Gardening

Annie talked with me this morning and mentioned that it would be really cool if I posted some of the photographs that we've taken of our little hummingbird visitors over the past week.

So, in keeping with the wishes of my lovely wife, here is a look at some miniature, winged, wildlife:

Just came-in from the backyard...

In our new abode or, rather, the backyard thereof, we have discovered many wondrous types of things that a person doesn't really growing in their backyard...the lion's share being very aggressive and tenacious weeds. This being because the previous tenants really couldn't be bothered to give as much as a Tinker's "Damn!" about their own surroundings; and, according to those left behind, actually destroyed the property as much as they--practically speaking--could.

So much for the ghetto mentality. They're gone and we're here, so things improve.

Two of the things that have cropped-up in the backyard, that I really do want to preserve, are Shamrocks (basically huge flowering clover) and something that we really aren't sure what the botanists would refer to.

I've given myself over to calling it the "Bucket-o-Weeds"...



...because I keep 'em in a bucket, and they came-up as volunteer growth in the yard, here and there, among the weeds.



They are appealing to the eye, as you can see; however, I have no idea what they are, and have been searching for some sort of answer to that question. The Fullerton Arboretum Album has a photo of this flower but doesn't identify it beyond the appellation "Tiny Pink Flower."

It looks orange to me, and I was hoping to find the answer to my question in Latin terms.

[Digression]
I did see this article: Computer music system for my 1970 AMC Hornet, by Tom Jennings, while searching for information on this flowering whatchmacallit; which prompted the thought that, finally, MP3s have been assigned their relative and rightful place in the audio quality pecking order equal to 1960's AM radio in terms of ear-appeal. Then again, if you're driving a Hornet, you've got more problems than worrying about sound quality...probably just hearing the music is a major issue, so MP3s are probably (just barely) good enough.

In the 70's, I drove a Karmann Ghia and a Datsun pickup truck, so I know--first-hand--the trials and tribulations of trying to listen to Motzart and/or Boston in such conveyances. It ain't easy, folks.

Don't ask me why his article came back as one of my search results, when the search key was orange wildflower. It simply did. I chalk it up to the serendipitous unpredictability of Google that gives the search engine that nostalgic flavor of asking for directions to JPL from somebody who doesn't speak English very well at a 7-11 store in East LA. You could end-up in Tijuana if you follow such directions without thinking.
[/Digression]

At any rate, it looks as though these flowers might be Anagallis arvensis; a member of the Primulaceae family which blooms during the March - June time of year; but I really need to look into it further.

On Another Note:

These flowers don't vary much, except in mild color variations which stay pretty-much in the orange color range, with a bit of red/pink mixed-in; although, I did notice this particular sport a while back.



The blooms don't last very long, and I first noticed this more than a month ago; but, by the time I got back to the bucket-o-weeds, the bloom had fallen off and no others were to be found. The 6-petaled blooms are back, and limited to a single plant in the group of plants in this bucket--probably much along the lines of 4-leaf clover frequency, I'd imagine.



You can see that there are six distinct stamens in this photo.

I think that, when these plants go to seed, I'll make some mild efforts at preserving this trait in a bit of an organized manner.

Here's a couple of Independence Day presents for you (particularly the folks from Brook Lapping):


1280 x 1024

and


2560 x 1024

These are hot off the press, from our very own back yard.

Other background images may be found here.