Grasshopper

We've had an abundance of these guys this season--don't seem to be causing significant damage--I like them.

Virginia Creeper

I like the round pads which attach the stem to the wall--they are STRONG too--pulled the paint right off when I removed them once.  This wall doesn't have paint--the color comes from spraying iron sulfate on the fresh stucco (which also had red iron oxide pigments in it).  The idea is that it never needs painting--very good idea with all of this sun--we'll see how it holds up. 

Bougainvillea

Common, but gorgeous.

'Tis the Season for Aloe Buds

It makes me amazingly happy to find Aloe flower buds in the axils of the leaves.  I prowl around the garden every few days looking for them!

Caesalpinnea pulcherrima

I love these!  I have both red and yellow varieties.  They need to be whacked back each year so they don't look scraggly.  I think they'll bloom all year if they get enough water.

It's Good to be Home

I LOVE Walls

Kalanchoe Buds Coming

I LOVE Walls

Gaillardia

I just returned after 9 months and was happy to find Gaillardia had naturalized in the garden.

Stay Tuned!

I'll be posting more garden photos in October, 2008 so come back for a look!

New Garden - Contrast

The new garden is looking great! We planted most of it in July right before we left for Central America. It grew well during the summer and survived this summer's hurricane with no problems.

Native Garden

I reserved this area for native plants, or at least those from Mexico. The blue flowers are a local species of morning glory, and they are truly glorious!

Vacation Rental - Website

We've been working frantically to finish every detail to prepare our new house for our first guests who arrive Christmas Day. A friend recently said that being in the house is like living inside one of my paintings--that's how I feel too. Check out our new website: El Encanto de Cabo Pulmo to see what we've been up to. We're driving back to Costa Rica after Christmas for 9-12 months in Central America. Our capable friends, Karl and Kim will manage the house in our absence.

I'm Back!

Just arrived back in Cabo Pulmo after a two month road trip to Costa Rica. We've moved out of the old house and into our new one, next door. It has a new garden! I hope to have a bit of time to wander around it and photograph to post here. The new house will be a vacation rental starting around Thanksgiving. For more info, take a look at:

http://vrbo.com/150158

New House Project

One of the reasons I haven't posted to this blog very often is that we are consumed with building a new house (and garden!) next door. I started a blog to let friends and family see what we're up to. Here's the link: http://newcabopulmohouse.blogspot.com/

I plan to start a new garden blog about the new garden, since this blog is so large that it takes a long time to load and the formatting has gotten weird and Google doesn't respond to my inquiries on how to fix it. I'll post the new link here. I suspect I'll be able to start planting in a couple of weeks. Stay tuned....

Friends for Juan Angel

We went to Guadalajara to shop for the new house we're building. We were thrilled to find more junk mariachi sculpture. Juan Angel is our original mariachi fiddler. I'll post more photos of the other friends later. We got a little carried away....

Kalanchoe

Blooms in December and January. The spent flowers look interesting too.

Winter Garden

It doesn't get much better than this!

White Crowned Sparrow

They migrate down here for the winter.

More Drama!

After watching the hawk, we saw bird feathers on the ground, then noticed this quail hiding in the corner under the window. I took the photo and we went in. About 10 minutes later we heard a ruckus when the hawk swooped in and snatched the quail. The hawk must have dropped the quail when it first hit the window.

Another View

More Desert Drama

We first became aware of this hawk (maybe Cooper's juvenile?) when we heard a big thwonk on the north window. When we went out to investigate, we found this hawk in a nearby tree. We thought it must have been the hawk hitting the window since the thwonk was louder then when doves hit it. It seemed rattled hung around in the tree recovering.

Another Fave Book

You might think that since it is written by a Brit that it wouldn't be relevant to desert gardeners--Wrong! Full of inspirational photos and good design ideas.

True Bug on Jumete

Beautiful bugs.

Tarantula Hawk on Jumete Flowers

???

Found this guy in the kitchen on a tile.

Aloe Flowerbuds

Goldfinch/Housefinch Party

Barrel Cactus

These Ferocactus latispinus bloom every January.

Milkweed

Asclepias curasavica. Butterflies like the nectar of this perennial.

Northern Mockingbird

Prickly Pear Seedlings

A tuna (prickly pear fruit) must have dropped near the base of this plant and the seeds germinated.

Aloe thraskii

I'm crazy about this beauty from South Africa. It is supposed to grow into a tree!

Transitional Iguana

This Spineytail Iguana still has a bit of juvenile green and is exploring our woodpile, looking for hiding places.

New Aloe

I don't know the name of this one, but I sure like the flowers. It is producing some seed. I think I'll collect it and try and grow some more. The tip is deformed a bit because a caterpillar was munching on it when the buds were young. Luckily I caught it in the act and saved most of the buds.

Aloe vera

This is a form of Aloe vera and it's a reliable bloomer every December. Great for cut flowers as well as for burns, etc. A workhorse type of plant here. It will survive here without any extra water. Gotta love that!

Starfish Flowers

Also known as Stapelia--these flowers attract flies to pollinate them with their distinctive odor and colors resembling carrion.

Adventures with Snake

I'll try and find out what kind it is.

Adventures with Snake

Adventures with Snake

I spent a long time with this snake as it slithered through the trees one Fall day.

True Bug on Encelia

Butterfly on Pectis

Pectis

I love this little yellow daisy annual (Pectis sp.). I lost it when Mexican gardeners helped me--it was a weed to them and was removed. I had to transplant a few seedlings back in the garden and let them go to seed, to get it established again. It seems to sprout especially well along the brick border which stays wetter after rain or watering. I like the irregular edge it gives to the paths. Now I train gardeners (when I'm lucky to find someone) to pull only the grasses.

Spiny-tail Iguana Camouflage

The green color of the babies (which hatch in wet summer) helps to hide them as they mature. In December their color begins to gray, as the leaves fall from the trees and shrubs due to drought.

Iguana Acrobat

This was in the Fall when the babies were still green.

Cactus Beetle

Cactus Beetle is my name for these voracious devils. They love to feast on Opuntias and other cacti, leaving permanent scars on the cacti. They are active in the morning and evening and I go on patrol with my barbeque tongs--grasping and squashing them.

Winter Garden

Hurricane Damage

The hurricane blew off the tall limbs of this cardon cactus, as well as topping most of our larger trees.

Mamillaria dichotoma Closeup

Dividing Mamillaria

This is Mamillaria dichotoma and this clump started as one head. It always divides into two heads, hence the name dichotoma. Notice that these heads are starting to divide again and have two centers of growth.

Butterfly in Fall

Aloe thraskii

A. thraskii is a tree aloe originally from South Africa near the coast. It seems to like it here.