A Visit to La Selva Beach

La Selva Beach is on the Central Coast of California 

where hydrangeas

and many other plants 

thrive.

About fifteen miles to the east in the redwoods

is a rose nursery, Roses of Yesterday and Today,

where the search is on for

a specific rose.

This one.

Four Summer Insects

This dragonfly, Big Red Skimmer (Libellula saturata), is perched in the middle of my garden. Enjoying the sun?  Waiting for gnats?  It is a spot sometimes taken by a Phoebe or a Hummingbird.

The Hairy Cyclocephala is nocturnal and attracted to the outdoor lights.

This Moon Umber (Zale lunata) is resting on concrete, instead of on a tree where it blends in perfectly.

This female Checkered White (Pieris protodice) is more elaborately patterned than the male. They are uncommon in my garden, unlike its relation the Cabbage Butterfly.

Yellow Flowers

Gerbera jamesonii

Senna

Achillea filipendulina

Hermerocallis

Argyrathemum frutescens

Dusty Miller (Senecio cineraria)

Rose

Coral Tree

A Coral Tree (Erthrina caffra),

native to eastern South Africa, is growing in my neighbor's yard.

It is blooming this time of year and lures in many birds, including wild parrots.

As I sat beside the tree, I saw a pair of Hooded Orioles and many Hummingbirds.

This Hummingbird (a female Anna's Hummingbird ?) is feeding by resting on a stem, instead of hovering in the air.

I had not seen a Hummingbird do this before.

Anna's Hummingbird ( Calype anna)

Magenta/Mauve

Bougainvillea

Nerium oleander

Gaura

Hydrangea

Pelargonium

Reedstem Epidendrum

Roses

Poppies

I save poppy seeds every year.

If I scatter them in the winter,

I will have flowers in July.

White Flowers

Stephanotis floribunda

Solanum laxum alba

Bougainvillea

Lantana montevidensis alba

Nerium oleander

Jasminum officinale

Three Yellow Birds

The Townsend's Warbler (Dendroica townsendi) comes into my garden in early and late summer, on its way to somewhere else.  I see them in the shrubs, especially the rosemary plants, looking for insects.

The Orange Crowned Warbler (Vermivora celata) also passes through my garden on its migratory path, they generally stay higher in the trees as they forage.

The tiny Lesser Goldfinch (Carduelis psaltria) lives in the area.  I frequently see a pair 

eating seeds from the Salvia, a useful plant to attract birds, the hummingbird for the nectar, the goldfinch for the seeds.