Friday, December 21, 2007

Douglas Iris


Douglas Iris crp
Originally uploaded by jhhymas
Still yearning for spring, I see . . . This is my only native plant to survive the vicissitudes of our garden. I had a lovely wild fuchsia, much beloved of hummingbirds for its small, tasty, red blossoms. But alas, it proved as delicate as it looked. And my Ceanothus Carmel Creeper thrived for years before being watered to death by an automatic sprinkler when we were out of town.
The Chinese pistache trees along the street have produced a splendid crop of red berries this year. Now that the leaves are gone, they show up beautifully. I have been watching for something great--like a flock of cedar waxwings, or the mixed feeding flocks I see every year in November and December; they are one of the delights of living in this climate. But so far, nothing. Often they come after rain, and there hasn't been much this year. We are al worried about the weather, and wonder about the Sierra snow pack and our water needs.

red pistache berries--
finch, woodpecker, yellow-rump
feeding together
jhh

I have also seen in these flocks: flickers, robins, sapsuckers, and warblers too swift to identify. I love to show birds to my grandchildren.

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