this tattered tiger swallowtail is a remnant of summer...the purple cloud called lespedeza...
river birch bark at sunset...
autumn crocus.

want a treat?

the pink brugmansia is so pretty today...

the poodle enjoying the last warm days of the year.

today is probably the last hot day of this year, with temps in the high 80s. the brugmansia are still flowering, and i took this upward shot to give a new perspective.

here is my sister's prince of orange clivia. please note my considerable jealousy that, 5 years after our brother gave us each clivias, my sister's blooms like this and mine blooms not at all. all i can say is "wow!" (now wasn't that mature of me?)

sedum autumn joy is blooming now, after surviving major deer nibbling and liberal salting from proximity to the road. it is so common around here, because its indestructible. my neighbor's sweet autumn clematis, which covers about 12 feet of her hedge and almost looks like snow. the fragrance is wonderful. i just planted one in my garden, but it is not blooming yet.

a close up of beauty berry, which is a drought tolerant and care free shrub. here is a larger picture of the shrub, which i've had for 2 years.

garlic chives are taking over the herb garden. the caryopteris does not like all the rain we've been getting, but is finally blooming.

the deer have eaten half the buds, but the japanese anemone are still the most beautiful thing in the garden right now. morning haze softens the look of various greenery today.

gf is back from vacation, but believe me, there's nothing much going on in my garden! so, here are some shots of filoli gardens outside of san francisco. it's a nice formal garden, but i prefer the more natural perennial beds at wave hill in nyc.... here is a knot garden: a strange tropical plant in the lovely solarium:
and a classic shot of the pools.

pictures from julia pfeiffer burns state park in big sur.... the waterfall...

kingfishers are the pidgeons of big sur, begging for food and coming in close for a photo op. this passion flower was growing up a 50 foot tree! the flowers were twice as big as any i've seen before.

we were in big sur california today, and were surprised to see a condor right near a scenic viewing spot. the condor seemed completely unafraid of people and was wearing a tag that said "8." still, it was exciting to see a condor, and so i posted it here. hope all of you are having great vacations too!

blogger won't let me upload pictures, so here is a written update:
gf and fam are going on vacation for 2 weeks, and so will not post here.
the mouse weakened and expired.
all is well.

five years ago i took a look at the ugly, short yew hedge at the back of the house and decided to make it into a dragon. i just trimmed it today and it's looking better. the head needs to grow much more, and i've sort of give up on growing the lower legs. the tail curls around, but it's hard to see in this picture. in another few years, it should look pretty good.

mouse update: the baby mouse is alive and doing well eating cheerios mashed with milk. also, the deer spray is still working.

this morning i nearly stepped on a mom mouse and pup on the cellar stairs. the mom scooted off, with the pup attached to her teat. then my dau nearly stepped on this pup... which we think is too cute to kill. this one has already eaten and drunk off my fingers, and readily comes into a person's had. here he is held by dau, who has very small hands. i read that once baby mice open their eyes, they can be weaned, and i have started to feed this one milk and cereal. i guess when he grows up we will release him (her?) into the woods... if we can keep up on the feedings. we are going on vacation in a few days, and then it will be up to our neighbors. it's tough being an orphan!

crape myrtle, japanese blood grass, alliums and prostrate baby's breath, looking from the square garden to the house. the arisaema staked over the variegated solomon's seal in the woodland garden

this morning i saw the dogs nosing around under the bird house, ran over there and sure enough, there were two baby birds on the ground. one was very dead, the other seemed ok. i scooped up the living one, hubs grabbed the ladder, and i tucked it back into the bird house. it took the final step back into the nest by itself. the mom bird was very upset, below. what could have happened? a raider? heat too much? sibling rivalry in the nest? now i see there is one baby bird cheeping for food, and i'm not sure if it is the one i put back or not, or what happened to the third baby.

today there are 3 tiger swallowtails enjoying the buddeleia.

all this heat, but the baby birds in my garden are still singing for their supper! there are 3 of them... but my best shot, enlarged below, only shows two gaping mouths.
here is the mom bird. she was perched at this funny angle and chittering her dismay at my intrusion all the while.