This is a throwback to the end of our May 2018 excursion to Northern California. We had been on the road for several weeks and upon returning to our home, this Cactus Wren posed on our big saguaro for this photo. Click on the image to enlarge.
Home & Garden
Repairing The Drywall
Hole in the Bedroom Wall to fix the cold water pinhole leak:
Same wall after “Handyman Jay” performed the mold/mildew abatement and treatment, installed new dry wall and paint. Like it never happened.
Red Bird of Paradise
Flowers Now Opening
Now that the 2023 Red Bird of Paradise Flowers are opening, the butterflies seem to know that they are available for nectar browsing.
These flowers dominate the courtyard in the summertime. This is one of the first to appear this year.
The “Red Bird of Paradise” a.k.a. “Pride of Barbados” shrubs are ready to “take over” in the courtyard now. More about these from Desert Tropicals:
The Red Bird of Paradise is a relatively frost sensitive Caesalpinia, and it is generally better to trim it close to ground in winter. This keeps it more compact without seeming to delay it in spring. The canes tend to freeze in all but the warmest areas, and even if they don’t, the new growth in April is somewhat ungainly. For this reason many gardeners cut the bush to the ground at the end of November, and it will grow back green and compact in mid spring.
A New Cholla Cactus in 3D
Sometime last year, we noticed a small protrusion of what appeared to be new cactus growth under the red rocks that cover the ground around our house. Eventually, this winter, the cactus had evolved into a two-prong sprout with each prong measuring six to eight inches in length. As of the emergence of spring, the growth has really taken off virtually tripling the size of the little cactus.
I took a side-by-side image of the cactus and made it into the anaglyph seen above. Click on the image to enlarge.
If you don’t happen to have your 3D glasses handy, you may view the 2D image here.
Flowering Hedgehog Cactus in 3D
Well, Spring is here and the cactus flowers are blooming. I composed this anaglyph image yesterday of one of our Hedgehog Cacti with open flowers on it. You will need a pair of red/cyan or red/blue 3D glasses to view the image in stereo. If you don’t have a pair, you can see the 2D image here.
