Raindrops on Roses

This past week, we received a lot of rain in the central valley - yay! I happened to notice my roses opening, despite the temperature drop. I grabbed my camera, and here you go:-)

"Raindrops on a Rose", this is the English or David Austin rose 'Ambridge Rose'. I love English roses - here's an older post telling a little of my rose journey: "Scent of a Rose". All of my roses are in pots, and the green here is Stipa tenuissima or 'Mexican Feather Grass'. It started out in a pot, too, but has found it's way into the ground and is taking over. Good thing it's a beautiful grass:-)

"Red Rose Raindrops", this is one of my Moore miniature roses, and I can't recall the name at the moment. Looks like this little blossom's about to start swimming;-)

"Dancing Drops", Okay, so this isn't a rose, but it's still so pretty, isn't it? It's Alyogyne huegelii, aka blue hibiscus. It was blowing all over, but I managed to catch this side view.

Bright enough? This is a grocery store mini. While I'm more of a pastel rose person, sometimes those bright colors just call out and jump into your cart;-)

Hope you've enjoyed "Raindrops on Roses", I can't promise "Whiskers on Kittens", but stay tuned for more photos soon!

Flora

Time for a new post! We weren't able take a drive for a couple of weeks, and I was going through withdrawals. So, I hope there aren't too many photos here, but I have a flower addiction and it must be satisfied, lol! I hope you enjoy, and if you have a favorite, please let me know:-)

"No Matter How Hard, Keep Reaching for the Light", these beauties are a bit tattered and torn, but they've still got their faces pointed to the sun. It's a message I value. These are Common Madia (Madia elegans).

"Sticky Chinese Houses" (Collinsia heterophylla), not a title, but the actual name of the flower. I think this has to be one of the best flower names! It's a California native, and is also known as "tincture plant" or "Purple Chinese Houses".

"Foothill Shooting Star" (Dodecatheon hendersonii), actually taken on our trip to Sequoia. Came across one little patch of these delicate beauties, and was thrilled! This is one wildflower I'd really been wanting to see and photograph:-)

"Lovely Little Vetch", this one's for Nature ID. She has an awesome blog that chronicles the flora and fauna of California's central coast area (and beyond). She had a vetch she was trying to id, too. I think mine's "Hairy Vetch", but am not sure.

"Pretty Face", again the common name for the flower, but works as a title. I love these elegant little wildflowers. They're a member of the lily family.

"Tomcat Clover" (Trifolium tridentatum), cool name and cool-looking!

"Long-beaked filaree" (Erodium botrys), geranium family. A non-native invasive, but still pretty:-)

"Thistle Honey", last but not least, a honey bee doing good things with milk thistle:-) Such a beautiful flower, but it's a wicked plant (those thorns are strong!). Hope you've enjoyed this little stroll - fauna coming soon:-)

Recent "Backyard" Bird Photos

These are some recent bird sightings around our home. They're not really backyard shots, because we don't have much of a backyard, lol! I'll explain each photo in the caption below it. I'd love to hear what birds are visiting your area now - spring is such an awesome birding time!

"Just Look Over Your Shoulder, Baby!" ;-) American Goldfinch on the old TV aerial. I was actually up on a ladder taking photos of items for our store (good way to get full overview). I spotted this beauty through the crack between our carport and shed. I angled myself very quietly and carefully, as the ladder is a bit rickety. I was surprised to get this!

"A Little Shower", I spotted this little White-Crowned Sparrow on the other side of the wall on a dark, rainy afternoon. It was a little too late in the day, and too dark, but I took it anyways, and just adjusted it:-)

"Receptive", I believe this is a House Finch (male with diluted color?), up on the top part of the antenna. The foreground blur is from weeds in the rain gutters, lol! Time to clean them.

"Look Out Below!" Not sure if this is a Cooper's Hawk. I do know that I shouldn't take my eyes off the prize. I'd gone outside because I'd seen him flying, but he wasn't coming close enough, and I got distracted by the honey bees in the fiddlenecks below after the hawk had disappeared at the end of the field. Next thing I knew, he came back, and I barely had time to get my camera up and adjusted - duh! ;-)

"Mr. House Finch", original title, I know. This was actually taken through my bedroom window, and brightened in Photoshop Elements.

"Ack!", Mrs. House Finch, who was visiting with her hubby above:-)