This morning’s ecumenical gathering of the birds at the fountain — seen through my (dirty) kitchen window.
I think the orange one is a Bullock’s Oriole — the first I’ve seen on my rooftop garden.
Posts Tagged ‘garden’
Birds of various feathers
Posted in Animals, Casita Colibrí, Gardens, tagged birds, Bullock's Oriole, Casita Colibrí, fountains, garden, Oaxaca, photographs, photos on March 14, 2018| 7 Comments »
Don Quiote in the garden
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, Science & Nature, Travel & Tourism, tagged agave, century plant, flowers, garden, maguey, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, quiote, terrace on January 31, 2018| 16 Comments »
While scientists were in the process of identifying four new species of agave, an agave on my terrace…
June 28, 2017
… had a surprise of its own.
July 23, 2017
Seemingly overnight, from its center, a stalk (aka, quiote) began reaching toward the sky.
July 23, 2017
After awhile, buds began appearing along the sides of the stalk.
September 18, 2017
And from the buds, the rainy season brought blossoms.
September 27, 2017
The flowers opened from bottom to top.
October 21, 2017
Eventually, all the flowers browned and seed pods began forming.
November 19, 2017
Who knows what I will find when I return to Casita Colibrí next week. What I do know is that this agave is now dying — but there are plantlets waiting to replace it! By the way, quiotes have traditionally been used for firewood (Maybe for my chiminea?) and even to make a didgeridoo-like musical instrument. (Hmmm… I don’t think I’ll try the latter.)
Flocking together
Posted in Animals, Casita Colibrí, Gardens, tagged bird bath, birds, fountains, garden, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, terrace on January 13, 2018| 2 Comments »
This morning’s entertainment on the terrace…
Birds of a feather awaiting…
Bath time at the fountain.
Yippee, my turn!!!
Fun at the fountain is for the birds.
Eight-legged visitors
Posted in Animals, Casita Colibrí, Science & Nature, tagged Araneidae, Argiope, Casita Colibrí, garden, Mexico, nature, Neoscona oaxacensis, Oaxaca, orb weaver spiders, photographs, photos, spider webs on October 5, 2017| 6 Comments »
If you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to click away from this post.
You were warned, so I will continue… Two spiders, a Neoscona oaxacensis and an Argiope, have taken up residence on my terrace. This isn’t the first time I have played hostess to these two kinds of orb weaver spiders.
Neoscona oaxacensis (back)
Neoscona oaxacensis (underside)
My latest guests arrived a week ago and have been settling in ever since. Their webs are strung across neighboring plants, though the Argiope’s also extends across a walkway onto the deck. Unfortunately, a few days ago, I inadvertently walked through it but, undeterred, she rewove it in the same place. So I have blocked the route with an extremely spiky cactus, to prevent further human destruction.
Argiope (top)
Argiope (underside)
Aren’t my new visitors beautiful? By the way, they eat insects and are harmless to humans, so nothing to be afraid of!
Colors of Mexico
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, Travel & Tourism, tagged bougainvillea, bugambilia, colors of Mexico, flowers, Frida Kahlo blue, garden, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos on August 8, 2017| 4 Comments »
Two weeks ago, as the sun was about to sink behind the mountains to the west, I glanced up from my desk.
Light and shadow highlighted the Mexpost pink of the bougainvillea against the backdrop of a Frida Kahlo blue wall. Ahhh…
Reproduction cereusly
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, Science & Nature, tagged Black and white photography, flowers, garden, Mexico, Night Blooming Cereus, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, pistil and stamen, plants, stigma and anther on June 30, 2017| 1 Comment »
Late yesterday afternoon, it looked like a night blooming cereus blossom would burst open for it’s one night only orgy with the pollinators of darkness. I’m guessing the hours-long torrential tormenta that thundered over Oaxaca put a damper on the action. This morning found only an ever-so-slightly opened blossom. So here, in black and white, I bring to you, up close and personal, cereus reproductive organs in waiting.
If you slept through the birds and the bees unit of high school biology (or it was too long ago to remember) and now you can’t tell a pistil from a stamen or the stigma from the anther, check out this cool little graphic (also in black and white) from the American Museum of Natural History.
Framing the shot
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, tagged African tulip tree, Árbol de tulipán, Casita Colibrí, Flame Trees, garden, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, trees on June 24, 2017| 2 Comments »
A razor wire (aka, concertina wire) frame for an African Tulip tree blossom.
The rainy season not only brings lush greens, it brings the brilliant red-orange of the Árbol de tulipán to Oaxaca.
Guava grows on the terrace
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, tagged garden, guava, guayaba, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, Psidium rufum, purple guava, terrace garden, trees on June 15, 2017| 6 Comments »
What could be called, A terrace transformed – Phase 4, is currently underway at Casita Colibrí. A highlight is the addition of several trees, including a guava (known here as, guayaba) already bearing fruit. I see pitchers of agua de guayaba in my future.
