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Hints ..of Spring


Silas_Sancona

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More color ..and a pre-flowering peek at stuff at the old house

Randoms...


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White flowers always stand out a bit better when the sun is out, lol
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Blackfoot Daisy
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Penstemon ( Pic. #1 ) ...Aaand  Caesalpinia  ** ...Now Erythrostemon... ** palmeri (Pic. #2)  getting closer to showtime..

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Random stuff in the entryway side-bed perking up after a haircut.. Mex. Hats ( Ratibida columnifera ) ( Pics #2 and 3 ) standing much taller this year after cutting them back ( were laying over closer to the ground last year after i planted them ).. 2nd one just got it's haircut, so it is still  a little ragged atm. Some of the Mealy Blue Sage ( Salvia farinacea, wild strain ) planted here had scale issues going into the winter.. Gone now.

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Potted Tigridia  now out front, under each of the 3 columns of the front porch. Threw pieces of Bougainvillea and Mulberry twigs in the pots to ...hopefully.. deter the overly-enthusiastic Curved-billed Thrashers.. A native bird notorious for digging up plants ( inc palm seedlings ..easily i might add ) while digging around for bugs. Other two pots of these are just starting to emerge. Pleated leaves look very Palm-seedling like i might add..

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....And now,   a look at how the cacti in the old yard are doing atm..  VERY happy with how good things are looking, despite the weedy stuff,  egged- on by whomever Opendoor had spraying the yard last year while the house was vacant.  No worries about that since part of the front yard will be rearranged anyway once the city approves the home owner's small business plan for the house. Yes, they're dragging their feet, giving the homeowner a tough time about zoning issues.

Echinocereus.. trig. or coccineus,  ...yes, i still can't decide which it is..  ..and the shy-flowering specimen (pic. #2 ). Not looking so shy this year.


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Opuntias...

Beavertails.. The big clump anyway.. Other clumps are getting there too..


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...azurea and macrocentra..

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X Grand Mesa Peach ...A Waterwise Botanicals introduction..

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Stenocereus ..stellatus, ...i think.  Beefy as heck now..

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Can't wait for this surprise.. For those of you who have checked  in ( Personally not a fan of the terms "following" / "followers".. even if it doesn't seem all that rude of a term to some )  when i've posted about the cacti i planted there each year, you might recall how the "Lady Fingers " ( Echinocereus pentalophus ) i'd planted were very reluctant about flowering.. 

Helping my neighbor clear out some of the weedy stuff earlier, i noticed  it is gearing up to put on a show this year, for real this time, lol. 

An absolutely stunning cactus when flowering, so it finally deciding to is a big deal.  Forgot to check the other specimen planted on the opposite of the yard though.


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The Little Leaf Cordia over there.. G. coulteri, not pictured in this shot,   to the right, is looking good too ( seen in the background in the Stenocereus shots ) Cordia needs a light trim, which will be done when relocated, but overall form is what i was hoping for when i started shaping it in the first place..

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 Back at the house, noticed flower buds starting to push through the epidermis ( technical term used for the "skin" of cacti ) on my special Echinocereus X roetteri..   Good stuff.. :greenthumb:

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Caesalpinia, *** also now lumped in with Erythrostemon ** gilliesii  starting to look like more than a tiny twig.

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Edited by Silas_Sancona
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On 3/13/2023 at 12:02 PM, Rivera said:

Peduncles forming on the dudleyas, some bearing water droplets from a light morning shower.

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Since i see you're a big Dudleya fan..  A couple D. brittonii seen at a plant sale earlier today in Tucson.  May be holdovers from last year's sale at the same place, but can't be certain.  As much as i'd try these... ( grew a couple sps. back in San Jose years ago ) but imagine it is wayy to hot here. Would probably melt, even in shade here in the valley.

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Interestingly enough, though there are scattered populations of it up to about Pine / Payson, up in the mountains east of here, Graptopetalum  appears to completely replace Dudleya  from roughly Tucson, south into Mexico. Have to look out for the local sp. while sleuthing around favorite hangouts in S. AZ come summer.

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Many years ago on New Years day I took a hike on a trail going up on the north side of Camelback Mtn. I was surprised to find many rosettes of Dudleya arizonica. I don't know if they have been removed by hikers since then. For many years they were considered a variety of the common southern California species: Dudleya pulverulenta. But because they're so much smaller than that giant of the genus, they now are considered distinct. If you go down to the Cholla Bay region west of Rocky Point Sonora, they're also quite common, but they're not the bright white form found in AZ, at least the ones I found. Some species of Dudleya species have both glaucous and naked leaves, and sometimes they're found growing in the same area.

So Nathan, if you can locate that species it should do well if shaded thru the summer. Graptopetalum rusbyi is quite common in the shaded canyons from Lake Pleasant to the canyons north of Tortilla Flats. I've grown that species for years in AZ and CA.

