#Crepe Myrtle Seed Pods

[swede1952]

Watch it!

This dark eyed junco, sitting on a crepe myrtle seed pod, looks like it almost lost itbs balance.

[calochortus]

Crepe Myrtle Seed Pods by Bernie Emmons Via Flickr: Lens: Laowa 65mm Dreamer 2X Macro - 15 Second Exposure Each pod is approximately .375" diameter. Since this is a totally manual lens, it doesn't record the f/number of the shot, but based on the exposure time, it must have been f/11.0 or higher.

[inthecityofgoodabode]

February 2023: The Week Of Ice

They were predicting freezing precipitation at the start of the week. My queen requested chili in advance: 

Around the backyard garden: 

Frozen thyme: 

Seen while walking: 

I interrupted a squirrel’s lunch: 

Curbside find - 13 pavers & 15 concrete bricks. They had been on the curb overnight & were frozen together which made loading them on the truck trickier than normal: 

[crudlynaturephotos]

[nutsandseed]

[horsesarecreatures]

Attempting to start crepe myrtle from seed. In October I collected seeds from various plants I liked on my walks with the dogs, including American dogwood, eastern redbud, crepe myrtle, arrowwood viburnum, some type of magnolia, American beech, black walnut, Joe Pye weed, rose mallow hibiscus, and horse chestnut.

Most are still stratifying in the fridge, but crepe myrtles don't need as long of a stratification period. After soaking them over night I decided to try and start them 2 different ways, in soil and on a paper towel. We'll see what happens. I've heard that they have low germination rates. I also noticed that when I soaked them some seeds floated to the top while others sank. Hopefully they're mostly still viable because they were picked fairly recently.

The shrubs I picked the seed pods from were a very hot pink, almost red. But they may have crossed pollinated with other crepe myrtles nearby. I wouldn't mind to get a mix of colors. If they germinate I will plant them down the shore because seem to do well in coastal areas.

[fulviomeloni]

Winter's ends by Otherly http://ift.tt/2EsyofQ #macro

[theotherpages]

Today's Dose of Nature

Late summer colors from the back yard - Zebra butterfly, Sulfur caterpillar (likely Orange-barred) on Popcorn Cassia, Blue Pea Vine, red Desert Rose, yellow Rattlepod, brown Sophora seed pods, white Milkweed Vine, red Ixora, etc. And yes, in the last photo, the Red Crepe Myrtle really does bloom that red. --Steve

[artbymeera]

Sketching the Pandemic Year 2020 - Week 11 march 8-14 2020 : We had made it back home safe and healthy. But the world over the magnitude of the health crisis was just starting to show. Having dodged the virus while traveling, our instinct then was to stay home just to be on the safe side. That meant observing nature in our back yard more closely and there is always something to watch, wonder and learn. The finches, cardinals and sparrows were happily feasting on the crepe myrtle seed pods. We have a table and chairs under that tree where we often lunch or sip tea. I saw these seed pods that fell from the tree - may be dropped by the birds on to the table - with the long dramatic shadows. Researching I found out that crepe myrtles are not native to USA but were introduced from Asia in 1700s. And it is an acquired taste for these birds :) The seed pods sketches were perfect against the coconut that is from the National Postal Museum- a coconut that was mailed from Hawaii by Raymond Boulder to his wife in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1944 during WWll ! He carved the address on the coconut shell and affixed the postage to a piece of cardboard that was attached to the coconut by a wire !! According to an article in Smithsonian June 2019, apparently there is such a thing as mailing a coconut - at the Hoolehua post office in Hawaii, ‘The coconuts are free, all customers have to do is payoff shipping and the USPS will mail their decorated coconuts to addresses around the world!’ Right now the question is when will we be able to check that out ? #sketchingthepandemicyear2020 #sketchbook #artjournal #smithsonian #smithsonianengagementcalendar2020 https://www.instagram.com/p/CPHcdn2HMnM6NxtHAEraT0Zhk70u-QAUvQnkwk0/?utm_medium=tumblr

[inthecityofgoodabode]

August 2021: Spawn Of The Monarch & Other Sights

This is the Mexican petunia that we propagated from cuttings off the plant in the front bed last Fall: 

We have several new generations of Eastern swallowtail caterpillar on our parsley: 

Eastern swallowtail caterpillar shedding its old skin: 

Swamp milkweed seed pods: 

Milkweed is a host plant for Monarch butterflies & we have caterpillars which I’m excited about: 

I can’t believe I didn’t notice them until they got this big: 

Sprig of chocolate mint right before I ate it: 

A great beer for a hot day in late August: 

Saturday backyard garden harvest: 

[inthecityofgoodabode]

November 2021: Drizzly Day

[inthecityofgoodabode]

The Misplaced Rage Of Gray Squirrels

Finally, another of our blueberry bushes is putting on its Fall color: 

When they took the pine trees down next door, my wife said the gray squirrels would blame us & retaliate:

Today, they broke two of the bottom branches on our buckeye: 

[inthecityofgoodabode]

A Beautiful November Saturday

My wife rearranged our flags this morning: 

The only remnant of the prey of a house cat or Cooper’s hawk:  

This bee was too quick. This is the only photo I got... but look at those colors: 

The mystery bulb put off some more growth. I’m pretty sure it is a hyacinth now:

Our chives think it is Spring: 

It hasn’t gotten cold enough to get rid of the mosquitoes: 

It was an unseasonably warm day with bright blue sky & fluffy white clouds. A couple of gray clouds floated over late in the day to remind me to temper my mood: 

[crudlynaturephotos]

[crudlynaturephotos]

[crudlynaturephotos]