It’s the first day of Spring and a lovely day. I took pictures of a few lovelies blooming in the garden this morning. Some Freesias, which are said to symbolize innocence and friendship.
According to Teleflora.com, the 7th Wedding Anniversary Flower, Freesia, is a symbol of trust and fidelity. Freesia is an antidote to the proverbial saying that the seventh year of marriage provokes restlessness. Representing faithfulness through the seasons, it’s a traditional reminder of love’s honorable character.
For about a minute, I watched a pair of Crows perched on a wire share a moment of tenderness.
Crows in Love.
This first day of Spring wouldn’t have been complete without the sound of the Female Nuttall’s Woodpecker drilling holes in a utility pole. Click here or here to learn more about this bird.
“It’s Spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want – oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!”
― Mark Twain
From my Garden to yours: Happy Spring and Gardening!
As I sit here typing and watching television, all I hear is Storm Watch in California on all the News Channels. It is a relief to know that California is finally set to get some much needed rain, which will help relieve the ongoing drought we’ve experienced since last Summer.
I put my gardening plans aside due to the cold and windy weather. What I did however, was walk around my property, taking pictures of plants, flowers as well as some creatures.
Grape Hyacinth.
My Grape Hyacinth are coming up around the base of my Rose trees.
Yesterday we had beautiful skies and a lovely view of the mountains. Today is somewhat cloudy with thick clouds surrounding the mountains. Will it rain? Will it snow? Everything is possible though hard to predict as the weather here in the High Desert has a mind of its own. I, for one, am always hoping for the best.
We had a fun weekend rich in discoveries, especially for my kids.
On Friday, while visiting Linda Marie’s Enchanted Treasures in Oro Grande, my son spotted a Paper Wasp.
According to Wikipedia, paper wasps are 0.7 to 1.0 inch (1.8 to 2.5 cm)-long wasps that gather fibers from dead wood and plant stems, which they mix with saliva, and use to construct water-resistant nests made of gray or brown papery material. Paper wasps are also sometimes called umbrella wasps, due to the distinctive design of their nests. Unlike yellowjackets and hornets, which can be very aggressive, polistine paper wasps will generally only attack if they themselves or their nest are threatened. Paper wasps feed on nectar, and other insects, including caterpillars, flies, and beetle larvae. Because they are a known pollinator and their diet of known garden pests, paper wasps are often considered to be beneficial by gardeners.
However, beneficial wasps can quickly become a nuisance to urban society. They pack a powerful, painful sting that can cause severe allergic reaction and even death in some human victims.
Paper Wasp.
On Saturday, while spending time in the backyard, my little explorer of a Son found what seems to be a Beetle with a stinger or retractable ovipositor (an organ located at the end of the abdomen used by female insects to lay eggs. It could also be used as a piercing, stinging organ in many parasitic species such as Wasps).
It looks similar to the Darkling Beetle, however, it was our first time seeing one with an ovipositor. I will inquire about this insect on WhatsThatBug.com. In the mean time, any information about this insect will be greatly appreciated.
Beetle with Ovipositor.
On Sunday morning, I spotted a Red-shafted Northern Flicker woodpecker on one of our next door neighbor’s tallest Pine Trees. They have red feather shafts and red on the underside of their tail feathers (as you can see on the picture below). The male and female differ in that only the male has red whisker marks. Unlike other woodpeckers, Northern Flickers prefer to hunt for insects on the ground. They eat nuts, ants, seeds, berries, beetle larvae as well as other insect larva. Click here or here to learn more about this bird.
Red-shafted Northern Flicker.
Thanks to the awesome weather, I did some gardening and got my hands dirty. I transplanted the last four Pendula Yucca sprouts to the new designed area in the backyard and my Mint into a large planter. My husband build a primitive wood planter for the “Peach Blossom” hybrid Oleander (the only I kept from last months giveaway). I removed spent fronds from my Palm Tree.
Primitive Wood Planter.
To top it all off, we spend our night looking at the stars under a gorgeous full moon.
Just last Friday, I had a personal encounter with a Dove. This morning I found a Many-spotted Hummingbird in my front yard. As I moved towards the little bird to take a picture, it started hopping and I realized it somehow injured its left-wing. Hummingbirds are small and extremely fast and I knew there had to be a catch for me to even get close to one. Not being able to see a nest up on the pine tree branches and unable to hear the sounds of other birds around, I couldn’t tell if this was a baby Hummingbird which fell out of its nest.
According to the website Defenders.org, the Hummingbird’s feet are used for perching only, and are not used for hopping or walking. The argument is that Hummingbirds cannot walk or hop because of their small and short legs. Had I not witnessed it today, I would have still been amongst those who believe it to be true.
The little bird hopped its way out of my yard (through the chain linked fence) into my neighbor’s front yard. I had just a few seconds to capture it from its back. I hope it finds a safe place to rest and heal.
Many-spotted Hummingbird.
Take a moment to check out the video below, behind the Scenes of “Hummingbirds”.
Today has been a productive day as we were blessed with good weather unlike what the Weather Channel predicted for the day. We finished putting in the last of the Privacy Fence Slats and we dug up and disposed of the rest of the Oleanders (except for the only hybrid “Peach Blossom” I owned). As soon as my husband builds a large planter, I will dig up the toxic beauty and move it toward the end of the fence, where I can still admire it without it being at close proximity to our living area. We are proud of ourselves for the progress we’ve made and we are relieved that everything’s coming together, one project at a time.
While out and about in Downtown Pomona yesterday, we stopped at the Pomona Indoor Swap Meet and bought three 24 inch whitewall Classic Cruiser Bike Tires for my tree wheeler. My dear husband changed the tires only to find out that I have two flat tubes. We might get lucky and buy them at our local Walmart or Target stores tomorrow. It would be nice to ride around with the kids before the Winter sets in.
For the past three days a murder of crows has been gathering on a tall pine tree across from my home. On the first day which was Thursday, they made so much noise that the tenants came out to see what the commotion was all about. They were at least thirty crows. Today, while working in the backyard, I couldn’t help but take a picture after my children noticed the flock flying around in circles above that same pine tree.
A Flock of Crows on a Pine Tree.
We had a wonderful time with the family as the kids enjoyed every single minute of their time outdoors. Tomorrow will be a new day with another opportunity to create memories.
By JM Perez