Hi 75˚, Lo 43˚

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Casas Adobes - NW of Tucson since July 2014

formerly in the San Carlos region of San Diego

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6 minutes ago, Tom in Tucson said:

Many years ago on New Years day I took a hike on a trail going up on the north side of Camelback Mtn. I was surprised to find many rosettes of Dudleya arizonica. I don't know if they have been removed by hikers since then. For many years they were considered a variety of the common southern California species: Dudleya pulverulenta. But because they're so much smaller than that giant of the genus, they now are considered distinct. If you go down to the Cholla Bay region west of Rocky Point Sonora, they're also quite common, but they're not the bright white form found in AZ, at least the ones I found. Some species of Dudleya species have both glaucous and naked leaves, and sometimes they're found growing in the same area.

So Nathan, if you can locate that species it should do well if shaded thru the summer. Graptopetalum rusbyi is quite common in the shaded canyons from Lake Pleasant to the canyons north of Tortilla Flats. I've grown that species for years in AZ and CA.

Hi 75˚, Lo 43˚

Thanks Tom ..Good to know..  I remember encountering numerous populations of D. cymosa  near where i last lived in San Jose where i'd hike / plant sleuth often, ...and out east in rocky areas of Henry Coe. St. Park which exhibited both the " plain green / naked " look, and plants which had much more silvery blue farina on the leaves within feet of one another. Same with Sedum spathulifolium. i'd see everywhere out there.  Had both growing on a large lava rock for years..

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13 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Since i see you're a big Dudleya fan..  A couple D. brittonii seen at a plant sale earlier today in Tucson.  May be holdovers from last year's sale at the same place, but can't be certain.  As much as i'd try these... ( grew a couple sps. back in San Jose years ago ) but imagine it is wayy to hot here. Would probably melt, even in shade here in the valley.

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Interestingly enough, though there are scattered populations of it up to about Pine / Payson, up in the mountains east of here, Graptopetalum  appears to completely replace Dudleya  from roughly Tucson, south into Mexico. Have to look out for the local sp. while sleuthing around favorite hangouts in S. AZ come summer.

Do dudleya saxosa or d. saxosa ssp. collomiae exist in cultivation in AZ? I've never seen it in person.

The variability of glaucous vs naked leaves is a curious quality. Down the coast from me, there's a healthy colony of mostly naked dudleya in the shade of hesperocyparis macrocarpa in sort of a cypress leaf and dune sand mulch. Not sure if they're less glaucous because they're in mostly shade or because of genetic expression. 

Some dudleya are variable enough that I can't really identify them positively, and I'm told they may hybridize where populations overlap (like farinosa and caespitosa?). 

I've been looking for a copy of Paul H Thomson's Dudleya and Hasseanthus Handbook for a few years, but no luck yet.

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Chris

San Francisco, CA 

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50 minutes ago, Rivera said:

Do dudleya saxosa or d. saxosa ssp. collomiae exist in cultivation in AZ? I've never seen it in person.

The variability of glaucous vs naked leaves is a curious quality. Down the coast from me, there's a healthy colony of mostly naked dudleya in the shade of hesperocyparis macrocarpa in sort of a cypress leaf and dune sand mulch. Not sure if they're less glaucous because they're in mostly shade or because of genetic expression. 

Some dudleya are variable enough that I can't really identify them positively, and I'm told they may hybridize where populations overlap (like farinosa and caespitosa?). 

I've been looking for a copy of Paul H Thomson's Dudleya and Hasseanthus Handbook for a few years, but no luck yet.

That's an interesting question.. I too can't recall seeing saxosa, or any other sp infact ( aside from the britonii mentioned )  offered at plant sales, even during Cacti /Succulent society sales, here at least.  Might be a different story there in CA., especially at some of the bigger sales in SoCal.  I wouldn't be surprised if someone is growing them, though maybe just in their personal collection as a pose to sell.  I'll have to ask around.. 

Agree, can see properly ID'ing species as being more of a challenge in areas where several species grow / they can easily cross.. I'm sure DNA sequencing of plants along the coast could offer up some interesting results.  Even among cymosa populations i'd see fairly often, you'll have plants with flatter, more spatulate leaves, and others where the leaves are much narrower and more finger-like / longer ..and yet, from the looks of it's distribution, they are the same species, even if plants in the Diablo range are listed as a separate sub sp. ( D. cymosa ssp. paniculata )..

On the other hand, it is completely possible the narrower-leaved plants i'd encounter, esp. around Los Gatos / Almaden / Santa Teresa / Morgan Hill were Santa Clara Dudleya, D. abramsii setchelii,  rather than a variant of cymosa.. If they cross, no doubt  i'd seen variants between as well.

