, sprouting a new plant from the leaf section as might an african violet.

Save Gas Now!

Mini-car in the South of France (Nimes, if I recall...). I have no idea what mileage this tiny little car gets but it has got to be better than what I get! It is kind of cute. They are advertising for wood pools and garden sheds (just in case you were wondering).

Running Free on Dog Beach

Dog Beach, San Diego, in May 2010. If you look close, you can see my dog getting a head start on me off in the distance.

Seeing Eye to Eye

Green Sea Turtle, Chelonia mydas, Oahu, Hawaii. Friendly little guy passing a curious glance. While these turtles are listed as endangered and are protected, their numbers, perhaps because of that protection, have increased tremendously and they are becoming a common site, even at some of the busiest Hawaiian beaches.

Nesting Glossy Ibis

Nesting Glossy Ibis, Plegadis falcinellus. This is one of the most widespread species in the Ibis family, being found in parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas.

The Zen of Gardening...or Mystery Pleurothallis

Pleurothallis species mislabeled as Pleurothallis ruberrima. Okay, I admit it. I don't know which Pleurothallis species this is...so I'll take suggestions (lest I have to look through the whole group -- OMG). The fingers should give you some sense of size as to the flower. The leaves are somewhat spathulate. The flowers hang pendantly from the leaf axil.

Clearly I was not meant to be a finger model! In any case, you might wonder why I garden and why I seem to have an endless variety of plants in my back yard. It's partly because there is something soothing about watching plants grow and some sense of reward when they bloom. It's also because there is an inherent beauty and wonder in nature that is difficult if not impossible to duplicate by man-made efforts. I stake no claim as to how it all happened, leaving that to each of nature's admirers to find on their own. My only hope is that each of us can find the moments to participate in the wonders of this world and to bathe in the myriad diversity and intricacy that we are a part of.

On the Wild Side, Life in Miniature

Pleurothallis scurrula. Most of the Stanhopea have finished blooming in the greenhouse but the tiny Pleurthallis are just getting into full bloom as the greenhouse temperatures rise. These fern-like orchids have tiny flowers, some just millimeters across. This flower is around a centimeter high. You have to stop and take a serious look to appreciate these little guys.

How Do You Know When You Are TOO CLOSE to a MORAY???

Moray Eel, Waikiki, Hawaii. When a moray opens its mouth in a very personal and threatening way, like this one is, you are too close! In fact, this rather large moray promptly swam out of his hole and charged me. Moray eels tend to bite and tear, thrusting their body back and forth while their sharp teeth maintain hold. Generally, unless you're silly enough to want a picture, I recommend a wide berth.

Just Say Dole, Pinapple that is...

Pineapple Fields, Wahiawa, Hawaii. In the old days, working in the Pineapple fields was a rite of passage in Hawaii. All the high school kids worked for Dole over the summer canning and picking pineapples. Dole-Hawaii pioneered the hybridization of the modern pineapple from its original bromeliad roots (thus, you will not find pinapples growing in the wild). Thus, while pineapples were a economic force in Hawaii from the time of the Hawaiian Monachy, the role of the pineapple in Hawaii has greatly declined. Sadly, even high school kids couldn't work inexpensively enough to stop the migration of the labor-intensive pineapple business to Taiwan and the Philippines. There, pineapples are cheaply grown and harvested for the canning business and, ironically, even for the fibrous biproducts which are used for wallpaper and furniture. There are still a few pineapple fields in Hawaii, largely for the fresh cut fruit market but even that is under pressure from foreign competition.

Pineapple in Hawaii: A Guide to Historical Resources.

Buckeyes

Buckeye Butterfly, Junonia coenia. These little butterflies are found all the way from Manitoba down through Columbia, including, you guessed it, Southern California along the way. Their caterpillars are apparently partial to snapdragon, toadflax, gerardia. plantain (Plantago) and Acanthus.

Cooper's Hawk

Cooper's Hawk, Accipiter cooperii, out watching the bird feeder.

Mr. Mynah Giving the Photographer the Evil Eye

Mynah Bird giving me the evil eye at Makapuu, Hawaii.

Betty's Tattoo

Okay, Betty and Wilma have been really popular. Just in case you were wondering what that tattoo that Wilma was staring at really looked like, here it is. Could it be a Pterodactyl or maybe a stray plesiosaur? You decide.

Alligators in San Diego???

San Diego Alligator Lizard, Elgaria multicarinata webii, out enjoying the sun. The San Digo Alligator lizard is found along the San Diego region and then up through central inland California. While these little guys are normally active during the day, they may favor mornings, evenings and even nights during the hottest part of the year. Apparently, they are also able to swim, which, given those tiny legs, is not at all intuitive.

