Full moon hiding; overcast tonight. Sheesh, I’ve been cold all day! However, my Frangipani is blooming…
Archive for the ‘Gardens’ Category
Frangipani, ahhh…
Posted in Gardens, tagged Casita Colibrí, flowers, frangipani, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, plumeria on February 7, 2012| 4 Comments »
Going forth and multiplying
Posted in Animals, Gardens, Nature & Science, tagged Araneidae, Argiope, Casita Colibrí, Mexico, Oaxaca, orb weaver, photographs, photos on January 13, 2012| 4 Comments »
Remember Argiope, from my September 20 and October 8 posts? She has continued to hang around, catch flies, and do all manner of spidery things. However, four days ago, her web was abandoned…
Apparently, my screen door is the perfect place, in her mind, to lay her eggs!
A friend asked, how do I feel about having hundreds of little Argiopes hatch practically INSIDE my apartment?
I’m trying not to think about it, says I.
A shell of his former self
Posted in Animals, Gardens, Nature & Science, tagged Araneidae, Argiope, Casita Colibrí, garden, Mexico, Oaxaca, orb weaver, photographs, photos, spider on October 8, 2011| 4 Comments »
Remember Argiope from 2-1/2 weeks ago?
Turns out, she isn’t as sweet as she looks. Today, HE came, HE saw, and SHE conquered!
Leaving him a shell of his former self…
Within a half an hour, she had finished him off… leaving not a trace that he had ever existed.
And, she was alone again, naturally! Alone, that is, until their offspring hatch…
Going green, Oaxaca style
Posted in Environment, Gardens, Science & Nature, tagged compost, composting, Foro Internacional sobre Energías Renovables, International Forum on Renewable Energies, Isthmus of Tehuantepec, La Ventosa, Mexico, Oaxaca, renewable energy, sustainability, wind turbines on September 29, 2011| Leave a Comment »
At various times in her past, La Ciudad de Oaxaca has been referred to as the “Emerald City” and “City of Jade,” because of the green cantera stone used to construct her buildings and pave her sidewalks. On rainy days when sun seems to magically appear, I’m tempted to look behind closed doors for the Wizard of Oz.
Today a new kind of green is catching on. No, not money, green technology — though money most certainly figures into the equation.
Several, mostly international, companies have established wind turbine farms in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec over the past several years. And, anyone who has driven along the carretera (highway) down there, can understand why. However, I would be remiss not to mention, as a NACLA article explains, La Ventosa is a controversial endeavor.
Less controversial, was a two-day conference, billed as the first International Forum on Renewable Energies, held this week in the “City of Jade.” Organized by the Technological University of the Central Valleys of Oaxaca (UTVC) and the Statistics and Information Center for Development (CIEDD) of the State Government, its main objective was to raise awareness, share knowledge, and promote further research, dissemination, and development.
While panels, discussions, lectures, and workshops were held in the Cultural Center of Santo Domingo, outside, at the intersection of Constitución and 5 de Mayo, exhibits by the university students were set up for conference attendees and passers-by to see.
According to the information posted, above is a prototype solar thermal house, that harnesses the sun’s energy and utilizes “healthy for the environment” building materials of natural fibers to provide durability and thermal-insulation.
And then there was this one… close to this rooftop gardener’s heart:
The project explains vermiculture biotechnology was virtually unknown here until recently. California red worms were used to convert waste from San Pablo Huixtepec and obtain a dark and rich loam.
I confess, I coveted it! However, I really am quite pleased with the results I’m getting by freezing my green kitchen waste for several days and then mixing it with the, less than ideal, soil purchased from a local vivero (nursery). In a week, the organic matter has completely broken down and I’m left with great potting soil.
She’s baaack…
Posted in Animals, Gardens, Language, Nature & Science, tagged Casita Colibrí, film, garden, language, Mexico, movies, Neoscona oaxacensis, Oaxaca, orb weaver, photographs, photos, spider on September 27, 2011| 3 Comments »
Argiope’s neighbor (of Orb Weavers blog post fame) has returned! Two days ago I spotted the Neoscona oaxacensis (Ms Oaxaca, to her nearest and dearest) nestled among the leaves of a succulent in the pot next to her original home. However, no large round insect catching web was seen.
Apparently, last night Ms Oaxaca must have stayed up pretty late. This morning, when I came out to say, “buenos días,” I found her happily sitting in the middle of a brand new web.
According to SpidCat, the range of the Neoscona oaxacensis runs from the USA, down to Peru and the Galapagos Islands. They are not only beautiful and harmless, they keep the flying insect population down. So, if you’re lucky enough to have one in your garden, leave her be. If you don’t want to take my word for it, there was the study published in the California Avocado Society Yearbook (1980) that concluded,
…the significance of the orb weaving Neoscona in avocado orchards is probably not that they prevent dramatic population increases in the pest population or control the pests through the year. Instead, the presence of spiders, even in years of low pest populations, may dampen the increases in pest species during the later months of the season and serve as stabilizing agents to restrain the pest outbreaks during the interval between pest population increases and the numerical response of more specific parasites.
