A flat-out glorious morning at the Huntington the other day. Warm, golden perfection. Wandering around gawking, I suddenly realized a plant I have always overlooked in the Desert Garden was 2013's It Tree, Cussonia paniculata. There, to the left of the Alluadias.
And walking around...check out that trunk!
Must be a really old specimen. Cool.
The usual beauties of the Desert Garden. The earliest Aloes of Autumn...
Aloe rubroviolacea flower stalk just emerging:
A Euphorbia looking plump and happy after months of summer warmth.
A check of the blooming Agave ovatifolia. There were bulbils on the flower stalk, and a couple of the bulbils appeared to be blooming.
Salvia leucantha is having a superb year. Oh! A hummingbird!
There! I'm guessing a male Black-chinned.
The early visitor gets the bird picture.
I couldn't get a good shot of the Pileated Wood Pecker, but it was interesting to see what the various parrots and such had done to that Phoenix canariensis--filled the Wood Pecker pits in the trunk with acorns and palm seeds.
The Mockingbirds were easier to photograph
Plants of course are even easier.
Cactus fruits looking like miniature pineapples.
Palms.
It was so early the sprinklers were still at work.
A Sycamore dropping foliage provides a sense of autumn.
Autumn is my favorite season, early morning my favorite time of day. Together, heaven!
And walking around...check out that trunk!
Must be a really old specimen. Cool.
The usual beauties of the Desert Garden. The earliest Aloes of Autumn...
Aloe rubroviolacea flower stalk just emerging:
A Euphorbia looking plump and happy after months of summer warmth.
A check of the blooming Agave ovatifolia. There were bulbils on the flower stalk, and a couple of the bulbils appeared to be blooming.
Salvia leucantha is having a superb year. Oh! A hummingbird!
There! I'm guessing a male Black-chinned.
The early visitor gets the bird picture.
I couldn't get a good shot of the Pileated Wood Pecker, but it was interesting to see what the various parrots and such had done to that Phoenix canariensis--filled the Wood Pecker pits in the trunk with acorns and palm seeds.
The Mockingbirds were easier to photograph
Plants of course are even easier.
Cactus fruits looking like miniature pineapples.
Palms.
It was so early the sprinklers were still at work.
A Sycamore dropping foliage provides a sense of autumn.
Autumn is my favorite season, early morning my favorite time of day. Together, heaven!
That's an acorn woodpecker caching acorns in the trunk of the palm. Such trees are dubbed cache or larder trees, and the woodpeckers defend them from potential robbers. The soft "wood" of the palm makes it relatively easy to drill holes for the acorns. If you ever get the chance to examine a cached acorn up close, check out the precision of the fit. They are really wedged in there. Beautiful photos of one of my favorite places.
ReplyDeleteI have seen a cached acorn in a Palm up close, and was baffled as to how they got it in there. Pretty amazing work!
DeleteI've noticed some aloes budding up around town too. Funny you should mention the cussonia...mine got large enough to plant in the ground this year, which I did, only to watch those gorgeous leaves begin to wither. I pulled it up after losing all the leaves and am not sure if it will recover. I'll comment about the azara here -- good luck with that! Maybe getting a big plant will do the trick. It is a beautiful shrub with that infamous vanilla scent. Last one I tried was variegated. How much shade it will need is the big question.
ReplyDeleteAh, sorry to hear about your Cussonia--didn't know they were fussy. The Azaras will be in shade. We'll see what happens. At least if they fail I can blog about it. A dubious reward, but there it is.
DeleteI hope someday to visit the Huntington myself! Your autumn morning tour is gorgeous! Love the mature Cussonia and especially the palm trunk's woodpecker holes filled with acorns and palm seeds. You got some gorgeous photographs! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteIt's easy to spend the whole day there. Multiple days, actually.
DeleteThank you for the unexpected trip to the Huntington this morning, so wonderful...
ReplyDeleteAnd sunny, sunny...
DeleteWhat are those bushy things at the top of the allaudia? Flower stems? I've never seen anything like that!
ReplyDeleteYes those are old drying flower stems. Quite a surprise how they bloom!
DeleteI love that Cussa--what? tree with the silvery leaves and cool bark. And wow, the hummingbird photos, not very easy to pull off. Nice job. We've officially launched into the rainy season up here in western Oregon and although it's only been a few weeks, I sure miss the blue sky.
ReplyDeleteRain? Real rain? Actual rain? Love rain. Want rain...
DeleteBeautiful pictures, thank you! Do you mind if I ask what sort of camera you use? It's nice that your pictures didn't get washed out by the bright sun.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rachel, it's a Sony Alpha 65. It was early in the day, so the sun being at a lowish angle prevented wash out.
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