At roughly 250 years old, the much-photographed Lone Cypress sits on top of a granite rock that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. You can see it along the 17 Mile Drive that circles the Monterey Peninsula.
The Lone Cypress (Monterey, CA)
California Praying Mantis
There was a lot of excitement outside among family members. They discovered a praying mantis (Stagmomantis californiica) working its way along the driveway. One of us managed to relocate it to a shrub in the backyard where it would have a better opportunity to be the beneficial predator that it's meant to be.
Bellevue Demonstration Garden Dahlias
The King County Master Gardeners manage the Bellevue Demonstration Garden, also known as the Lake Hills Greenbelt Urban Demonstration Garden. Among the many plots is a section devoted to dahlias. There were two varieties that stood out. One of them had cream and ivory petals tinged mauve on the outer edges (top image). The other had peppermint candy... Continue Reading →
Botanical Ordnance: Cannonball Tree
A more fascinating tree I've never come across. It's more commonly known as the cannonball tree because its russet-colored fruits are shaped like and almost as heavy as cannonballs and give off an explosive sound when they fall and hit the ground. The fruit pulp inside is bluish-gray and attracts wild animals which eat the seeds that get propagated through droppings.... Continue Reading →
Moon Jelly
While cruising in Puget Sound waters on our friends' boat, I couldn't help but notice scores of jellyfish floating by. I'd never seen jellies in the wild, so it would be an understatement to say I was pretty excited. Even as we returned to the Quartermaster Yacht Club's dock, there they were again around the... Continue Reading →
Sunflower
This year, a fine stand of sunflowers appeared for the first time along an urban path in Bellevue, attracting many admirers, myself included. But, beyond the attraction to humans, there was a beneficial attraction of another kind.
Kilauea, Earth’s Seething Reminder
If we need a reminder that there is still turmoil beneath the Earth's surface, all we need do is visit the Big Island where Mauna Loa still periodically threatens with its lava flows and Kilauea releases gigantic plumes of volcanic gases. When the sun sets, the glow of the magma burning just below Kilauea's crater lights... Continue Reading →
Torch Ginger
Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, located 8.5 miles north of Hilo, has tropical plants from all over the world, but few of their flowering specimens match the beauty and spectacle of the aptly named torch ginger (Etlingera eliator) for which one of the garden's paths is named, and one of many ginger plantings in the garden.
Gecko
This guy might as well have a Cockney accent and sell insurance. Geckos are everywhere on the Big Island. Usually they're too skittish as photographic subjects, but this one let me creep ever closer until it too finally sped away.
First Among Equals
Among a stand of purple echinaceas (coneflowers), one of them dared to be different.
zoomeboshi 