Blog, Photo Wednesday

Succulents – Photo Wednesday

I took a close look at my collection of succulents, while watering them today. Despite the much shorter days, and low light due to grey skies for several days in a row… some of them are blooming. These little pops of colour are a treat.

Succulent Echeveria Bloom WL

Above: Echeveria, doing its thing… This is the grand-child of my original Echeveria plant. It is very productive and keeps “popping” babies in its “armpits” (the bends in the plant’s main stem). I pull the babies out of the parent plant, they even come with starter roots. Very vigorous and accommodating, that Echeveria…

Succulent 2 Bloom WLS

And this one, very dainty little thing.  Could be from the Euphorbia family, but I lost the tag, so won’t know the name until I return to that nursery and take a note of it. Meantime, I enjoyed discovering it in bloom today! Nice treat for November.

Blog, Just Because

Recon Deer

Reconnoiter (Merriam Webster definition):  to go to (a place or area) in order to find out information about a military enemy : to do a reconnaissance of (a place)…

Well, here is Mr. Junior Black Tail Deer (Odocoilus hemionus Rafinesque… if you want to get formal), doing a recon of my garden fence, at about 50 feet.

Fence Sitter WL

I took this picture of him from my kitchen window. Sure, he looks very relaxed and innocent. Don’t let that fool you. This wily black tail boy is just pretending to enjoy the afternoon sunshine, maybe waiting for the girls to go by.

But all along, he is checking out my fence, to see if he can jump over it, barge through it, or sneak under the gate.

We have an uneasy truce. He recons, and I surveil…

Blog, Just Because, Wanderings

Eyes to the ground: payoff!

November is a windy and grey month on the Gulf Islands of BC. The wind topples trees and causes power outages. This is sort of expected, and means that we rely on generators and fireplaces or wood stoves to stay warm, keep the fridge going, and have a light or two to read. And a purring cat never hurts.

All that rain produces all sorts of blossomings in the mosses on the forest floor.

The moss, which had gone “brittle” over the dry summer months, has now regained its emerald green lush and springy thickness.  And some version of it are blooming.
Blooming Mosses, November

Then, mushrooms are also making an appearance. On my morning walk, a couple of days ago, here is what I found next to the path…

November Mushroom

I have to admit that I don’t know the name of the cup-shape mushroom (although it could possibly be the brown-clustered ear cup…), nor of the little one that is poking up in the mosses, in the lower left corner of this photo. Obviously, I will have to start carrying the mushroom identification book, and highlight the ones I recognize.

Quilts and Photography