Once this phase of my growing garden is finished, a blog post will no doubt result. Stay tuned…
Wild weather
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Gardens, Science & Nature, Weather, tagged garden, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, rain storms, storm damage, weather on May 23, 2017| 7 Comments »
A word to the wise, be careful what you wish for…
After almost two weeks of 90º+(F) temperatures, late this afternoon lightening flashed, thunder rumbled, gusty winds replaced still humid air, and on Tlaloc’s command, torrential rain and hail pounded Oaxaca city. Water began coming in closed doors and windows, plants and chairs overturned on the terrace, an empty concrete bag flew up and over a ten foot fence and across the forty-five feet of my terrace landing at my doorstep, and power went out for almost two hours.
This evening, at Casita Colibrí, plants have been righted, chairs have been retrieved and stacked, and flooded floors have been mopped. However, in other parts of the city, there are reports of trees and power lines down, massive flooding, and a roof collapsed at Central de Abastos. Initial news reports (en español):
Wistful
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, tagged flower of the day, flowers, garden, Mexico, Night Blooming Cereus, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, plants on May 21, 2017| 4 Comments »
This morning there were three… And, when I came out to greet my night blooming cereus, they looked wistful.
Remembering last night’s splendor? Or, reflecting on how fleeting their glory? Me? I’m appreciating their presence in my present.
Cereus small joys
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, Science & Nature, Travel & Tourism, tagged flowers, garden, Mexico, Night Blooming Cereus, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, plants on April 4, 2017| 4 Comments »
Friday night, around 9:45, I went out onto the terrace to turn on the security lights. But, who needs lights when my cereus was glowing in the dark, beckoning bats and other pollinators of the night?
By 9:30 on Saturday morning, the petals had begun to droop.
Saturday night, oblivious and readying for the dawn of daylight savings time, I turned the motion sensor lights on early and never gave the cereus a first, let alone second, glance. However, at 7:45 AM on Sunday morning, with coffee in hand, I went out on the terrace and couldn’t miss the show my night blooming cereus had staged while I slept.
Three hours later, the latest extravaganza had drawn to a close — but I see tiny buds waiting in the wings.
[There are] many other small joys, perhaps the especially delightful one of smelling a flower or a piece of fruit, of listening to one’s own or others’ voices, of hearkening to the prattle of children. And a tune being hummed or whistled in the distance, and a thousand other tiny things from which one can weave a bright necklace of little pleasures for one’s life.
…
My advice to the person suffering from lack of time and from apathy is this: Seek out each day as many as possible of the small joys, and thriftily save up the larger, more demanding pleasures for holidays and appropriate hours. It is the small joys first of all that are granted us for recreation, for daily relief and disburdenment, not the great ones.
— Hermann Hesse on Little Joys
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Gifts from my garden
Posted in Animals, Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, Science & Nature, Travel & Tourism, tagged African Tulip trees, agave, birds, Casita Colibrí, caterpillars, flowers, garden, Mexico, Oaxaca, orb weaver spiders, photographs, photos on December 17, 2016| 12 Comments »
Last week, a friend of mine in California challenged me to post a nature photo every day for seven days on Facebook. I had participated in one of these challenges nine months before, posting mostly photos from the countryside. This time, I decided to acknowledge the gifts that Mother Nature keeps surprising me with in my rooftop terrace garden.
African tulip tree seen from my terrace, July 6, 2016
Neoscona Oaxacensis orb weaver spider, Sept. 9, 2016
Night Blooming Cereus early morning, July 21, 2016
Lesser Goldfinch (I think) on the terrace chain link fence, Nov. 12, 2016
Io moth caterpillar munching on plumeria leaf, Oct. 31, 2016
Hibiscus flower taken Oct. 19, 2016
Agave and Stapelia gigantia early evening, Oct. 24, 2016
And, in the spirit of the season, they are my gifts to you. Hope you like!
Rainy season star
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, tagged cactus, flowers, garden, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, Quaqua mammillaris on August 19, 2016| 4 Comments »
Yesterday morning, as I made the rounds bidding each of my plants a “muy buenos días,” peeking out from the bottom of one of my garden pots…
A star looked up and wished me a very good morning.
A Quaqua mammillaris flower for Cee’s photo challenge.
Nourishing body and soul
Posted in Animals, Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, Science & Nature, tagged bees, flowers, garden, Mexico, Night Blooming Cereus, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, pollination on July 21, 2016| 2 Comments »
This morning I was greeted by several flowers on my night blooming cereus, with one acting as a rich playground and dining room for a guest in the garden — a very welcome honey bee.
I have no idea how long she had wiggled and wallowed before I saw her. I stood mesmerized for a minute or two before running into my apartment to get a camera.
I continued to be intrigued by her industry and pleasure for another five (plus) minutes before returning inside — letting her continue in privacy, while I turned to my morning cup of coffee and bowl of cereal.
She may have been nourishing her body, but she was also nourishing my soul.
My entry in Cee’s photo challenge.
Stinky stapelia thrives
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, Science & Nature, Travel & Tourism, tagged carrion plant, garden, green bottle flies, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, Stapelia gigantia, succulents on July 4, 2016| 4 Comments »
Five or six months ago, I took multiple cuttings from my Stapelia gigantia and planted them in six planter boxes on top of my terrace wall. I used them to fill in around agave that I’d planted in the middle of each box.
Once the rains came, they began spreading their prehistoric-looking tentacles…
And, the flowers have exploded in their carrion-smelling bloom, attracting green bottle flies, as designed.
I think my stinky stapelia like their new homes!
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