Tag Archives: flowers

Spring Flowers

It’s warming up here, and many things are flowering. Pictured below is the very first flowering of the Felix Gillet quince. The fall-planted cabbages are flowering as well. I harvested most of the plants for sauerkraut, but let a few … Continue reading

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All These Flying Things…

…and a few more that wouldn’t sit still for the camera. One of my favorite things to do is to observe all of the representatives of Kingdom Animalia – the insects and reptiles and birds and amphibians and small (and … Continue reading

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Rapini and Other Flowers

A few days of warm weather, and most everything that can bloom is blooming.  Pictured here is rapini, and the rest of the October-planted fall/winter vegetables – broccoli, mustards, collards, cabbage – are throwing flowers like crazy as well.  They’re … Continue reading

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Bees to the Rescue

In a prior post, I speculated that the plum blossoms would be ruined, resulting in (yet another) bad fruit year.  As I wandered the garden this morning, I was delighted by the familiar buzz of hundreds (sounding like thousands) of … Continue reading

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A Few Flowers

It’s finally hot, and the potatoes have begun to flower.  They’ll eventually produce small fruits full of seeds.  Though the resulting seeds could probably be planted (though I’ve never tried), potatoes are typically planted from “seed potatoes,” which aren’t seeds … Continue reading

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A Beginning and an End

From the gardener’s perspective, flowers represent the beginning or the end of an annual’s useful life. Spring and summer annuals are generally planted for their fruiting bodies – think tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and squash, while fall and winter vegetables are … Continue reading

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Nelson’s Hairstreak

This particular plant is covered with these beauties.  I gave identification a shot, but realized quickly that I’m not very good at butterfly ID, so I wrote to fellow MG Kathy, who is a butterfly enthusiast and expert.  She identified … Continue reading

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Just Look at this Tiny Rose!

As previously mentioned, there are lots of these little native California wild roses around the place, and they produce wonderful little flowers.  This particular one grows in the vaccinium patch in pretty heavy shade, and during the summer (which hasn’t … Continue reading

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Busy Bees

Bees are busy working the lavender this morning.  Some days, there are a dozen varieties of insect nectar-seekers on this bush – European honey bees, native California bees, moths and butterflies – but this morning just the one.  I wish … Continue reading

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