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The drought continues, but the plants are trying to recover. The meadow would usually be a dense carpet of blue with pink, scarlet, purple, and yellow poking through, but the flowers are sparse and trying to survive.

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First flowers on erysimum. Not a native here like erysimum capitatum, but some of our most common native butterflies are very attracted to this plant's blooms, namely the lady and admiral species. Early flower bract forming on salvia spathacea, visible against the fence in the background.

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Morella californica, awakened by warming temperatures and substantial rainfall, exits its dormancy with the formation of new shoots. This is a favored lepidoptera host plant in our garden.

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Finally, flowers open along a cascade of fragaria chiloensis behind a potted agave vilmoriniana.

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Chris

San Francisco, CA 

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Handroanthus impetiginosus  starting to flower both down in Tucson, and at a local nursery..  Specimen in Tucson ( pics 2 & 3 ) is from seed originally collected from a population of the species growing in Sonora, closest to the U.S. border.  Nursery stock specimens, much taller, are likely sourced from CA, most of which were likely descended from other populations of the species ..possibly in S. America.

Tucson specimen withstands both the occasional snowfall / sub 29F lows they see there every so often, and our heat.  While they may be.. i can't recall if flowers on other Pink Trumpet Trees i've observed through the years were fragrant. Flowers on the Tucson specimen are very fragrant up close..  Scent is similar to Daffodils, ...or various Berberis  sp.  except the scent on the Trumpet Tree is richer  ...Like rich sweet Chocolate, with notes of Clove, Vanilla, and Jasmine, ...wrapped in Baby Powder.

There's a clump of Ipomoea carnea below the Tucson specimen making it look like that tree is suckering from the base.

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Freesia peaking..

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..While the Penstemon ...palmeri ( pics 1 &2 ) and parryi ( pic. 3 ) get their show going.. Flowers on this palmeri are a touch smaller / dark maroon " streaks on the flowers themselves a bit fainter than other palmeri specimens i've seen, so the ones i have may be offspring off a plant that crossed w/ something else in the same garden.  Fragrant ..a defining,  Penstemon palmeri  trait, regardless.. Scent is Rose-like ..with hints of Clove and Vanilla.. To my nose anyway..

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Cacti at the old house really lighting up now.  Stuck a few Beavertail pads in a couple beds out front here as well while planting some other stuff yesterday. While many cacti can be intimidating to some, many Opuntia and Cylindropuntia sp. esp,   Beavertails, ( O. basilaris ), are much more "friendly".. While you still want to use tongs when cutting off pads to tidy up a clump, or for starting more, i can handle them w/ out getting too many Glochids ..the tiny, fiberglass-like spines many Opuntia produce,... in my hands.

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Caliche Globemallow and Brittlebush over there just about at peak bloom.

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" Fire Barrel " i left there getting Fat..

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What better way to ring in Astronomical Spring then getting another tree planted out back.. Tipuana tipu  was the winner in this case. Would've been awesome to plant a Royal Poinciana, but not gonna see too many of these around here until more nurseries start growing / selling them..

Looks deeper than it actually is..

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Inspiration for growing Delonix regia here is just around the corner..

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Delonix regia is easily grown from seed, if you crack the seed coat. I use some bonsai pruning pliers. All I do is place the center of the seed in the tongs, and squeeze until the coat cracks (it makes a noticeable pop). The seed will sprout a root from the narrow end. I use a moistened paper coffee filter in a sealed plastic bag. I do this with most legume seeds. Most Delonix species sprout within 2 weeks (usually faster). One thing about this genus that's different than other legumes I've tried, is that the seed swells as it absorbs the water, and you have to keep adding more until they sprout. If you can't locate any seed, I'll gladly send you some. I've got plenty, and they last for years.

Hi 79˚, Lo 56˚

Edited by Tom in Tucson

Casas Adobes - NW of Tucson since July 2014

formerly in the San Carlos region of San Diego

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1 hour ago, Tom in Tucson said:

Delonix regia is easily grown from seed, if you crack the seed coat. I use some bonsai pruning pliers. All I do is place the center of the seed in the tongs, and squeeze until the coat cracks (it makes a noticeable pop). The seed will sprout a root from the narrow end. I use a moistened paper coffee filter in a sealed plastic bag. I do this with most legume seeds. Most Delonix species sprout within 2 weeks (usually faster). One thing about this genus that's different than other legumes I've tried, is that the seed swells as it absorbs the water, and you have to keep adding more until they sprout. If you can't locate any seed, I'll gladly send you some. I've got plenty, and they last for years.

