Mayday! Mayday! Oh wait, sorry... May Day, May Day!
What's the difference these days? But, it is indeed a beautiful first day of May, 2022. Currently it's 74º F and during this pseudo-walk it was 62º-64º, sunny with a slight dingy gray haze just to remind me of where I am. Here are some pictures.
Once again the palo verde trees upon entering the local botanical garden are spectacular even though now about 1/2 the flowers we saw back on April 3rd lie withered on plants and the ground below.
I followed this monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) around for some time, or perhaps it was following me. It was kind of hard to tell. In the first image it's on a Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) tree while the second and third shots were taken earlier, back on the blue palo verde (Parkinsonia florida) trees.
Before I headed around the bend I noticed the spire on the century plant posted on this spiffy little blog back on April 10th had risen above pretty much everything else in the garden.
Onto the other side...
Verbena, also known as vervain or verveine was becoming a little sparse over the past several years but it appears to be making a comeback. Notice the happy carpenter bee in the second image.
Male Calypte anna hummingbird, affectionately known as Dusty, was once again reliably in his favorite roost. Although, he was a little busier than usual because migrating rufous hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus) have arrived and he seemed a little upset over their occupying his domain. So, lots of chasing going on.
This may or may not be a male rufous hummingbird. I was across the pond, about 30' away. It could be a male Allen's hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin). The flower is Iris pseudacorus, the yellow flag, yellow iris, or water flag. It's an invasive species and out-competes native riparian vegetation, including cattails... which have been way out of control in this little pond for several years. Back in 2017 it was Docken's and my understanding that the pond was going to be drained for a makeover. That never happened. Some bad stuff happened we won't get into. Docken was on the phone with me for the walk again today. In case anyone was wondering. Thank you Docken!
On a nearby bench, this western fence lizard was optimizing some direct rays of sunshine.
I ended up driving up the hill in search of birds of prey but it was very quiet. All I spotted was this sleepy mourning dove.
Look closely at its eye and you can tell it was trying to sleep.
That was it. I headed back home. Way back on March 11th I posted about, among other stuff, 13 Osteospermum plants I grew in a closet from seed and transplanted in front of the house. Just a few days ago I got my first flower. Everything I grow from a seed amazes me every single time--with that I'm like a child. It's like a secret... all those secrets.
Pretty, pretty pictures! The first image of the century plant reminds me of a waking prehistoric lizard. A few too many limbs, perhaps, but a big 'ol Lacertilia just the same. I absolutely love the dove. Beautiful shots. And lastly, your first blossom! Congratulations on the lovely little daisy.
ReplyDelete"Those who find beauty in all of nature will find themselves at one with the secrets of life itself." - L. Wolfe Gilbert
Great photos to celebrate May Day! All my camera caught was some poor photos of the mockingbird that's slowly stripping my blueberry bushes bare of fruit. He considers himself stealthy and, while he's not that, he does move faster than I do.
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