The Daily Bucket is a place where we post and exchange our observations about what is happening in the natural world in our neighborhood. Bugs, buds, birds - each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the patterns that are quietly unwinding around us.
Castro Valley, CA, as of April 7,2012
I'm, trying to capture the state of the season this year with some photos. Some things not pictured are the Calla Lillies and California Poppies, in full bloom, wild strawberries starting to berry, Ceanothus in partial bloom, and the orange and lemon trees (Meyer lemons) full of fruit. The chard is also getting ready to bolt if we don't pick some soon and the geraniums are flowering as well.
Berries & Fruit
Ribes something or other:
Apple (Granny Smith):
Pear:
Apricot (Blenheim):
This is sick with some systemic ailment. Also, when we pruned this "fall/winter", which resembled spring, it immediately re-leafed only to have those leaves start dying in February or so, but it is now getting buds anyway - anybody's guess:
Grapes cabernet sauvignon
This isn't the right terroir at all for these, and they're pruned all wrong to boot. (It is hard to find good instructions on pruning for a pergola.). This season I'm pretty much letting them go to try to improve the scaffolding.
Flowers
Tulip
Santa Barbara Daisy
Sage Purple blooming, Clevelandia not yet
Mimulus and ? sage ?? or something behind it.
??????? Whatever it is beside that mimulus, the bumble bees love it:
Mexican Sage
Bok Choy This is what happens to my bok choy every time I go away for a week or more, it becomes a flower.
Redbuds
Backyard Redbud
Front Yard Redbud
So that's it for my yard these days. What is happening in your yard, and where, generally, is it?