Hi 79˚, Lo 56˚

Appreciate the offer but still have a bunch myself ..for now at least, lol.  ..and about a dozen seedlings in tubes going into their 2nd year as well..  Need to start what remaining D. decaryi and pumila seed i have stashed in a box somewhere. Seedlings, 1 of each ...well, saplings now.. i started a few years ago have done fine outside all year in shifting shade. May need to find a home for the D. decaryi seedling this year.  Agree, germination is simple if seeds are scraped / nicked w/ a knife before sowing.

 

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A few for today...

N. side of the carport starting to light up.

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Beavertail, at the old house, really showing off now.

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'Couple of the other Opuntia there, easier to admire how much they've grown now that the taller weeds are gone, lol.. 1st pic i'm 99% sure is O. macrocentra.. 2nd, may also be a Black Spine,  but not 100% sure.

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Some poppies that managed to sprout, despite being sprayed last year.

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Calliandra californica... The specimen that always blooms, lol. ( Planted 3 there )

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9 hours ago, Foxpalms said:

Signs of spring in London.

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Nice straw flowers, but I prefer the normal flowers of all cacti over those.

Hi 70˚, Lo 39˚

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Casas Adobes - NW of Tucson since July 2014

formerly in the San Carlos region of San Diego

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2 hours ago, Tom in Tucson said:

Nice straw flowers, but I prefer the normal flowers of all cacti over those.

Hi 70˚, Lo 39˚

Would explain why it looked like that for a few months then, but thought it looked slightly different from when I planted it in November (colouration) and it looks more opened but that must have been the rain pushing it more open. The opuntias haven't flowered yet in my garden. However one of the gasterias have. I bought a bunch of cacti houseplants in November and planted them whilst they have done fairly well over winter that would explain why a few other have those looking flowers. Since that doesn't count in a few hours (when the sun comes up) I'll upload a photo of the flowers of the gasteria. Also do shops regularly put fake flowers on, because once the weather warms up a bit in April I plan to buy and plant more cacti outside and don't want the flowers on it if they are not real. Or is that something just the commercial Amazon plant stores do?

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34 minutes ago, Foxpalms said:

Would explain why it looked like that for a few months then, but thought it looked slightly different from when I planted it in November (colouration) and it looks more opened but that must have been the rain pushing it more open. The opuntias haven't flowered yet in my garden. However one of the gasterias have. I bought a bunch of cacti houseplants in November and planted them whilst they have done fairly well over winter that would explain why a few other have those looking flowers. Since that doesn't count in a few hours (when the sun comes up) I'll upload a photo of the flowers of the gasteria. Also do shops regularly put fake flowers on, because once the weather warms up a bit in April I plan to buy and plant more cacti outside and don't want the flowers on it if they are not real. Or is that something just the commercial Amazon plant stores do?

 If you have big box hardware stores like Lowes or Home Depot, they could buy from growers who "add"  straw ..or plastic flowers... to the cacti they sell to the stores.  I say add  since 99% of the time, the fake flowers are glued to the cacti ( ...or other succulents )  and when removed, ...the way most people try to remove them,  will damage the cacti themselves.  Best to avoid purchasing those, unless you're skilled enough to know how to remove the fake garbage w/ the least amount of damage caused in the process.

This sales technique is about as awful as the "technicolor" succulents that often appear in the succulent sections of the same stores.  ..There are no naturally neon Red, Blue, ..or Purple colored succulent plants.   Not sure if painting / dying them ..however it is accomplished...    hurts them physically,  but it is pretty lame regardless. 

Another thing,  those Blue flowered Phalaeonopsis  you'll likely also see for sale? Completely fake..  There are Blue-ish flowered species of Phals.. but the flowers are much smaller, sometimes fragrant,  and more pruple-ish in color than true Blue.  The fake blue ones will flower white -if or when- they flower again..  

Don't get Catfished buying plants.

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3 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

 If you have big box hardware stores like Lowes or Home Depot, they could buy from growers who "add"  straw ..or plastic flowers... to the cacti they sell to the stores.  I say add  since 99% of the time, the fake flowers are glued to the cacti ( ...or other succulents )  and when removed, ...the way most people try to remove them,  will damage the cacti themselves.  Best to avoid purchasing those, unless you're skilled enough to know how to remove the fake garbage w/ the least amount of damage caused in the process.

This sales technique is about as awful as the "technicolor" succulents that often appear in the succulent sections of the same stores.  ..There are no naturally neon Red, Blue, ..or Purple colored succulent plants.   Not sure if painting / dying them ..however it is accomplished...    hurts them physically,  but it is pretty lame regardless. 

Another thing,  those Blue flowered Phalaeonopsis  you'll likely also see for sale? Completely fake..  There are Blue-ish flowered species of Phals.. but the flowers are much smaller, sometimes fragrant,  and more pruple-ish in color than true Blue.  The fake blue ones will flower white -if or when- they flower again..  

Don't get Catfished buying plants.