Anything that is good for avocados, is okay by me!
(ps) And now for something completely different… The answers to the Name that film quiz are:
- Birds of America = Vecinos y enemigos
- Brokeback Mountain = Secreto en la montaña
- Easy Virtue = Buenas costumbres
- Midnight Sting = El golpe perfecto
- People I know = Noche del crimen
- Tenderness = Asesino intimo
- That Evening Sun = Una historia de traicion
- Up in the Air = Amor sin escalas
Sorry, no prizes… just this bonus bizarre title translation my Spanish teacher contributed: Mrs. Doubtfire = Papá por siempre. Definitely a case of, lost in translation!!!
Orb weavers
Posted in Animals, Gardens, Nature & Science, tagged Araneidae, Argiope, Casita Colibrí, garden, Mexico, Oaxaca, orb weaver, photographs, photos, spider, Stalpelia gigantea on September 20, 2011| 8 Comments »
Clothing, tablecloths, and rugs aren’t the only things being woven in Oaxaca. The terrace has a new resident, an orb weaver spider (family Araneidae). I think, because of the stabilimentum (the white zigzags on the web), she is in the genus, Argiope.
She had a larger orb weaving neighbor in the pot next door…
Alas, after a couple of days, the neighbor disappeared and her carefully crafted web fell into disrepair. However, that left more food for Argiope.
Apparently, green bottle flies are a favorite, because this is one of several she caught in a single day. She’s chosen the perfect site for her home — in the garden’s previously blogged about, Stinky plant, attracting flies (aka, Stalpelia gigantea).
Sept. comes in with a BANG
Posted in Gardens, Home, Weather, tagged Casita Colibrí, CONAGUA, flooding, lightning, Mexico, Oaxaca, rain, rain storms, Río Atoyac, thunder, thunderstorms, video, weather on September 2, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Yesterday, the clouds gathered, the sky darkened, and about 5 PM…
And, yes, I did jump!
However, it’s no laughing matter for the farmers and folks who live near rivers. Río Atoyac, which runs alongside the heart of the city and which one must cross to reach the airport, rapidly reached flood stage and breached its banks in several places (Noticias has video). In addition, because the ground is already supersaturated, mudslides have already begun to occur in the mountains.
CONAGUA explains that the large area of atmospheric instability over the Gulf of Tehuantepec along with tropical depression 13 in the Gulf of Mexico (that’s the one threatening Louisiana), are the moisture-laden culprits.
Lush life update
Posted in Gardens, tagged cactus, Casita Colibrí, garden god, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, plants, succulents on August 27, 2011| 3 Comments »
Returned from the mercado this afternoon to find…
… a crack in the pot. Garden god bursting with pride???
Lush life
Posted in Gardens, Weather, tagged cactus, Casita Colibrí, garden god, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, plants, succulents on August 26, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Torrential rain by night; brilliant blue sky by day…
This is the way the garden grows during the rainy season in Oaxaca.
The Pupa and the Plumbago
Posted in Gardens, Nature & Science, tagged Butterfly pupa, Casita Colibrí, Oaxaca, plumbago, video on July 18, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Back on January 10th, I posted a photo of a pupa that had materialized on my plumbago while I’d been up in the USA for a month.
What I haven’t mentioned is that the next day, it moved! It began traveling up and down the plumbago. I ran inside, grabbed my new Canon G12, set it to video, and began recording. Video was edited, music was added, and the following resulted:
However, that isn’t the end of the story. I kept close tabs on the terrace’s new resident, checking daily, but no more plumbago strolling; the pupa remained firmly fastened to one of the branches.
Then on April 17th, over 3 months later, I noticed a significant change in the pupa…
A butt protruding? Was a butterfly in the process of emerging??? Daily observations continued… no change. I returned to the USA for a month, returned to find… NO change!
Finally, on July 2nd, I couldn’t stand it any longer. With the Skype encouragement from my friend G, I snipped the pupa from its home of almost six months and began a dissection; the industrial strength silk was peeled away and the woody chrysalis was cut into with my gardening shears… a hollow shell of the “butt end” and an empty cottony interior was revealed!
Colibrí and blossoms
Posted in Gardens, Nature & Science, tagged African tulip tree, Colibríes, hummingbird, Mexico, Oaxaca on July 17, 2011| 3 Comments »
A major source of entertainment these gray rainy days is watching the colibríes darting in, around, and through the African tulip trees surrounding my terrace; sipping nectar from the profusion of giant red-orange blossoms 3 times their size;
… chasing each other as they protect their turf (Hey guys and gals, there’s enough for everybody!); catching insects with their rapier like tongues; and pausing for a brief rest at the tip of a branch,
… but always on guard.
