YAW! 'Machete' or Coral? Tree

Oh, wow. The seed thief already has a sprout!  Last week I stuck a few plant/tree seeds in the dirt and a brilliant orange seed from a Erythrina is already 8" high!  I think this tree was a South American versian, seemingly vicious gnarbs on its trunk, if I recall. Emery helped break open some of the strange pods on the ground in McBryde Garden--we loved the intense orange color. Possibly in Florida, this tree is a little calmer or more domesticated as the 'Coral' tree?  I think some are referred to as a 'Machete' tree outside of our country. And they look more dangerous too, in person!

 

I read this just now--hope it was successful. http://ntbg.org/cms_files/Erythrinas_Second_Chance-copyrightNTBG.pdf

What?! I never put up pics from June 2012?

What are these globby things that have the skin of a starfruit??

Such a colorful little palm with red seeds...

Hollow hairy 'family jewels' that exploded like a balloon.

A tree hatching 'alien' miniatures.

Lovely golden blossoms--loaded with flowers.

Nice orangey tree in Poipu garden area.

Don't climb this needle tree unless you want inoculated.

Weird fruit on one of my walks--not a jakfruit.

Dr. Suess tree featuring long hanging columns of pink puffs similar to a mimosa flower-fascinating.

Love these blue balls--so bright they hurt your eyes!

Tropical Plants in Kansas Heat

Well, my Hawaiian steals are doing quite well, except for the super-high temps of 106-109 degrees, which causes everything to wilt and I must rush around the yard moving pots away from the sun. Funny, you'd think they'd do well, but TEMPERATE means nice out, not BAKING in the heat!

I'm squealing with delight that my knee-high papayas are over elbow high and my stolen plumeria stick of 5 years put out a section that could be flowers! The plumeria grown from a seed had 2 leaves in May and now is knee high and filling in. Don't know what to do with the Java Olives....and I have 2 more sprouting--easy growers! There are a couple other seeds in water right now...but no signs of life yet! By the way, who left that cow skull in my front yard?
I am now posting, weeks later, that my plumeria DID flower several times (a deep pink) and my papaya is up to my forehead!

Sugar Mill Wasteland

Aaarrgghh! This place looks awesome; I've looked forward to photos for 6 months; now I walk up and find I can't get close enough! The fogcloud is brewing on the nearby mountain top so I don't have much time between the next shower; Pioneer trucks keep driving around me on this little red-mud road--which probably means I'd be caught at the top of a 7' fence--alas!

I'd probably be scared to go inside anyway, but I really want details before the jungle takes over more metal in the next few years...I'd just stick my arm in a broken window and snap pics...oh trash, oh rust, oh devastation and the effects of time--woe is me!

I only want you for some pen drawings later this year....

After much deliberation, I am not sure I would want to go snooping around this place up close--I remember the water systems from the 1900's on Oahu (Monsanto ground) and the depth those huge, ancient tubes run--wouldn't want to fall in a hole or well or crash through some rotted wood, break a leg and be 'Lost' forever!

Kauai Foliage and the Kid's Backyard

Tiniest lizard EVER by the kitchen outlet, Snow of India tree and Papaya, Oranges, purple flowered bushes, etc...

Horton Hears a Who Balls

I'm stealing this pic from my brother Brian, taken in Arkansas, of these delightful fuzzy little fungi.
Aren't they cute and circus-y?! It is amazing what occurs in nature...with that, I am still shocked over the number of 12-14 yr olds that do not understand that a yellow dandelion and a fuzzy dandelion seed ball are one and the same!!!
By the way, that IS poison ivy growing along side those tiny oaks.

Desolate, yet Inviting...to me!

I am looking forward to seeing this old abandoned sugar mill this summer....ah, junk! Tired, twisted and rusted metal, stains, holes,creaking wood-I hope my camera works!

I'm a MURDERER!

Oh crap. I feel so bad. We've had the bat visiting in the evenings for a couple weeks now, just like every summer. He makes a few laps around the house and then we open the door and he flies out, or we catch him in a hat or towel and take him outside.