I bought a mix of 10 random cacti off Amazon, so I won't be ordering from there again. Now looking at it on another one the purple looking  flowers don't look real. I usually go to plant nurseries, there's a good one on the south coast which has loads of opuntias in particular and I have never seen flowers that look like that on their cacti. There is a garden center in London that also sells those cacti with the flowers on, presuming they are not real, next time I'm there I will try and pick the ones without them on it since some of them don't have those colourful looking things on them.  Do you also know the name of that cacti in the photograph since it came in an Amazon mix it had no label? I'm guessing it's a Mammillaria or at least that's what I thought it was.

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8 minutes ago, Foxpalms said:

I bought a mix of 10 random cacti off Amazon, so I won't be ordering from there again. Now looking at it on another one the purple looking  flowers don't look real. I usually go to plant nurseries, there's a good one on the south coast which has loads of opuntias in particular and I have never seen flowers that look like that on their cacti. There is a garden center in London that also sells those cacti with the flowers on, presuming they are not real, next time I'm there I will try and pick the ones without them on it since some of them don't have those colourful looking things on them.  Do you also know the name of that cacti in the photograph since it came in an Amazon mix it had no label? I'm guessing it's a Mammillaria or at least that's what I thought it was.

@Tom in Tucson is far better than i at ID'ing so i'll let him take a shot..

 

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Sunday walk in the park..     Been so chilly lately, hardly anythins' blooming..      LOL

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Globemallow Galore..

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Really nice patch of Chuparosa..

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Banana Yucca, Trunking form.

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Bauhinia  lunaroides

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"Sweet Acacia Season" on deck.... Here,  there, ..Everywhere..

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'Squites and P.V.s also awakening from a slightly longer than normal nap.

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Random, from the house..
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Yerba Mansa..

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Potting up some Mamms today..

#1:  A M. grahamii that grew in too much shade last year, hence why it is really green and stretched out.  ...and ( harder to see, hiding between rocks at roughly the 9-o'-clock position in the pot ) one that decided to hitch a ride on my shoe ..where exactly it hopped aboard when roaming around the desert that day, i have no clue. Looked kind of dry, but did have a few roots ..so, we'll see what happens w/ it..

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Pot #2: Mammillaria fraileana  picked up in T-Town ..I really should have grabbed another, or 2. Maybe next trip, if there are any left.

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19 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

@Tom in Tucson is far better than i at ID'ing so i'll let him take a shot..

 

It's most likely a Mammillaria nejapensis. Keep it above 25˚ F, and give it full sun in your climate (assuming it isn't abnormally hot).

Hi 71˚, Lo 38˚

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Casas Adobes - NW of Tucson since July 2014

formerly in the San Carlos region of San Diego

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On the east side of my yard, some of the plants are flowering.

Walking Iris

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Caesalpinia pulcherrima planted around Thanksgiving 2022.

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Gardenia vietnamensis I know they are not as fragrant as Gardenia jasminoides but I can hardly detect any fragrance until I am within 2cm of these.

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17 hours ago, Tom in Tucson said:

It's most likely a Mammillaria nejapensis. Keep it above 25˚ F, and give it full sun in your climate (assuming it isn't abnormally hot).

Hi 71˚, Lo 38˚

Thanks for the ID. It doesn't get to 25f and usually there aren't many days above 95f. However that arid area does get a bit hotter, especially on sunny days. 

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5 hours ago, Foxpalms said:

Thanks for the ID. It doesn't get to 25f and usually there aren't many days above 95f. However that arid area does get a bit hotter, especially on sunny days. 

It would be wise to plant it in a clay pot about an inch larger in diameter. Use a soil mix at least 50% inorganic material (grit), and the rest finely ground bark, coir, or aged leaf mold. That way you can move it into shade on your hottest days.

 Hi 76˚, Lo 41˚

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Casas Adobes - NW of Tucson since July 2014

formerly in the San Carlos region of San Diego

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6 hours ago, Tom in Tucson said:

It would be wise to plant it in a clay pot about an inch larger in diameter. Use a soil mix at least 50% inorganic material (grit), and the rest finely ground bark, coir, or aged leaf mold. That way you can move it into shade on your hottest days.

 Hi 76˚, Lo 41˚

I planted it in the ground in November but if it doesn't do to well I will transplant it. Its in mostly horticulture sand, gravel, stones, a bit of compost and a bit of bark I didn't use any coconut coir. The average high for July and August (for the last 10 years) is only 77f here however some warm summers like last year it can average in the 80s. The summers also keep getting hotter and hotter in Europe despite maybe the odd cooler year but there usually is not extreme heat here like there would be in inland southern Europe. 

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Don't know if it belongs here as "sign of spring" but I thought this is quite interesting...if it's off topic please feel free to delete.

