Look what I just found! I don’t know if it’s an Anna’s or an Allen’s hummingbird. The nice thing about this nest location is we can see it through in the window. Incubation period for an Anna’s is 16 days, for an Allen’s 17-22 days. Stay tuned!
I was actually surprised when I looked up the planting date on this shrub; it’s only been in the ground for 2.5 years — it seems longer. Looking at pictures of mature specimens, I’m excited for the future. But now I’m wondering why we went with a cultivar, not a local Ceanothus. Perhaps it’s all that was available at the nursery?
I never really thought about a snail’s life cycle until today. They hatch from eggs, which I suppose is kind of obvious, but just something I’d never considered, until I wondered how a baby got so high up on the jade plant.
These are going in the ground today.
Leucadendron is a genus of about 80 species of flowering plants in the family Proteaceae, endemic to South Africa. We have the Wilson’s Wonder cultivar growing in a pot on our patio, where it looks good all year around, but especially when it’s displaying its yellow cone flowers.
Spent 10 minutes in the garden before heading off to work at Malibu Creek State Park. Just time to quickly record some of the sights and sounds.
I haven’t used commercial fertiliser in the veggie garden so far, instead relying on our home made compost. But some of the beds aren’t performing as well as I would like, so I’ve decided to try this booster, on the recommendation of San Diego Seed Company.
The bird bath camera continues to bring us surprises. While it’s a little tedious scrolling through the many, many house finch captures, it’s worth it when we see a new arrival. The red-breasted nuthatch is another winter visitor to our region. Like other nuthatches, these move quickly over trunks and branches probing for food in crevices and under flakes of bark. They creep up, down, and sideways without regard for which way is up. Such fun to see this one at the bath.
Seen on the wildlife camera, a new-to-us visitor enjoying a drink and a splash. We are in the winter range of the Hermit Thrush, and very happy to welcome this one to our garden, as they rarely visit backyards. I haven’t heard its lovely, melancholy song, but I’m keeping my ears open.
Salvia brandegeei, known commonly as Santa Rosa Island sage or Brandegee’s* sage, is a perennial evergreen shrub within the mint family. Initially presumed to be exclusive to Santa Rosa Island, one of California’s Channel Islands, it was later identified along the coastline of Baja California in Mexico. While facing threats from development and mining in certain mainland areas within its habitat, the population on Santa Rosa Island remains stable.
We planted one in 2018, in sandy soil on the ocean side of our house, where it’s exposed to full sun and salty winds. It’s thriving! Hopefully some of these cuttings will strike, and we can plant more of this lovely sage.
*Mary Katharine Brandegee (October 28, 1844 – April 3, 1920) was an American botanist known for her comprehensive studies of flora in California. When she married Mr Brandegee in 1889, the two of them walked 522 mi/840 km from San Diego to San Francisco for their honeymoon, collecting plants along the way.
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