Trivia:

In Hawaii they have beautiful semi-precious olive crystals (yes, peridot!) in some of the lava formations and, on a few beaches, the sand is actually green with Olivine!

Lizards, in Hawaii, are considered good luck!

Copperband Butterflyfish

Copperband Butterflyfish, Chelmon rostratus, is native to coral reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It uses that beak to get into crevices to snack on small crustaceans.

Hot, Fresh Bread from the Patisserie, Boulangerie...or Brioche to Order

A patron purchasing goodies from the Baker/Patisserie/Boulangerie at the farmer's market.

Clematis

Clematis just waiting to be adopted by moi.... heheh...

Now, Here's Fred!

Betty and Wilma were such a hit, I decided to find Fred in the photo archives from the original pride parade in 2007.

Behr's Metalmark Having Sex in the Mission Gorge!

Behr's Metalmark, Apodemia virgulti (Behr, 1865), in the family Riodinidae (Metalmarks and friends...). These butterflies range from Central California to Central Baja and are threatened by habitat invasion by alien weeds. These two, however, are making sure that they are not the last of the species.

Much thanks to Dennis Walker and Michael Wall for the identification.

Tuberous Begonias

Tuberous Begonia. These like moist, well drained soil (think cactus mix) with a cool, dry, dormant period over the Winter.

Echinopsis

Echinopsis oxygona. The cactus are still in full bloom in the back yard. Shown here is one of the Echinopsis. Echino = Prickly; opsis = Appearance. Ironically, these are less spiny (is there such a thing) than some of their cactus cousins.

Echinocereus

Echinocereus blooming on the deck...

Daisies in a Cage

Daisies. Mission Trails Park.

Just the Bee's Knees...

Bee's nest. Mission Trails, CA.

Prickly Pear

Prickly Pear, Mission Trails Park

Graduating One Last Time

Okay, I admit it, school is fun! Last degree, promise.

Epiphyllum Aquarius

Epiphyllum Aquarius. I bought this a few years back but it is blooming for the first time! It's nice in a more delicate manner than its bolder, brighter colored bretheren.

The Epiphyllum Parade

Epiphyllum Ming Gold. Another awesome grower. This plant is positively huge growing in an extra big porclain pot. This is a little more coppery-orange than Cadet shown earlier.

Epiphyllum Cadet

Epiphyllum Cadet; Easy growing, floriferous jungle cactus. One of the best!

New Fish for the Aquarium

Spring cleaning for the aquarium and two new Angelfish (Pterophyllum). Angelfish are cichlids native to the Amazonian basin. The genus Pterophyllum has three species; however, the ones in captivity are likely hybrids based early confusion between the species and on decades of selective breeding.

Dahlia

Dahlias are in full season and what a sight to see!

Squirrel Gen 3

Baby California ground squirrels, Otospermophilus beecheyi. This is the third generation growing up in the back yard. They typically get bigger, get territorial and then move off to new turf.

The Amazing Adventures of Scrub Jay...

Adventures of the Western Jay (aka Scrub Jay, Aphelocoma californica). Western Jays are omnivorous, eating most anything from acorns to seeds to bird eggs and baby birds. This one is poking at a sparrow's nest trying to get a little snack while the mother sparrow stands helpless off to the side chirping madly at it.

California Quail

California Quail, Callipepla californica, dashing through the back yard with its mate (not shown). They eat miscellaneous seeds (including acorns!) and spring leaves.

Epiphyllum King of Yellows

Epiphyllum King of Yellows. Just like clockwork. It was May 2, 2010, the last time I snapped a photo of this same Epiphyllum! Not quite a calendar substitute but still, none too shabby!

Basking in the Sun

Basking in the sun on a nice, soft armchair. Food, sun and cushy armchairs...what more can you ask for?

Hooded Oriole

Male Hooded Oriole, Icterus cucullatus, from the pair that nests in the back yard under the banana tree leaves. Spring is here...

Mourning Dove

Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura, lounging on my railing. They're noisy, they're messy...but they are admittedly kind of cute.

Finals Are Almost Final

I'm down to the last class (tomorrow) in the last year of law school. It's kind of sad to see everybody go but it is also a relief to be finishing things up. Meanwhile, the weather has warmed up again, just in time to taunt you from outside the classroom windows. Oh wait, we were in the basement, weren't we? At least the long walk from the parking garage to class was just a bit cheerier.

Puffed Out to Stay Warm...

Western Scrub Jay, Aphelecoma californica, puffed out to stay warm in a cool coastal breeze.

Taro

Taro, Colocasia species, on a rainy day at the Hoomaluhia Botanical Gardens.

Up Close

Close-up of the Daisies at USD. Easy to grow, always in bloom and a riot of colors! What more could you ask for?

Spring Daisies at USD

Spring Daisies at USD