Yesterday morning up near by roof, I saw a lizard struggling with what looked like some fallen leaves.  It took a few seconds before I realized those weren't leaves. the lizard has caught not one but two butterflies.

I don't know how it managed to catch two butterflies at the same time, and it wouldn't let go.  It took a good ten minutes for that lizard to completely swallow both whole.

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14 minutes ago, miamicuse said:

Don't know if it belongs here as "sign of spring" but I thought this is quite interesting...if it's off topic please feel free to delete.

Yesterday morning up near by roof, I saw a lizard struggling with what looked like some fallen leaves.  It took a few seconds before I realized those weren't leaves. the lizard has caught not one but two butterflies.

I don't know how it managed to catch two butterflies at the same time, and it wouldn't let go.  It took a good ten minutes for that lizard to completely swallow both whole.

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The occasional inclusion of wild, non-domesticated Animal appearance here is fine, lol..  The Garden Visitors thread in Ohana Nui is also good too.  Anyway, 

Have seen Desert Spinys catch multiple insects at once, though not specifically Butterflies ..Ruddy Daggerwings -in the case of what the Lizard ..likely an Anole, in your shots caught-.
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/50283-Marpesia-petreus

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All photos taken yesterday at Año Nuevo State Park along the northern central California coast. While flowers are not yet abundant, signs of the early spring season are there. Apologies if I've misidentified anything. 

Salix breweri (Brewer's willow)

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Scrophularia californica (California bee plant)

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Freshwater wetlands, just east of the dunes. On the distant ridge, you can see the charred remains of pine forest. The CZU fire was caused by thousands of lightning strikes and burned much of this area from August to September 2020. 

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Blitum californicum (California goosefoot or Indian lettuce)

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This year, there's water flowing.

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A definitive sign of the season, weaner Mirounga angustirostris (northern elephant seal) pups lay on the beach and learn to swim in the protected pools of the rocky intertidal zone.

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Claytonia perfoliata (miner's lettuce)

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This area will soon be ablaze with the flowers of lupinus arboreus (yellow bush lupine or coast bush lupine), but for now here's the gnarly trunk of an old one.

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Edited by Rivera
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Chris

San Francisco, CA 

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20 minutes ago, Rivera said:

All photos taken yesterday at Año Nuevo State Park along the northern central California coast. While flowers are not yet abundant, signs of the early spring season are there. Apologies if I've misidentified anything. 

Salix breweri (Brewer's willow)

PXL_20230327_165042457.thumb.jpg.7f9f4d3044458d6ce8c922a7d55e5371.jpg

Scrophularia californica (California bee plant)

PXL_20230327_165502464.thumb.jpg.cada01b2e1b1227a19582088b049ddb9.jpg

Freshwater wetlands, just east of the dunes. On the distant ridge, you can see the charred remains of pine forest. The CZU fire was caused by thousands of lightning strikes and burned much of this area from August to September 2020. 

PXL_20230327_190048846.thumb.jpg.41e89fd417e60841d41d984ff3c0940f.jpg

Blitum californicum (California goosefoot or Indian lettuce)

PXL_20230327_171439054.thumb.jpg.40a986ba5490cbc233ab374cba223699.jpg

This year, there's water flowing.

PXL_20230327_174330848.thumb.jpg.a90aaf37c9a02405f7cbfaa690e7c2e5.jpg

A definitive sign of the season, weaner Mirounga angustirostris (northern elephant seal) pups lay on the beach and learn to swim in the protected pools of the rocky intertidal zone.PXL_20230327_182024963.thumb.jpg.c8de3d3d7239621b5b6cad748aa72942.jpgPXL_20230327_182035386_MP.thumb.jpg.ad64e7034bfb27e2b34ad30dd01f3482.jpg

Claytonia perfoliata (miner's lettuce)

PXL_20230327_171645623.thumb.jpg.7321299210d5ededb562221037b3c481.jpg

This area will soon be ablaze with the flowers of lupinus arboreus (yellow bush lupine or coast bush lupine), but for now here's the gnarly trunk of an old one.PXL_20230327_184151774.thumb.jpg.aa1bad94631692a8dac6e23e0a79501c.jpg

Great shots!  Nice to see pictures from the park.. Been years since i last visited.  Post-fire picture puts just how close the CZU Complex came to the coast into perspective.  

Wish i was out there atm  and could wander around where the other major fire that occurred the same year ( SCU ), east of San Jose / surrounding Mt. Hamilton, occurred ..to see what all the rain this year is bringing out in that area.

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16 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Great shots!  Nice to see pictures from the park.. Been years since i last visited.  Post-fire picture puts just how close the CZU Complex came to the coast into perspective.  

Wish i was out there atm  and could wander around where the other major fire that occurred the same year ( SCU ), east of San Jose / surrounding Mt. Hamilton, occurred ..to see what all the rain this year is bringing out in that area.

