On our recent vacation, we were in San Diego’s Balboa Park. At one point, we passed the reflection pond where koi and water lilies abound. I got this shot of a water lily as we strolled past the pond.
Not a Rainbow
I spotted this prism effect in the cirrus clouds during my after-lunch walk yesterday. It’s probably a fragment of a ‘Circumhorizon Arc,’ which is a chance alignment of ice crystals in the upper-atmosphere. The sun was out of the frame and high in the sky towards the upper-left, more or less at a right angle from the arc.
Manhattan Park Improvements
I’m not sure this is an improvement. This used to be a multi-purpose field with ball diamonds and soccer goals, all on a grassy surface. Lately, big trucks, dozers and cats have been grading the surface for who knows what. I’ll post a panorama of the final product later.
Devil’s Tongue
While cereus cactii varieties bear their flowers in the night, most varieties of barrel cactii produce flowers that open to the sun’s rays and close before sundown. They often open for several days in a row before withering.
The Devil’s Tongue Barrel or Crow’s Claw Cactus has pinkish purple or yellow flowers. This cactus is fairly popular in cultivation because it blooms very early, many young plants will bloom when they reach 4 inches in diameter or so. Our Devil’s Tongue cactus is about the size of a basketball.
Click on the image for a larger view.
Golden Butterfly
It’s been a weekend for butterflies in our back yard. Unlike yesterday’s yellow butterfly on purple petals, this golden butterfly among golden petals was a bit more difficult to spot. This is a good example of natural camouflage if I’ve ever seen it.
Panorama and Butterfly
Verna was in the back yard working today and a little butterfly fluttered into view. She was ready with her camera and got a shot of it (inset in the panorama). This is the back yard as seen from just behind the family room by the chimney.
