Lazy Days of Summer in My Backyard

The hot humid days of summer have made me take time off from my morning walk and birding blogs. I have been concentrating on cleaning and refurbishing my yard. Also adding new plants to the yard and even a small water fountain on my patio to make it inviting for the birds. It has been exciting to create an environment to attract more birds to the yard. Today, I saw a Nuttall's Woodpecker by my kitchen window picking at the trunk of a Palm (Phoenix Roebelenii) ! It was very exciting to see the woodpecker so close to my window.

Many of my Plumerias are blooming. Here are a few shots of my Plumerias. Wish you could smell them. They are fantastic! 

This one is called "Metallic". I have never seen so many flowers on one flower stem. The stem that produces the cluster of flowers is called an "inflo".

 

This one has the largest Plumeria flower I have ever seen. It is twice as big as your average Plumeria flower, but the petals are very thin and it wilts very easily. Its name is "Playful".

This Plumeria tree in my backyard is over 14 ft tall. 

It has a nice clutch of flowers. Pretty but not very strong scented. You can smell it better at night when the plant releases more scent to attract moths to propagate its flowers.

Close-up.

I don't know the name of this one but it has one the best plumeria scent !

I have taken a few cuttings from the Plumerias. I put a few in containers and a few in the ground. I wonder which cuttings will survive. 

 

A male Hooded Oriole makes an appearance and perches on a bare branch of my avocado tree..

He wants to drink from the hummingbird feeder.

He is skittish and decides he will wait to visit the feeder when I go inside.

Later, I find a female and two young Hooded Orioles perched on the telephone wire. 

One youngster on the right has a lot to say.

 A cute little exchange between the youngsters.

I have finally purchased a little water fountain for my patio.

A close up of the birdbath/water fountain. 

 

This male Allen's Hummingbird has decided that my backyard is really his backyard. His feathers sure look worn.

Close-up of our handsome hummer. 

Another male Allen comes into the yard. 

He could be a youngster. Maybe one of the male's offspring. You can always find at least two hummers in the yard. Sometimes there are a dozen.

One of my favorite tea roses, the "Firefighter", is in bloom!  It has the strongest, most wonderful rose smell in the world.

My side yard next to the driveway was used for storing used containers, a wood pile and junk. The weeds had taken over the whole area. Cleaned it all up and planted a nice big fig tree. It has now turned into a very sweet area with flowers and ferns planted around the fig tree. Here is a shot of my Hibiscus bush. 

Oh... and I found a clump of cute little Papaya trees too.

And here is a shot of my first Fig Tree. This one is called "Brown Turkey". The sweetest fig I have ever tasted.

 

My gardening helper and best ratter ever!

Also a wonderful companion dog. Rat Terriers are always up for playing "fetch the ball". 

Plants in the color baskets are still in bloom.

 

I have just purchased this amazing orchid. It is called "Sobralia". I saw one at the San Diego Botanic Garden and searched for quite a while before I found one. Looks more like palm leaves.  I just transplanted it into a larger pot. I can't wait to see it bloom. 

Another new addition. This is my Japanese Pagoda that sits in the shade of my Persimmon tree. I have been taking pups from my Raphis palm plant and clumps of fern from my front yard. I think it will do well planted in this area.

My Butterfly Ginger is doing great!  Love, love the wonderful scent. 

Another ginger flower spike ready to bloom.

A double hibiscus flower. Found this plant in the discounted area almost dried up and dead.

Look at him now!

A normal looking hibiscus.

I love these ferns. Easy to care and grow. 

Found this little Bougainvillea at the nursery. They were ready to throw him out. We made it into a Bonsai tree.

A young Northern Mockingbird is seen in the back alley.

 He has a berry from a nearby California pepper tree.

This vine is right below the telephone wires . It belongs to my neighbor in the back and boy this plant has a beautiful fragrance.

There are some blooms left in my flower garden. A beautiful yellow flower stands out in the back. 

Only a few flowers are left on this plant.

A second blooming for this beautiful plant.

 This super red flower bloomed for months.

Here is another one that we cut back and has given us a second blooming.

The Stephanotis has also bloomed in June and is now offering a second batch of blooms. 

 

This cosmos (a volunteer) has been blooming for many many months and I call it my "live bird feeder". It has lots of caterpillars for the birds to eat. 

I use the stalk on this lemon grass for beef noodle soup. I grow it in a planter box in the garden with the Kaffir lime (Citrus hystrix) nearby which I also use the leaf for flavoring the broth for the noodle soup. Well the weather will be changing soon and I will be out walking and birding at some of the local areas again soon. I am still very upset about the destruction of Rios Pole Road trail at San Elijo Lagoon for the expansion of the railroad tracks. Hope I find a good replacement spot soon.

Have a great weekend everyone and stay cool!