Thanks. While much of the fire burned along the ridge, there are some small groves that rise from the low growing scrub very close to the highway that are charred as well. 

I believe this is a local dwarf form of Quercus agrifolia (coast live oak), seen pushing bright green new growth. Pics from two different trees.PXL_20230327_191237806.thumb.jpg.eccf15c4608359312f58d8593a9b3886.jpg

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Chris

San Francisco, CA 

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1 hour ago, Rivera said:

Thanks. While much of the fire burned along the ridge, there are some small groves that rise from the low growing scrub very close to the highway that are charred as well. 

I believe this is a local dwarf form of Quercus agrifolia (coast live oak), seen pushing bright green new growth. Pics from two different trees.PXL_20230327_191237806.thumb.jpg.eccf15c4608359312f58d8593a9b3886.jpg

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Always amazes me how different the bark on some of our Oaks can look depending on height / how they're growing in habitat.. Some, like the first picture, have smooth-looking bark that could be mistaken for something non - Quercus.. 

Contrast that with some bigger / old Coast Live Oak across the street from a house i'd lived in for several years in Almaden / others growing elsewhere which had that classic, rough textured / deeply furrowed bark look on the trunk / bigger branches. 

On a side note, "Fun" is trying to get proper ID's on the "Scrub" Oak sps. / natural crosses encountered between the main species..

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28 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Always amazes me how different the bark on some of our Oaks can look depending on height / how they're growing in habitat.. Some, like the first picture, have smooth-looking bark that could be mistaken for something non - Quercus.. 

Contrast that with some bigger / old Coast Live Oak across the street from a house i'd lived in for several years in Almaden / others growing elsewhere which had that classic, rough textured / deeply furrowed bark look on the trunk / bigger branches. 

On a side note, "Fun" is trying to get proper ID's on the "Scrub" Oak sps. / natural crosses encountered between the main species..

When it comes to scrub oak, all I can really say is "Um... this is some kind of scrub oak over here."

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Chris

San Francisco, CA 

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A few today..

" Bluebell " patch on the side of the Carport. 

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" Poppy patch looking ok, ...Though between one -of a few- neighborhood Gophers plowing up some of the plants out there, and delayed regrowth after the roofers squished some, the patch isn't quite as nice as it could have been.. Awaiting what poppies are mixed in w/ the Phacelia in the Bluebell patch to flower ( Are hopefully the cream- colored ones i'd mentioned earlier )

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Annual spring stuff in this area of the  yard should finish up soon, just in time to get Cosmos and Sunflowers going in that area for the summer.  Some Mex. Hats ( Ratibida columnifera ) and possible Hoary Tansyaster in there already too. Both also flower in the summer / fall.



Couple things from the old house..

Opuntia rhodantha  " Grand Mesa Peach ", Supposedly a Waterwise Botanicals introduction, starting to flower.

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The shy-flowering Echinocereus showing it isn't so shy after all.. Flower color is a darker shade of glowing Purple / Magenta than the camera is picking up on. Flowers have both male/ female parts, so hopefully i'll get a fruit or two on it this year.

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Starting to see roots forming on the Turk's Cap cuttings i'd started awhile back.. Seeing this, decided to start another batch of cuttings for other areas i'm planning to add these. Hoping they'll root faster now that more sun enters / warms up this room.

IMG_0118.thumb.JPG.1689e1ef0df221f3648599434659505b.JPG

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54 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

A few today..

" Bluebell " patch on the side of the Carport. 

IMG_0119.thumb.JPG.6b610b7ceca6f8c48866435200b9d2d4.JPG

" Poppy patch looking ok, ...Though between one -of a few- neighborhood Gophers plowing up some of the plants out there, and delayed regrowth after the roofers squished some, the patch isn't quite as nice as it could have been.. Awaiting what poppies are mixed in w/ the Phacelia in the Bluebell patch to flower ( Are hopefully the cream- colored ones i'd mentioned earlier )

IMG_0121.thumb.JPG.1ad30ec4a91399e98e587b8ea84dabf6.JPG

Annual spring stuff in this area of the  yard should finish up soon, just in time to get Cosmos and Sunflowers going in that area for the summer.  Some Mex. Hats ( Ratibida columnifera ) and possible Hoary Tansyaster in there already too. Both also flower in the summer / fall.



Couple things from the old house..

Opuntia rhodantha  " Grand Mesa Peach ", Supposedly a Waterwise Botanicals introduction, starting to flower.

IMG_0128.thumb.JPG.c6cfc6daccdeb6cc67d6607232a18e1c.JPG

The shy-flowering Echinocereus showing it isn't so shy after all.. Flower color is a darker shade of glowing Purple / Magenta than the camera is picking up on. Flowers have both male/ female parts, so hopefully i'll get a fruit or two on it this year.

