Nuttall Woodpecker female in the Redwood Tree
Yesterday morning while I was clearing English ivy from our fence I heard a gently tapping. This happened when I was putting the cut vines and debris in a large bin next to the fence. At first it wasn't clear to me where the sound was coming from. I thought it was the sound of twigs scratching along the side of the bin as the debris settled in there. Indeed, it wasn't the debris. Looking up into our neighbor's redwood tree that towers over the fence, I noticed furtive movemen
Still visiting
Much to everyone's delight, there seems to be a population explosion of monarch butterflies in our neighborhood this autumn. Through nextdoor.com I've discovered that there are many others in the vicinity who are trying to help the Western monarch population by growing milkweed and planting more nectar plants. There are several monarchs that waft in the breeze, circling our house all day, every day. I recognize one by a hind wing that has a piece missing from its edge. Enjoyi
Northern Mockingbird and the Black Jack Fig
We have a Black Jack Fig tree growing in a large container on our patio, next to the Meyer lemon tree. This variety of fig tree is a semi-dwarf version, and can grow to 6 feet tall in a container. It is a hardy tree, producing fruit every year, starting from the first year we had it, growing rapidly from a little 12 inch sapling to 5 feet in height. The figs are very tasty, and the birds know it. The local Northern Mockingbirds are big fans of the figs, and will even devour t
Native buckwheat still blooming and lovely
The native buckwheat plants are simply the best to grow in our hardpan California clay soil. The very lovely red buckwheat Eriogonum grande rubescens is considered rare, and is native to the San Miguel and Santa Cruz Channel Islands. I purchased this one a few months ago as a little seedling. What a treat to see it flourish and produce so many flower clusters on 24 inch tall stems. Just when I was getting used to the rust color of drying Seaside Buckwheat Eriogonum parvifoliu
The White-Crowned Sparrows are back
Somehow I don't remember the White-Crowned sparrows arriving so soon in our garden, but according to the Audubon Society, this would be the normal time for them to arrive. They spend summers in the mountains and further north, then migrate south for the winter. I always feel honored when they spend time in our garden, foraging for seeds and insects. And what a treat this was, to see two of them sharing the bath. The photo was shot through the sliding glass door, so it's not t
Birds in the Bath
The birdbath certainly is THE place to be, both for drinking and bathing. Although the bath isn't very large, the Western Scrub jays bathe and drink there throughout the day. Aside from the occasional American crows, these are the largest birds to visit. While the Western Scrub jays make their presence known when they bathe, shrieking each time they emerge from a dip, the occasional Oak Titmouse is a very quiet bather. They are so quick and silent, that I have to be lucky to
New feeding grounds for the monarch caterpillars
This certainly has been an exciting and sometimes stressful week. Let's just call it the Chasing Milkweed adventure. Our milkweed plants are going dormant, yet the mama monarchs are happily laying eggs wherever they see milkweed. We had a total of fourteen monarch caterpillars, most of which seemed to be very close in age and size. I covered the pots with fine mesh to prevent the mamas from laying any more eggs, and to keep the nasty aphids out. Two weeks ago, I knew that the
Mamma Monarchs
Several monarch butterflies visit the garden every day, all day, as long as there is daylight. They flutter by, making stops on lavender, red valerian, the butterfly bush, and every other flowering shrub. There are at least two females and a male monarch. As you can imagine, this means that more eggs have been laid on our dwindling milkweed plants. I was going to cut down the few remaining milkweed plants last month, in preparation for their dormant period, and to encourage t
Yellow-faced Bumble Bee and the California Poppy
On a windy afternoon, a Yellow-faced bumble bee Bombus vosnesenskii, was determined to collect pollen from a California poppy. As the wind blew the blossom on its stalk, the weight of the bee turned the poppy upside down. The bee clung on to a petal. The poppy petals look like a giant umbrella, as the bumble bee gets tossed for a wild ride. The bee seems to be defying gravity here, standing in the middle of the poppy.
Bees enjoying the native patch
Bees visit the native patch in our garden all day. I'm so glad that I purchased these seedlings in August! The honey bee in the photo above is on a blossom of the California Aster Asclepias fascicularis. This aster is a host plant for Northern Checkerspot butterflies. This red buckwheat plant, planted the same day as the California aster, much to our delight, has been in full bloom for over a month, now. It is providing bees and butterflies with nectar and pollen. Here a digg
