What Caught My Eye That Day

I liked the color of the grass. The sun did that.  A few minutes after this the sun left the area and this was nothing but deep shadow.
Osynium nigricans.  Closely related to
Sisyrinchium, and sometimes placed in that genus.  O. douglasii is native to California, but this one is from Chile. 

A purple Oxalis in the foreground.
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Dainty. photo OlsyniumNigricans7880_zpsbb8873d1.jpg Tunilla (also Opuntia) erectoclada. A pure, vivid crimson. 
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There was a war going on over this bathing spot between several hummingbirds.  A goldfinch arrived unaware of the battle and was attacked by this hummingbird.  The hummingbird of course won the spot.  
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Aloe thraskii, stately.  This one was slightly bleached by the May heatwaves.  Aloe thraskii is, in nature, found right on certain sandy  beaches of South Africa and is vulnerable to extremes of heat.  
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A blooming Cycad pushing out a new set of leaves, with a blooming Plumeria above it.  I could inhale the scent of the Plumeria from where I stood.  Beauty assault on the eyes and nose.  Ahhh!
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Didierea trollii, a relative of Alluadia procera.  Both are endemic to Madacascar, and are being wiped out by the human population for use as cooking charcoal.  
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Their thorns cannot protect them from our ravenous species.
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I liked the solitary red canna flower in the wide sea of green.
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Trichocereus or some such.  I'm not a cactus person.  Yet. 
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One of my favorite trees at the Huntington is the Kashmir Cypress, Cupressus cashmeriana (C. tortulosa).  This beautiful tree is a recent replacement for a far more spectacular one snapped off at the base by an errant microburst of wind in 1997.  A sensitive species that is badly harmed by hot, dry weather, which my garden has in plenty--otherwise I would plant one tomorrow today.
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That guy there at the end left the line to use his iPhone.  The other guys are waiting to throw rocks at the rabbits eating the grass.  No?  
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Just what caught my eye that day.

Comments

  1. Hah! I like your explanation for the row of statues. You captured some lovely images, but I especially am impressed by the hummingbird. I've given up on trying to get pictures of them, and now I just enjoy them in the moment.

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    1. Thank you Alison. I need a better lens for the hummers but yikes they are $$$.

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  2. Those hummingbirds are fierce! I've even had them swoop at me when I get too close to "their" feeder. I enjoyed your caption for the classical statues. You've given them new purpose suitable to the current day - what more could a statue hope for?

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    1. The goldfinch that hummer chased off was plain scared, even though three times the size.

      Sad is seeing human visitors walking along through horticultural splendor, oblivious to it all because they are staring at their phone.

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  3. Beautiful plants and garden spaces, I especially love the first image. Like your comment about the statues.
    xoxoxo ♡

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    1. Thanks, Dianne! Everything looked so green in the first picture--lately our region is very short on that color. Brown and grey dominates.

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  4. The guy looking at his iphone is scantily clad...wonder what he's looking at on there? What a fun post. I love hummingbirds but wish that they weren't so territorial. Seems like they spend more time fighting with each other about whose flower, feeder, bush it is than they do actually feeding on them.

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  5. Many lovely compositions here. The Kashmir Cypress has been on my radar lately...such a beauty.

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    Replies
    1. It might do very well for you there, where actual rain falls.

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    2. Yes, I have seen them thriving here.

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