IMG_0124.thumb.JPG.bfc1c06d15332b0309553d3320c0b44c.JPG

IMG_0125.thumb.JPG.d726da0f57295ebfe975fb23f09f004e.JPG

IMG_0127.thumb.JPG.9398df12f84a0c9114b6697a848bc05b.JPG

Starting to see roots forming on the Turk's Cap cuttings i'd started awhile back.. Seeing this, decided to start another batch of cuttings for other areas i'm planning to add these. Hoping they'll root faster now that more sun enters / warms up this room.

IMG_0118.thumb.JPG.1689e1ef0df221f3648599434659505b.JPG

Gophers ate my Dendromecon harfordii

Chris

San Francisco, CA 

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3 minutes ago, Rivera said:

Gophers ate my Dendromecon harfordii

Oof, that sucks..  I'm always amazed that the little buggers survive in highly developed neighborhoods far removed from open fields / desert, etc.. 

Had one that would turn up from time to time at the old house.. Have -at least- 3 or 4 digging around the back and side yard out front.. But not the main area of the front yard.  Even caught one roaming around the other night and took it out to a park several miles away..  Was hoping it was the one that has been tunnelling alongside irrigation lines / gravel path areas out back, but,  ..saw activity from another Gopher the day after i relocated the one i caught. 

Oddly, -since he's considered a highly prey driven breed-, my dog doesn't seem to go after them. Grackles? ..fly overs from the neighborhood Ravens ..and Cats? ..he's on it, ..but not the Gophers, haha.

Odd too that it is only Grackles / Ravens that he chases out of the yard / as they fly by overhead. Any other bird?  ..they're allowed in the yard.  Doves, Hummingbirds, and Finches esp..

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" Shy " flowering Hedgehog ( Echinocereus ) at the old house.. Buds swelling on the larger E. pentalophus, so the wait won't be much longer.. Same w/ the other Opuntia  over there as well. 

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...What i'd assumed was a native Asclepias  turns out to be something kind of unexpected ..a Euphorbia species from the Plains States.. Don't remember tossing seed of it out there, but that doesn't mean i didn't..  Fine either way since i need more seed of this plant anyway.  Asclepias imposter, Snow-On-The-Mountain, Euphorbia marginata..

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In a nod to trialing a few select non - AZ / western natives which are supposed to handle some deg of heat / drought where they occur in the Plains,  these seedlings may be Goat's Rue, Tephrosia virginiana.. Also some Partridge Pea ( Chamaecrista fasciculata ) popping up in various spots out there. While Goat's Rue is restricted to the plains/ eastern U.S., Partridge Pea has been recorded from the grassland areas of S. AZ / adjacent New Mexico.

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Native Clitoria ( C. mariana ) starting to wake up .. adding a little red coloerd new foliage to the spot where i planted them.

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Plumeria it is planted next to is just starting to wake up.. Watching to see if it flowers this year.  Unlike another i'd planted out back, this one, ..one of the seedling plants i'd started years ago, had no issues w/ the chilly ..and wet at times  soil conditions this winter.. Yes it is protected a little more by the house / Olive canopy above, but since we have no gutters, roof runoff pours straight into this bed, and around this plant.



Mexican Tarragon flowering already..  Added Mexican Oregano, Lippia gravolens, to the side yard to further the Latin-inspired "spice" rack in the yard.  Almost time to plant some Basil in a few spots around the yard.


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In-ground planted Tigridia pavonia starting to pop up.. Can see the native Pipevine ( Aristiolochia watsonii )greening up in the background too.  We'll see how they all do as it gets hotter..

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Mealy-Cap Sage, one of the plants i'd cut back earlier.. Same plant that had a bad Scale infestation before i cut it down. Scale free now.

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Randoms...

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Desert Chicory ( picture #1 ),  and Uropappus lindleyi ( Silver Puffs, Picture #2 )  starting to set seed.. Can see the differences that make it easier to tell them apart when collecting seed to play around with..

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Just starting, but already have a good start on banking seed of both..

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Sea Lavender in bloom on the edge of the bluffs at the northwest corner of Encinitas. There used to be a field of it here this time of year..  a hotel replaced the bluff top field a couple of years ago. 

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33.0782 North -117.305 West  at 72 feet elevation

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Little bit going on atm.. Bluebells are starting the declining cycle as other stuff gears up..

Albizia sinaloensis waking up..  Some of the Bursera ( Not pictured ) are starting to wake up too..

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Erythrostemon palmeri starting to flower, ..finally, lol..

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White, and blush-backed Poppies finally showing up.. Not as vigorous as the standard variety this year.

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Bigger flowered of the Penstemon palmeri..  While it and the smaller-flowered specimen are scented, fragrance on the  big-flowered one is stronger.

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