Flame trees of Casita Colibrí
Posted in Gardens, Nature & Science, tagged African Tulip trees, Casita Colibrí, Flame of the Forest, Flame Trees, Mexico, nature, Oaxaca, Tulipan on July 10, 2011| 3 Comments »
Way back in the very early 1980s, I was captivated by the PBS series, The Flame Trees of Thika, based on the Elspeth Huxley memoir, by the same name, about her early years in Kenya.
We had a black and white TV back then and so, if they even showed the “Flame Trees,” they never “registered.
However, here I am in Oaxaca, Mexico and I’ve got two African Tulip Trees (aka, Flame of the Forest) hovering over my terrace, bursting with color, providing a modicum of shade, feeding the hummingbirds, and adding to the enchantment of Casita Colibrí.
There was something about the sky, the light, and the trees this morning…
Stinky plant, attracting flies…
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, Nature & Science, tagged carrion plant, Casita Colibrí, garden, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, Stapelia gigantia, succulents on May 10, 2011| 5 Comments »
Twenty-four hours in the life of one of the more bizarre, and almost prehistoric-looking, residents of the terrace garden, a Stapelia gigantea…
Trying to identify this plant I did a Google search using the terms: cactus, stinky, flies, star flower… because it definitely smells gross, has incredibly large zebra striped star-shaped flowers, and is a favorite of green bottle flies!November, where did you go? Part 3
Posted in Gardens, tagged Casita Colibrí, Echeveria Pulvinata "Ruby", Jardín Etnobotánico de Oaxaca, John Pilbeam, photographs, photos on November 27, 2010| 1 Comment »
… and then there was the “Exploring Oaxaca for Mammillaria and Echeveria” lecture, sponsored by the Oaxaca Garden and Nature Club.
The lecture was held at the Jardín Etnobotánico de Oaxaca. The gardens are part of the magnificent old monastery complex of Santo Domingo, and have a storied history. The Dominican Order began construction in 1570; during the revolution, the buildings were used to house the cavalry; at one time it was “made available” to the Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca; and in 1994 citizens protested plans to turn the grounds into a luxury hotel/convention center. Oaxacan artist and benefactor, Francisco Toledo and his foundation, Pro-Oax came to the rescue. The original impressive underground cistern system was uncovered and put into use and an (almost) 6-acre ethnobotanical garden was established to preserve, protect, and propagate Oaxaca’s rich biodiversity, that has nourished the people’s and their culture of this valley for thousands of years.
The speaker, John Pilbeam, is from England and leads expeditions to Oaxaca every year in a quest to see various cactus and succulents in their natural habitat. He is a 70-year-old man with that wonderfully dry British sense of humor that he used throughout the talk… definitely not boring! I learned a lot, even the name of one of my favorite rooftop garden plants:
Echeveria Pulvinata "Ruby"
The icing on the day’s cake, was John sat next to me at the luncheon that followed at La Olla and we had several delightful conversations throughout the meal, including his stories of growing up in World War II, London.
If It’s Tuesday…
Posted in Gardens, tagged apartment, Casita Colibrí, gardening, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, terrace on May 11, 2010| 1 Comment »
… it must be time to water Casita Colibrí’s growing garden!
The 112 containers, from 6″ to 24″ pots and 30″ x 8″ x 8″ planter boxes decorating my entry and terrace, are brimming with one to twelve succulents and cacti. They are watered weekly with gray water — shower water, dish water, and rain water, the latter when and if it ever rains again! Oh, and then there are the 2 bougainvillea, 1 plumbago, 1 gardenia, 1 geranium, and pot of herbs, which require watering two to three times per week in this 90+ degree heat. Water is an especially precious resource here in Oaxaca and we tenants must pay for all water deliveries to our compound. So, in order to nurture my garden, everyday I haul buckets and dish-pans out through the terrace gate to my collecting barrel, a 32-gallon (not so sweet-smelling) plastic garbage can. The plants don’t seem to mind the hand-me-down, fetid, murky water — in fact, they appear to love it!
With a few exceptions, my original garden was propagated from slips lovingly cultivated by my neighbor G, from his own exuberant and thriving terrace garden — a garden so profuse that there is scarcely room to walk! When I arrived ten months ago, I was a disbeliever, never imagining that my terrace, too, could become home to a lush riot of greens, grays, magenta, red, yellow, orange, white, and blue.
An added bonus, besides (hopefully) filtering at least some of the exhaust from the diesel buses that race each other up the hill, the vegetation attracts a host of critters — giant friendly bumbling black bumblebees zeroing in on blossoms; geckos skittering across the pottery and terrace walls in the morning and afternoon, catching their breakfast and dinner; large brown crickets that like hang out in my “greens” recycling basket, not minding or even moving when I add more spent flowers and cuttings; and birds, including my home’s namesake colibrí, flitting back and forth across the terrace, chasing insects and sipping nectar from cactus and succulent flowers.
My garden never ceases to inspire, reward, and delight. And… the garden god watches over it all!
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