I was rather cheered when he showed up again this year; it seems like a novelty and he really didn't cause much of a ruckus anymore. I enjoyed mentioning him on Facebook; he/she was our little nightly drop in and quite enjoyable: "as long as he doesn't bring over any friends!".

But a few days ago, How Spat showed up around 7:14pm instead of 9:00 so I wondered whether he could be sick or something.

Googling about bats made me quite uneasy--people and children bitten during sleep and then even dying despite long hospital stays. Some sites were quite alarming while others made rabies and bat diseases seem rather rare. And our house is just too crappy to decently find and block every tiny air space. But the majority of thee sites sounded horrible, so 3 days ago I asked Brigham if he would get his pellet gun or something and then kill Spat, even though I really didn't want to.

"NO." He would NOT.

I told him this morning that How Spat must of heard me because he hasn't shown up for the last 3 days!

Until this evening. Spat flew around the living room about 8:00, and ducked behind a dark picture up in the corner. Soon I could see his little ears as he peered out sideways on the right and observed me watching 'House'. I opened the front door, which he ignored and since the AC was running, I shut it again.

Then...
CRAP! Another bat swooped by--a fast one! Soon both were swirling and twirling and avoiding the now open door. OH NO! I'm thinking of safety now and disease in numbers and finally little Emery. I could not have this. Not a bat infestation. When I got the broom, one swooped into the night. I eventually (sweating a great deal) knocked down the hyper-bat, scooped him into a coffee can, then into the freezer.

I feel just horrible but I know he will go to sleep quickly first and not even know...

The bad part is, I will have to do it again tomorrow night.

So I pose the question: Am I a good person for protecting my family or a horrible one for killing this innocent creature?

Creepy Crawlies

Down on the Spit--these were on board under foot...I didn't bring home any gooshey things this time--but I did leave my clothes behind and fill by backpack with rocks.

A Gift from the Easter Moose

I was delighted to see many moose when I was visiting Homer last week; all in the vicinity of Bailey and Nate's house and one downtown by the 2 Sister's Bakery. (MMM!) Most of them were young small ones, but a time or two a big one was on the street in front of us.
(And when I gazed out her picture window, an Eagle swooped right by my face letting off a terrible scream "Welcome to Alaska!")
Anyway, I did not see any Snowshoe Bunnies, but there was a nice,(actually weirdly appetizing) pile of um, chocolate 'eggs' right outside the back door!

Puffballs, Probably.

Last Sunday was so nice that one could be warm outside; I noticed that the wind had blown leaves away from my lily bulbs. These strange leathery star shapes were in the yard and secured to the ground by what looked like fungi 'roots'. (First glance reminded me of a cow pie.) I guess they must of been large hidden puffballs--too bad they hadn't been discovered during their white 'steak-slicing' stage!

Black Coal and Oval Stony Beach

Don't know what the name of this beach was, but it washed up several oddities that were intriguing to one living in the middle of the U.S. What appeared to be magenta/vivid pink plastic was really a type of seaweed, as was the tough hollow green onion bulby thingy. It was LLLOOOOONNNG like a whip and measured about 33', enough to wrap around ones body and drag you under. (If it was alive. Like a horror show monster.)
Nate pointed out beguiling pieces of 'brain' lying here and there and I eventually found a whole one--baseball size. I still don't know if it was a plant or animal. Bailey found a tiny dead starfish, and we all watched the eagles swooping around and disdainfully observing us from above. Daphne tried her darndest to catch one...
Enjoy the bizarre collection that I smuggled through customs in a cottage cheese container, then forgot about for a week in my fridge. Phew. Barf.

Inadequate...

ALAS. While walking in a pasture this weekend, I found some puffball? mushrooms, but they are defeatist size. Miniscule in proportion, some were smaller than a Q-tip tip; incomparable to Bailey's. However, I did find the most incredible brilliant blue-violet flower at the same time! and yes, that is a sadly misshapen dung-beetle ball. Slacker.

Another Woodland Find.

Sounds like many mushrooms and some bear poop have been sited in the woods across the street from the kid's home. These are edible. (The mushroom!)