Nature Archives – Page 4 of 11 – Strength Of The Small

Dragonfly Invertebrates Nature Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Fall Blooming Beauties

By JM PerezOctober 27, 20182 min read644 views

It’s been a while since it rained, so we are grateful for Saturday’s much needed rain.
The weather’s great. The plants are thriving with their leaves changing colors and starting to fall. Somehow, I am missing the Raywood Ash tree this year.

A few of the plants in my gardens are blooming profusely this Fall. A variety of Daylilies, Trumpet Creepers, Roses, Mums, Snapdragons, Hibiscus and Gaura are still blooming. Many Hibiscus are not cold-hardy in the High Desert, so they have to be taken indoors over the winter.

Oddly, I find Mums the prettiest in fall, especially Orange Mums. They are one of my favorites plants and stunning blooming beauties.

I love Bougainvilleas for their stunning flowers and colors. I planted a few many years ago, they lasted a couple of years and died. While digging them out, I found curl grubs (the larvae of different species of beetle) feeding on the roots of the plants. I will give this plant another shot.

Snapdragon are also on my list of favorite plants. This plant will self-seed if its flower-head is left untouched at the end of the growing season. Just a few weeks ago, I had some white and orange flowers.

Baby Sun Rose cascading over the side of its hanging container.

Asparagus Plumosus look great in hanging containers and large planters. I have had the one below for six years now, divided and repotted a few times and they keep coming back every year. Be careful while handling the plant as its stems have thorns and the plant can irritate the skin.

Like a magnet, the rain brought out insects …
I spotted a large black bee, possibly a carpenter bee, collecting pollen from flowers.

I wasn’t always fond of Praying Mantises. However, many years ago, after finding out that they are beneficial garden insects, every sight of them became a breath of fresh air. I am an avid gardener, I planned my own landscape design and created my front and backyard gardens from scratch. I have so many plants and Praying Mantises as well as Ladybugs have been my garden silent helpers. While Ladybugs appear around Spring, Praying Mantises on the other hand have been seen all year round.
It’s amazing how they can turn their heads and look over their shoulders.

I found a dead dragonfly next to one of the Purpleleaf Cherry Plum trees and felt a little sad. What a beautiful and fascinating creature.

Wishing you all a peaceful and productive day.

Happy gardening!

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By JM Perez

Birds Nature High Desert

Baby Hummingbird

By JM PerezJuly 9, 20181 min read840 views

The first baby hummingbird hatched out yesterday and is as tiny as the size of the egg.
The baby hummingbird has dark skin with what looks like tiny yellow strands of hair on its back. The eyes are still closed and it has a short yellow beak.

Eighteen days later, our baby hummingbird has gained weight and put on real feathers. Its eyes are wide opened, its beak is much longer and darker.

Baby hummingbird left the nest for the first time. Realizing it had some difficulties flying back to its nest, we carefully picked it up and placed it back into the nest. I am sure its mother was grateful.

The second egg never hatched …

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By JM Perez

Birds Nature High Desert

Hummingbird Nest

By JM PerezJune 5, 20182 min read1.1K views

I have always been fascinated by hummingbirds and their sizes. I had wished to see a nest, an egg, baby hummingbird and wondered how their nests are constructed. Well, my wish came true early this morning when I almost destroyed the nest thinking it was an abandoned beehive.

Early this year I hung a shabby chic wall candle holders by the car port in the backyard to brighten and liven up those cool soiree nights. Little did I know that it would become an ideal location for a hummingbird to build its nest.

Their cute little nests are built out of small leaves and twigs, spider silk to bind their nests together as well as lichen.

The mother hummingbird patiently watched and waited for me from a distance as I peeked into her nest. A few seconds later, she returned to her nest to incubate her eggs.

A couple of months ago, my husband and I watched horrified, helplessly as a hawk trapped a bird sitting on her nest and devoured the mother along with her eggs. The bird’s carcass was then thrown to the ground. This hawk watched the mother bird for days and attacked when it was least expected. Despite the fact that the mother bird built her nest high on a pine branch, well hidden and surrounded by thick and dense branches, she didn’t get a chance.

Can you spot the nest on the picture below?
I hope this hummingbird nest is protected from the elements and from predators. I will be keeping an eye on it too.

We are looking forward to see the baby hummingbirds in a few days.

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By JM Perez

Nature Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Welcoming Spring!

By JM PerezMarch 21, 20182 min read640 views

I have been busy all morning tending to my climbing roses (Sweetheart Rose). I pruned and began training the rose canes to the double garden arches leading into my backyard. I will be purchasing another climbing rose and training it up the opposite side of the double arch.

The Ice King Double Daffodils are the first bulbs to bloom this year.

New Growth on Navajo Globe Willow and Photinia Fraseri ‘Red Robin.’

Azalea is blooming profusely in this Home Depot Lead Gray Resin Antibes Urn.

Siloam David Kirchhoff Daylily are finally emerging.

*Siloam David Kirchhoff Daylily shoots.*

I purchased a couple of allen + roth Fiberglass Urns and filled them with Asparagus Fern.

On Monday we bought two Purpleleaf Plum trees and some shrubs from Mark & Nellie’s Nursery & Landscape and had them delivered within a couple of hours. We planted them in the front yard and moved the Pygmy Date Palm trees to the backyard. I can’t wait for everything to start blooming.

We finally got rid of all the Desert Willows trees around our property except for the one at the end of the backyard, which I am training to grow as single trunk trees. My main concern with the plants are ants. They are fond of Desert Willow trees.

Hungry squirrels have caused a lot of damage in the garden lately. It is always disheartening to watch them devour fresh new growth and gnawing on pretty much anything they dig their teeth into. As new growth emerges from the Gaura Lindheimeri, those rodents have it completely devoured the same day.

It’s a peaceful day, the weather is beautiful.

Happy Spring Gardening!

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By JM Perez

Weather Nature High Desert

Good Start for a New Year

By JM PerezJanuary 10, 20181 min read639 views

Happy New Year 2018, dear readers! I hope your holidays went well and you received everything on your wish list.

The previous year ended well for our family. We are healthy, happy and for the first time I have lived in the High Desert, the weather has been just wonderful. November is usually the start of the rainy season in the High Desert and last year however, ended with no rain in sight (which means no messy yards/gardens and no weeds in sight either).

We were treated to the sight of a beautiful double rainbow stretched across the sky before the rain began on Monday morning. It rained and it rained and it rained. Lightly all day Monday and heavily on Tuesday. It was quite dismal, to say the least, but the plants and soil needed it.

Today was a beautiful, chilly day and the sun came out bright. The skies were clear and blue with a stunning view of the mountains from my backyard. They were covered in snow with thick clouds floating at the bottom.