10-18-2015 The last hurrah!

While we usually get a couple of miserable, rainy days during the fair, this year we're dealing with early serious cold, possibly going to frost by morning.

That's about two weeks earlier than normal.

Based on El Niño's location West of California, we can expect a wetter and colder winter. I just hope it's not any colder than last winter!

On the bad news front, my bees have been under constant attack for the last three days by other starving bees intent on robbing them. By the time I could finally open my hive safely, half of its vibrant population had perished and their food storage still plentiful just two weeks ago was all gone.
The inside looked like total devastation. I did some cleanup and restarted feeding but their chance of winter survival will have to be miraculous. Sad! they looked so good just a few days ago...before the invasion.

Tomatoes did not survive the 12 day rain but the rest of the garden is very happy after several weeks of drought. I still have some peppers and eggplants and that's it for summer crops! On the winter front, I lost some lettuce to the excessive heat earlier this month but the next batch is on its way and the winter crops look pretty good at this point in time.

Here are a few pictures of plants that will soon freeze. last chance, for a while to see nice, colorful blooms!

Wild bee! I am lucky to have lots of different kinds around. I have no idea where they lodge but am happy to see them.

The only banana flower this year! bananas don't like drought.

09-01-2015 Transition!

As I have mentioned in previous postings, a real gardener never lives in the present. He may be harvesting and keeping things up but his/her mind already is wandering a couple of seasons down the road.

So, while I still collect tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and ogle my Asian pears, a couple of the beds already have welcomed some winter crops like Brussels sprouts, Savoy cabbages, cauliflowers and lettuce.











At the same times, for the last few weeks I have been thinking about what to add or give up for next year, and shaping my blackberries to get more fruit next summer.

When I talk about transition, I should also expect temperatures to reflect better our getting close to fall but, as I stand in the middle of my garden, that sun feels as hot if not hotter than it should be now.

                        I guess I'll have to sow some patience as well!

Toad lily

Frog on a lily(pad)

08-04-2015 My garden's other denizens.(Some of them anyway!)

The garden always is a focus point for many creatures, the whole year long.
 Remember, it's a jungle out there!

We're pretty much done with nesting season now and spend more time with butterflies and hummingbirds.

Hummingbirds have been frustrating to photograph; they always act like they're on steroids but they love to face me through the glass door and hover at eye level.
They just never do it when I have the camera in hand.
The other camera shy birds have been the gold finches feeding on the sunflowers and echinaceas and I haven't had the patience to feed the mosquitoes for hours while waiting for the right shot.

Another one of those fast moving, camera avoiding flying marvels have been the dragonflies. I have noticed a couple of them the last few days and decided to try my luck.

Well, the one I followed must have been a female: she had me running all over the garden always taking off as I got close. After a while, I quit and decided to go in. "She" started flying closer, tempting me and, when I started taking pictures, I swear "she" started posing.

 This one shows details of their amazing wing structure:

Butterflies seem to have picked up a little bit from last year but not enough to bring us back to what we had just five years ago;

It's not all about insects, as some of you already know I have fox cubs playing soccer with my Asian pears after dark, a hive of honeybees and a number of frogs calling out in the sunset.

Finally getting the first figs. It seems to have taken much longer than normal. Still better than my favorite fig tree that froze to the ground and is now slowly regrowing for, hopefully, next year.

06-16-2015 101°F or 38°C

It is hot out there for those poor plants, especially the young tomatoes and cucumbers I just transplanted.

Right now, I work the garden only early morning till about 10:30 when the heat takes away the fun.

To spare you, here are a few pictures so that you don't have to go sweat it out to see what goes out there this time of year.

Does anybody have an "in" with Texas; I need some of their excess rain. Between the heat and lack of rain, I have to spend a lot of perfectly good drinking water just to keep things alive.

Self-seeded dill.

My favorite cherry tomatoes:"Cherry Roma". Very few of them make it to the house; they are the perfect snack!

Cleomes! Bees love them.

Blooming lettuce

Tasseling!

Small sunflower.

White on white! I see quite a few of those in the early morning.