Why I now will be adding watermarks to all my images

So, I just realized a company in California has stolen my images and content, claimed them as their own and placed them on their business site selling ponds and fountains. I am pretty fricken pissed about this whole thing. They do not have an e-mail contact, so I will be calling them Monday asking them to please remove my images from their e-commerce site, otherwise I will be forced to take legal action.

I want to encourage anyone to NOT purchase anything from columbiawatergardens.com as these are the thieves who have stolen my images.

I will be placing watermarks on all my images from this point forward. I fucking hate people.

Anticipating a few late season blooms....

There are a couple of blooms stalks I am keeping an eye on right now:

The Aloe is sending up a flower shoot. Last year the first freeze of the season was December 5th in my garden and the aloe bloom stalk froze before it could open. This year, I am hoping the bloom preceeds the first frost:



The Mexican Tuberose is also sending up several bloom stalks; the garden will be perfumed with their intoxicating scent when they open:

Bloom Day - November 15th - a day late...

Happy November Bloom Day! (so I'm a day late - it happens..)

Autumn crocus coming up and blooming (these are new this year):





The Mexican Tuberose are getting ready for their second round of blooming this year. I adore these bulbs.:



Mexican Mint Marigold:



Copper Canyon Daisy. These are light sensitive and only bloom when the days are short in the spring and fall. Don't plant them near an evening light source (street light/house light) or they get all confused and won't bloom:



Mountain Sage:



Mealy Blue Sage covered in skippers (the butterflies, not the fast food fish for those who know what I am talking about):



Shrimp Plant:



Coneflower:



Mexican Bush Sage:



Texas Bluebell (Yep, still flowering. Gotta love this one):

Butterfly Invasion!

My yard has been invaded by butterflies!! Seriously. I have never seen anything like it. Queen butterflies (Danaus gilippus) are literally taking over my yard. Not 5, not 10, not 50, but hundreds!! It is crazy! Walk along my side yard where I have a bunch of Greggs Blue Mistflower and a hundred butterflies swarm you, dancing about like fairies in some kind of wonderland. I have to duck, half expecting to be doused in butterfly-fairy dust. They are carpeting the mistflower, the butterfly bush, the salvias, the rock rose, and even the trees.

You have to look close, but there are about a 50 butterflies in this pic. They are on the flowers, in the grass, in the trees, in the air, and at least another 50 dancing around and above my head as I took this photo:



Closer:



And on the Snow on the Mountain:



Then as the sun began to wane, the butterflies began to collect on the trees in giant clumps:

First a few on the orchid tree on various branches here and there:



A few more in the pomegranate:



Then they began to commune on the Texas Oak tree:



And more came to join the party:



Soon the branches were coated with Queen butterflies:



Apparently they have decided to stay for a bit and are going to sleep in the trees in my backyard. It appears I will be playing host to the butterflies for a while. I should probably put out a bowl of wet sand for them to puddle in tomorrow as I wouldn't want to be a bad hostess.

Bloom Day - October 15th, 2009

El Nino has finally arrived! We have had much rain over the last couple of weeks and my garden is bloomin' crazy in response. Let's get to it:

The begonias are finally really happy, although they toughed out the summer really quite well (hanging in the shade of course):



Dragon-wing begonias:



The fan flowers have been amazing all summer and fall (just keep them wet!):



Closer:



The geraniums are making a comeback. Here is a hummer hiding from the rain the other day on the feeder between the geraniums:



The shrimp plants continue to bloom and attract hummers:



The Abutilon stuggled through the summer and is beginning to revive now that the weather has cooled a bit:



Gulf muhly and red coreopsis:



Blackfoot daisy and Damianita:



Bulbine and Damianita:



Blue Mistflower:



Mealy blue sage:



Cuphea:



Firebush:



Texas Mountain Sage (the hummers fight vicious battles for this one):



Turks cap:



Golden Leadball tree:



Hotlips Salvia:



Laceleaf lavendar:



Mexican Mint Marigold:



Mexican Bird of Paradise:



Moonbeam Yarrow:



Mushrooms (ok, not a flower, but still cool):



Pink skullcap:



Rock Penstemon and Antelope Horns milkweed:



Rock Rose and Mexican Bush Sage:



Various salvias:



Snapdragon Vine:



Anacacho Orchid:



Winecup:



Obedient Plant:



The Flowering Senna is LOADED with blooms:



Closer:



Texas Betony:



Autumn daffodil - Sternbergia lutea (actually a member of the Amaryllis family):



And Texas Bluebell. These are finally winding down for the season, only a few blooms remain. This was the BEST flower in my garden this year as it simply thrived on the heat as long as it had a bit of water (it is growing by the jar-fountain):