Poppies, Poppies everywhere
Can you tell I love poppies? Here is California Orange Chiffon poppy in the early morning. At first these poppies are dark orange, then...
Anna's hummingbird visiting the Hummingbird salvia
Ah, here is an Anna's hummingbird in its namesake salvia plant Salvia spathacea "Hummingbird Sage". Hummingbirds and larger bees visit...
Milkweed sprouts
Yes, these look like aliens. They are new sprouts on one of the showy milkweed plants. I am so happy to see that not only the narrow...
Native birds on the garden fence
I love to observe bird activity, especially when they are very close by, and don't seem to care that I'm watching them. Above is a...
Hover fly approaching Heuchera Maxima blossoms
The California native Heuchera maxima“Alum Root” blossoms are so lovely and delicate in shades of cream and soft pink, growing on tall...
The house finches are back!
It definitely is Spring because the house finches are back. This is the first one I saw, a male. They have a distinctive song, that I...
First California Poppies in the garden
Doesn't this look like a lovely golden drop of sunshine? These California poppies reseed themselves all over the garden, so now there are...
Monarch resting on tree fern fronds
Last weekend, when the weather was dry and sunny, there was a lot of activity in the garden and patio. Birds were visiting all day, and...
First carpenter bee sighting of the year
Here is my first carpenter bee sighting of the year on our patio. It is a male Mountain Carpenter Bee Xylocopa tabaniformis orpifex,...
It was a Painted Lady
In my last post I wrote that the Black Phoebe ate a Checkerspot butterfly. But after observing butterfly activity in the native garden...
