As we sat on the patio today, this colorful Gilded Flicker (colaptes chrysoides) helped himself to some of the seed bell we put out this morning. His mate (without the red cheeks) also helped herself to both the seed bell and a nearby seed feeder. We seem to go through a bell a day but the feeder lasts a few days before reloading. Click on the image to enlarge.
Notice anything different about our little house?
Verna took this (clickable) image this afternoon after the landscaping crew installed this 13 foot saguaro cactus in front of the house. In a couple days, I will post a slideshow of how they transplant a huge cactus like this one.
When they pulled up the driveway and I saw the cactus on the back of the truck, I turned to Verna and all I could say was “holy s–t!”
Verna is very happy with the new saguaro – there are several buds where new arms will eventually appear. There are also a bunch of flower buds where this cactus will produce several copies of the Arizona State Flower later this spring and summer.
This is probably my favorite desert shrub. The shrub is called “Red Bird of Paradise” or “The Pride of Barbados.” They are native to Central America, parts of South America and the West Indies. Desert Tropicals, a Phoenix based garden information website, has information on cultivation and care of these pretty shrubs. They recommend planting them six feet apart and after summer in November or so, to cut them almost to the ground to keep them compact. In mid-spring, they will grow quite rapidly to between six and fifteen feet high.
I took this photo today while we were in Glendale, AZ, doing some shopping. Very soon, we will be having our landscape contractor install several of these around our house. Click on the image to enlarge.
A few weeks ago, I planted some serrano chili pepper seeds in a little pot.Today, I took this picture of the first pepper. They should be ready to pick in another two weeks or so. Click on the image to enlarge.
When we returned from our visit to California yesterday, I found that I had missed our red epiphyllum flower during the week. 🙁 However, the pink epiphyllum was in full bloom. 🙂 Click on the image to enlarge.
A pair of my red and white amaryllis opened this week. This is a photo I took today of both flowers. Click on the image to enlarge.
