Sunset with Lemonade Berry

This was actually how it looked - I emailed this straight from my phone last Tuesday. Amazing. It was getting dark, but I think that was a Lemonade Berry (Rhus integrifolia) in the foreground.

October to November garden

Back on October 7, my bulbs started greening up. First the Crocus sativus (Saffron Crocus)

By November 22, the C. sativus had grown a bit:

Native bulbs were showing some life too by Nov 22. Don't ask me just now which one this is.

On Oct 7 the unknown exotic was just showing:

I planted this Sedum 'Harvest Moon' just before Thanksgiving and took these pictures on 12/9. It's fragile and I placed the broken bits in other nearby pots where it looks like they will take. I may be overwhelmed with it by next year.

I think these are Datura wrightii (Loco weed, sacred Datura) seedlings.  At least, that 's what I scattered in this container just before Thanksgiving.  The picture was taken on 12/9.  A companion container planted at the same time isn't showing any growth, however, so these may be adventitious sprouts.

I think this is Dichelostemma capitatum (Blue Dicks), a bulb native to western N. America.

Manzanita flowers are beautiful and delicate.  It looks like a ruthless pollinator has gotten into this one from the side.  That happens.

Finally, I found these fun mushrooms the other day and chose them to make a "family" portrait on 12/9.  We'll see how fast they grow ;-)

Rain 0.27"; season total 1.36"

In the last two years we've had over 2" cumulative rainfall by early December at my current address.  As of today, we have 1.36" total in my back yard.  However, don't lose heart for a wet winter: California often has highly variable rainfall and neither of the figures I just mentioned is out of bed for a typical (50% of the time) water year.  Based on 1944 to 2010 rainfall records, the median rainfall for Los Angeles changes from 1.06" to 2.30" from the end of November to the end of December.  So far we're typical.

 29-Nov    0.40" - This could have been greater.  I checked it a day or two after the storm went through so evaporation could have reduced it.
7-Dec    0.27"


Total: 1.36" (or a bit larger since I dilly dallied in making a record of the 0.40" rainfall)

Self portrait in George Eff Canyon

- Posted from my iPhone