Orb Weaver in Orange and Black

Pin It

I was going to save this photo for Halloween but couldn't wait.  Just look at the markings on this orb weaver!  Look carefully and you will see her web too.  So far, I have counted 8 orb weavers in my gardens. That's 4 times more than last year. Yay!

© Copyright 2006-2016, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Orb Weavers Return

Pin It

Hooray!  In keeping with the season:  The orb weavers seem to be returning in greater numbers than I've seen in the last few years.  I equate their presence with a more "normal" autumn leading to rain showers by October.  This weather pattern has been woefully lacking for several years, along with fewer and fewer orb weavers.  Now they are back and so is the rain: An inch or more in the last few days, setting us up for a cooler, wetter fall.  One can hope.

© Copyright 2006-2016, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

California Ctenucha

Pin It

Pronounced "ten-oocha", this moth appears rarely in my garden, but what a sight it is when I'm lucky enough to come across it.

I say "it" referring to the moth species; obviously, in this photo, they're a "they".

Ah, fun in the garden.

Click on the link to see a bit about them:  http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Ctenucha-multifaria

© Copyright 2006-2013, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

It's Hallowe'en: Even the Caterpillars are Celebrating

Pin It

Boo!!

© Copyright 2006-2012, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Bumblebee on Cosmos

Pin It

Taken early this morning when no bees were flying yet.

I can't tell if it had just woken up or if it was getting breakfast; probably both. I love the pollen that's been scattered about.

© Copyright 2006-2012, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Ladybug

Pin It

Look who was hiding on a leaf when I was taking these photos.

© Copyright 2006-2011, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Spring in my Garden - Quail

Pin It

Some people I know have herds of wild turkeys roam through their yards.  Me, I've got quail. A bevy of them. A covey of them. They stay year-round, chittering and flying away as one unit with a huge whirrr of wings if I get too close.

This small portion of the flock (covey?) was just outside one of my windows yesterday, unaware that I was watching, clicking, hoping they would hold still enough for their 15 seconds of fame.

© Copyright 2006-2011, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Autumn to Winter in my Garden - Salamanders

Pin It

 Who dat?

Perched on my index finger, you can imagine how tiny this critter is.



It's pretty easy to find a salamander or two in my garden this time of year.  Turn over a piece of wood, an old flower pot, and chances are there will be one of these critters hanging out underneath.

The little guy on my finger had lost its tail, possibly due to a run-in with one of my chickens, and is in the process of growing a new one (I didn't know they did that).

I do try to keep them out of harm's way and will keep the chickens in their pen if I see salamanders in the yard.

© Copyright 2006-2010, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Green Dragonfly

Pin It

Taken on E Street in downtown Davis on the wall of a retail store, August 28, 2010

Check out the bull's eye mark on the head, and the gossamer golden wings.  Is this critter cool or what?

Research tells me, hopefully correctly, that this is a Common Green Darner Dragonfly.  I leave it to others more informed than I, to refute or corroborate.

I didn't have a tripod handy when I took this, so I braced my arm against the wall and hoped for the best.

Clicking on the photo will give you a larger, more detailed, image.

© Copyright 2006-2010, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Blue Damselfly

Pin It

Pink and blue go so well together, don't you think?

Happy, sunny days are here again!  After writing this post, and after enduring so many dreary days of endless fog, we've got sun!  And warmth!  Be still my heart.

© Copyright 2006-2010, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Shadow Shot Sunday - Spider Imitates Poppy

Pin It

It's been a struggle to bring you shadow shots these days. Shadows simply aren't happening in our fog-ridden climate at the moment. It makes me gloomy and cranky.

So I've pulled a photo out from a while back when the sun was shining and this gorgeous cameleon spider had turned yellow and was posturing for me to please pack up my camera and go back from whence I came, its raised legs looking quite like the stamens of the poppy.

I hope it's sunny in your garden.

Tracy has some fine shadow shots from photographers all over the world down under on her blog, Hey Harriet.  Go take a look.

© Copyright 2006-2010, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Summer in my Garden - Wet Ladybug

Pin It

It's so foggy and wet in the mornings that even the ladybugs take refuge in the fold of a leaf.

Happy gardening!

© Copyright 2006-2010, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Summer in my Garden - Baby Swallows

Pin It

I took these photos at the beginning of last week, when the parents were frantically feeding these hungry babies as they were getting ready to fledge.
The next day, sure enough, they began to fly, always returning to the nest and demanding to be fed by late afternoon.
The next day they were off again, flying further and further but always returning to a post near their nest to rest for a bit.
The next day they were gone.
Another successful launch.
I was so proud, you'd think I had something to do with it!

© Copyright 2006-2010, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Spring Walks - There Goes Peter Cottontail ...

Pin It

Yikes!!

© Copyright 2006-2010, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Manatees at Blue Spring Florida

Pin It

I couldn't stop gasping.  They are so beautiful, gentle, slow, unafraid (which is why they are endangered), and simply amazing.

When the St. Johns river is cold, as it was this winter, they come up a side tributary called Blue Spring, where the water is a constant 72-degrees, and loll around until the river warms up.

Blue Spring State Park is now a reserve for the manatee.  They can come and go as they please, but here they are safe and warm.

More from our south-Atlantic trip soon.

© Copyright 2006-2010, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Autumn in My Garden 2009 - Fog Laden Web

Pin It

Sometimes drippy, foggy mornings reveal delightful surprises that help me forget how woefully lacking is our usual warm and sunny late autumn weather.

Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Autumn in My Garden 2009: Millipedes

Pin It

I found this millipede while weeding in the garden.

It curled up into a tight little ball about the size of a nickel

and wouldn't come out for the longest time.

When it finally unrolled itself,

I barely had time to take a few photos before

it slipped away out of sight.





Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Autumn in My Garden 2009: Golden Brown Caterpillar

Pin It

Gently munching away on a strawberry leaf, this is one

very small caterpillar.

Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Summer in The Garden: Shadow of a Damselfly

Pin It

Sometimes I become so fixated on my photo subject that I fail to see what is right in front of my eyes, or lens.

Here, I was so intent on the damselfly I didn't see the perfect shadow it was casting on the rose leaf.

Serendipity takes center stage.

This is my entry for this weekend's Shadow Shot Sunday over at Hey Harriet's. Click on over and check out all the beautiful shadow photography.

Click on the photo above to see the detail. Use your back button to return to the post.

Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Summer in The Garden: Critters on Parsley

Pin It

How many critters can you find on this parsley umbel?

While you're figuring that out, here are a few links that you might find interesting.

Here on the north coast of California, we have many varieties of umbelliferous plants growing in the wild. It's a good idea to be able to tell the safe ones from the toxic.

Have you found all the critters yet?

Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.