I don't get the weather...while the rest of the country seems to be in meteorological turmoil, we're stuck on cluck in a state of perpetual May grays & June gloom. Not that that's bad - I mean, foggy and overcast is not unusual this time of year, but the cooler than normal temps certainly is. We've had some afternoon clearings the last couple days, but I actually have the portable heater on right now as I'm typing this post - what's up with that? We're supposed to warm up into the 90s next week, but we shall see...
Now, on to the fun stuff. As usual, Hana was on the prowl today for all things four-legged (i.e., squirrels, bunnies, gophers & lizards) and two-legged (i.e., birds), so when she started lunging under the jade tree at the corner of the garage, I thought, well there she goes again after one of those darned lizards. What else would be lurking under that fleshy shrubbage? Anyhoo, not thinking much about it, and after Gil had maneuvered Hana away from the offending area, I grabbed a bag of bird seed to traipse off and refill the bird feeders. Just as I rounded the corner from the garage, however, I very, very abruptly came upon this visage and proceeded to screech out some rather choice 4-letter words:
A few more critters around the grounds:
6/12/11 Apache Plume (Fallugia paradoxa).
6/10/11 Gooseberry-leaf Globemallow (Sphaeralcea grossularifolia), Tufted Evening Primrose (Oenothera caespitosa ssp. marginata), and 'Blue Flame' Giant Purple Sage (Salvia pachyphylla).
6/10/11 Palmer's Penstemon (Penstemon palmeri).
6/17/11 Mojave Sage (Salvia mohavensis).
6/10/11 Antioch Dunes Evening Primrose (Oenothera deltoides ssp. howellii).
6/10/11 Desert Columbine (Aquilegia shockleyi).
6/17/11 Oak Titmouse.
6/17/11 Pink Monkeyflower, a cross between Mimulus lewisii and M. cardinalis. Requires regular water, but is much hardier than the straight Lewis's, which hails from higher elevations.
6/13/11 Pink Monkeyflower.
6/17/11 'Georgie Red' Monkeyflower.
6/12/11 'Sunset' Monkeyflower.
5/30/11 Bush Monkeyflower (Diplacus aurantiacus). This one's native to our site.
5/23/11 'Red & Yellow #1' Monkeyflower.
6/17/11 Western Spiraea (Spiraea douglasii).
6/10/11 Hedge Nettle (Stachys bullata).
6/10/11 California Pitcher Sage (Lepechinia calycina 'Rocky Point').
5/23/11 Jeffrey's Shooting Star (Dodecatheon jeffreyi) growing with Stream Orchid (Epipactus gigantea) in a wine barrel.
5/23/11 Golden Yarrow (Eriophyllum confertiflorum - native to the site), White Sage (Salvia apiana) and Cleveland's Sage (Salvia clevelandii) along the fenceline.
5/23/11 Showy Penstemon (Penstemon spectabilis).
5/23/11 Eaton's Penstemon (Penstemon eatonii).
6/3/11 Island Pink Yarrow (Achillea millefolium rosea).
Now, on to the fun stuff. As usual, Hana was on the prowl today for all things four-legged (i.e., squirrels, bunnies, gophers & lizards) and two-legged (i.e., birds), so when she started lunging under the jade tree at the corner of the garage, I thought, well there she goes again after one of those darned lizards. What else would be lurking under that fleshy shrubbage? Anyhoo, not thinking much about it, and after Gil had maneuvered Hana away from the offending area, I grabbed a bag of bird seed to traipse off and refill the bird feeders. Just as I rounded the corner from the garage, however, I very, very abruptly came upon this visage and proceeded to screech out some rather choice 4-letter words:
6/19/11
Instead of a 4" lizard, Hana had flushed out a 4' snake. After my initial freak-out, I realized that there was no tell-tale rattle or triangular head on this guy to signify rattlesnake. In fact, this appeared to be a non-venomous Gopher Snake (exact species TBD), and anything that takes care of our gopher population is, in my book, a keeper! Unfortunately though, it looks like we'll now have to reenroll Hana in rattlesnake aversion training class. She went through the training about 3 years ago and is supposed to be wary of and avoid snakes in general. NOT!!!
A few more critters around the grounds:
6/15/11 Baby bunny on the back patio. The rabbit population is nothing short of phenomenal this year. So cute...but we've spent a small fortune buying chicken wire and Cridder Ridder to keep these guys from mowing down our plants.
A very tiny (Deer or Harvest?) mouse in one of the flower beds.
Now, onto the natives that have been blooming in the garden. The desert plants have, surprisingly, done well despite our overcast spring:
6/3/11 Mojave Sandwort (Arenaria macradenia) and Gooseberry-leaf Globemallow (Sphaeralcea grossularifolia).
6/3/11 Matilija Poppy (Romneya coulteri).
6/3/11 'Winnifred Gilman' Cleveland's Sage (Salvia clevelandii).
6/3/11 California Brodiaea (Brodiaea californica).
5/27/11 Crown Brodiaea (Brodiaea coronaria).
6/3/11
5/30/11 Rose Snapdragon (Antirrhinum multiflorum).
5/30/11 Woodland Strawberry (Fragaria vesca), naturalized in the herb garden. The fruits are really, super tiny and tart-sweet in flavor.
5/16/11 Clarkias (C. amoena, C. rubicunda blasdalei, C. purpurea quadrivulnera, C. unguiculata), which have reseeded themselves in this wildflower bed for the past two seasons.
6/12/11 Botta's Clarkia/Farewell-to-Spring (Clarkia bottae). Purchased the seeds from Larner's Seeds last year, and sowed them (along with Tidy Tips, Owl's Clover, and Birds Eye Gilia) in a new area I'm cultivating with native grasses (California Fescue, Purple Needlegrass, Clustered Field Sedge, & Eyebrow grass-Bouteloua gracilis).
