Photos
Tropical Garden Late Spring
This is the view from my "office". It's a tropical garden that provides a shady transition between the front patio and water gardens up front and the private gardens and orchards at the back of the house.
Too Much Summer Squash
This is what happens when you don't pick your summer squash for a week
Video: A Mini Jurassic Park
You’d think as a snake that eats rattlesnakes, most of the other members of the reptile kingdom would give a king snake plenty of room. But then again, you're probably not a teenage western fence lizard.
What is this Plant?
Wandering along the shady east side of the acre today, I came across this in flower. The plant is a sort of leggy vine sort that's been growing there for years, but I've never seen it flower. Anyone know what it is? Update: Thanks to Reddit and /u/ArtsyPhartsyWoman, I figured out that it was a Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)!
Scallop Squash Coming in Hot
Anybody got any good squash recipes? A few warm days and the scallop squash is going bananas. I’ve already harvested half a dozen fruit and there's a least a dozen that'll be ripe in the next few days. Along with the Italian and yellow straightneck squash, we're up to our eyeballs in them.
First Snake of the Season
Snakes aren't uncommon here, but it's still a little freaky when you're just reaching down to turn on the hose and come face to face with a 4 foot gopher snake.
A secret path
I've been wondering how it is that our dogs can be down by the dry creek in one second, and up at the front gate terrorizing a delivery driver in the next. I now have my answer.
Giant Agave Flowers
The American Agave produces giant flower stalks that can shoot 30 feet in the air. The dried stalks are a favorite nesting site for acorn woodpeckers.
Blackberries Soon
The blackberry patch is coming in sweet and heavy. We'll be picking in a couple weeks. Last year we picked over 30 pounds and had purple fingers for a month.
Butterfly Iris is Beautiful Cover
Native to southern Africa (a climate similar to our own here in San Diego), the butterfly iris is well-adapted to the dry climate. It's also beautiful as well as tough.