This is one of several clusters of paperwhite flowers now showing in the courtyard bulb planter. The tiny (½ inch) buds are closely related to daffodils which are in the same planter but have not come up as of yet. Perhaps they will in a week or two. The temperatures have turned very spring-like for mid-February. Click on the image to enlarge.
I have the pop-outs deployed and the awning extended on the ‘Roadrunner’ as it sits in the RV driveway, because we’re currently preparing for a medium-length excursion to visit our new grandson and then some friends that live by the Colorado River. I have everything popped-out so we have enough room inside while we’re storing the items we’re taking with us; items such as food, beverages, toiletries, pet supplies and the like.
This time out, we’re going to be “on-the-road hosts,” inasmuch as we are planning to feed our family and friends by preparing dinners in the RV. I have already stocked up the on-board freezer with steaks and some give-away bottles of homemade Limoncello. Verna and I are going shopping shortly before we head over to California and will have more items for the Fridge and pantry.
It’s going to be a lot of fun. We will post plenty of pictures of the events both here and on the FecesBook® thing.
It doesn’t matter what the season might be, but the cardinals are always visible. Unlike many of the other desert critters that blend in with the colors of the desert (some changing with the colors from season to season), the vivid coloration of the wide ranging Northern Cardinal (cardinalis cardinalis) is always bright and easily observable.
From Wikipedia:
The northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) is a North American bird in the genus Cardinalis; it is also known colloquially as the redbird or common cardinal. It can be found in southern Canada, through the eastern United States from Maine to Texas and south through Mexico. It is found in woodlands, gardens, shrublands, and swamps.
The northern cardinal is a mid-sized songbird with a body length of 21 cm (8.3 in). It has a distinctive crest on the head and a mask on the face which is black in the male and gray in the female. The male is a vibrant red, while the female is a dull reddish olive. The northern cardinal is mainly granivorous, but also feeds on insects and fruit. The male behaves territorially, marking out his territory with song. During courtship, the male feeds seed to the female beak-to-beak. A clutch of three to four eggs is laid, and two to four clutches are produced each year. It was once prized as a pet, but its sale as a cage bird was banned in the United States by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.
Click on the image to enlarge.
Sometimes the Mama or the Daddy lets me jump up on the patio spa so I can keep watch for the critters that come here. When I see a road runner or a rabbit, I bark at it. When I see a javelina, I REALLY bark at it. Or them.
When I am done watching, I go in the house and someone gives me a treat. Click on me to make me bigger.
Lots of paperwhite flowers blooming in the courtyard. Good sign that warmer temperatures are coming. We might have some showers by the first of the week which the flowers (and all of the desert) will appreciate. Click on the image to enlarge.
I will have photos of daffodils very soon. They have started to appear at the flower concession at the supermarket.
We saw, but did not buy these beautiful Miltoniopsis Orchids in the flower concession at the supermarket last week. I did not have my camera, so Bob had to use his little pocket camera he carries most everywhere to get this picture. Click on the image to enlarge.
A short article in Wikipedia describes this variety:
Miltoniopsis, abbreviated Mltnps in horticultural trade, is a genus of orchids. It consists of 5 species, native to Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Colombia. They are named after Lord Fitzwilliam Milton, an English orchid enthusiast. Miltoniopsis’s common name is Pansy Orchid.
Although the flowers are similar, Mitoniopsis differs from Miltonia by having one leaf to each pseudobulb, and a lobed column that is united to the labellum through a keel. In addition, the column is not concave at the base.
