Stay alert. Walk with your eyes wide open. Tiny bits of color are everywhere.
Even in January.
© Copyright 2006-2019, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.
Monday, January 14, 2019
Monday, September 10, 2018
The Rose with No Name
Pin It
Reaching out to my blogger friends who may know the name of this rose.
It has the habit of a climber although I keep it pruned to a rather leggy upright (6-feet tall).
It loves cool weather and blooms best in spring and fall. It is very softly scented.
Any suggestions?
© Copyright 2006-2018, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.
Sunday, February 11, 2018
First Post of the Year: A Winter-Flowering Rhododendron
Pin It
Celebrating mid-winter with the first Rhodie blooms of the year.
On February 3rd, a rather ragged-looking swallow buzzed the eaves of our house where they come, usually later, to build their nests.
This is terribly early for the swallows to arrive and I worry how they will do when winter settles in again.
Right now we're having very un-February like weather: Sun, heat, dry.
© Copyright 2006-2018, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.
Monday, April 10, 2017
Spring Rhodie
Pin It
Trumpeting Spring! Sweetly scented, too. That's all.
© Copyright 2006-2017, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.
Sunday, April 02, 2017
Opportunistic Spider; Unwary Moth
Pin It
It's been quite a while since I've posted here. So much rain and cold weather in our corner of the world has kept me from venturing out with a camera. Well, except on some walks - between the raindrops. One can see those photos on my Facebook page.
This sunny morning, upon seeing that one of my irises had bloomed, I pulled out my cell phone to take a few photos, noticed a small blue moth on the flower and thought, wow, lucky me: a flower and a critter in one shot.
As I focused in, however, I saw that the moth was struggling and that's when I spied the spider.
Nature is not often kind, but she is always real.
(Click on the photo to enlarge)
© Copyright 2006-2017, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
Fungi on Moss on Wood
Pin It
Deeply shaded by redwoods, huckleberry bushes and alders, an old fallen log is covered with myriad types of mosses and lichen, a small pine seedling, and clusters of very small fungi, looking like woodland lanterns. Add to that the ubiquitous blackberry canes, various fallen leaves and needles, and behold the vignette that I see on my daily morning walk.
Deeply shaded by redwoods, huckleberry bushes and alders, an old fallen log is covered with myriad types of mosses and lichen, a small pine seedling, and clusters of very small fungi, looking like woodland lanterns. Add to that the ubiquitous blackberry canes, various fallen leaves and needles, and behold the vignette that I see on my daily morning walk.
© Copyright 2006-2016, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.
Monday, October 24, 2016
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!
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.
Monday, October 17, 2016
October, Hallowe'en, and Spiders, Oh My!
Pin It
The Hallowe'en month of October seems to be my month for discovering spiders. And I've got a few photos coming that I took before the rains came down and washed the spiders out, along with their glorious webs. Stay tuned.
The Hallowe'en month of October seems to be my month for discovering spiders. And I've got a few photos coming that I took before the rains came down and washed the spiders out, along with their glorious webs. Stay tuned.
Copyright 2006-2016, Raven Ridge Gar©dens. All rights reserved.
Wednesday, October 05, 2016
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.
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.
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Pacific Ocean Driftwood
Pin It
Another example of the driftwood, large tree roots, and branches that wash onto our Pacific coast beaches.
Photo taken last March 2016, after a winter storm.
© Copyright 2006-2016, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.
Monday, September 26, 2016
Japanese Anemone 'Bressingham Glow'
Pin It
And glow they do when caught with the evening sun shimmering through their petals.
This fall-flowering, double pink is a favorite of mine. It makes the largest seed heads that can last through the winter and offer a soft lining for hummingbird nests in the spring.
Click here for a nice primer on these plants and others in the family.
© Copyright 2006-2016, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.
Thursday, September 22, 2016
The Autumnal Equinox is Upon Us
Pin It
September 22, 2016 at 10:21 AM EDT (7:21 AM PDT) is the exact moment of this year's Autumn Equinox.
Here on Raven Ridge, the leaves have been turning hues of orange, yellow and red for a number of weeks. I don't know if that portends a cold, rainy winter or a cold, dry winter. But, if the balmy evening we had last night, where we were able to stay out on the deck in shirt sleeves until well past 8:30 (almost unheard of on this foggy coast of northern California), is any indication, we probably won't see rain anytime soon.
Depicted here is a Viburnum trilobum, or American Cranberry Bush. It happily grows outside my office window.
Check out this link on The Farmers Almanac web site for fall equinox information. And don't be thrown off by the year in the link, it is really for 2016.
September 22, 2016 at 10:21 AM EDT (7:21 AM PDT) is the exact moment of this year's Autumn Equinox.
Here on Raven Ridge, the leaves have been turning hues of orange, yellow and red for a number of weeks. I don't know if that portends a cold, rainy winter or a cold, dry winter. But, if the balmy evening we had last night, where we were able to stay out on the deck in shirt sleeves until well past 8:30 (almost unheard of on this foggy coast of northern California), is any indication, we probably won't see rain anytime soon.
Depicted here is a Viburnum trilobum, or American Cranberry Bush. It happily grows outside my office window.
Check out this link on The Farmers Almanac web site for fall equinox information. And don't be thrown off by the year in the link, it is really for 2016.
Happy Autumn Equinox!
© Copyright 2006-2016, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Begonia Flowers in Evening Sun
Pin It
I'm having a love affair with the tuberous begonias that I've planted in hanging baskets on the back deck. They receive about 4 hours of full sun this time of year and when that sun hits them about an hour before setting, the results are magical. This plant is a Picotee hybrid named Calypso. Some of the blooms are 4-inches across.
I'm having a love affair with the tuberous begonias that I've planted in hanging baskets on the back deck. They receive about 4 hours of full sun this time of year and when that sun hits them about an hour before setting, the results are magical. This plant is a Picotee hybrid named Calypso. Some of the blooms are 4-inches across.
© Copyright 2006-2016, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Phalaenopsis Orchid
Pin It
I love the orchid family, Phalaenopsis. They are easy to grow, can withstand a lot of neglect,
and, with a little care, will bloom many times over.
© Copyright 2006-2016, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.
Monday, September 12, 2016
All Washed Up
Pin It
A beach walk last March revealed many large pieces of trees and roots, and smaller pieces of drift wood that had washed ashore during the winter storms. I found this one to be quite dramatic with the frothy Pacific Ocean behind it, and I couldn't pass up capturing the contrasts between all the elements.
I must remember to post a few more of these.
A beach walk last March revealed many large pieces of trees and roots, and smaller pieces of drift wood that had washed ashore during the winter storms. I found this one to be quite dramatic with the frothy Pacific Ocean behind it, and I couldn't pass up capturing the contrasts between all the elements.
I must remember to post a few more of these.
© Copyright 2006-2016, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.
Thursday, September 08, 2016
Miltonia Orchid
Pin It
Another exercise in lighting contrast, I placed this Miltoniopsis orchid in a translucent gauze-covered west window during a bright afternoon, adjusting the exposure so I was able to photograph the orchid while the background became almost white. You would never know that there are shrubs just outside the window.
The image just above is not a crop of the larger one on top even though it looks like it could be. I was intrigued by the deeper colors created by petal overlap as the bright light shone through them and wanted a closer look.
I'm not sure where these exercises are leading me, if they are leading me at all, but I am enjoying the ride.
Another exercise in lighting contrast, I placed this Miltoniopsis orchid in a translucent gauze-covered west window during a bright afternoon, adjusting the exposure so I was able to photograph the orchid while the background became almost white. You would never know that there are shrubs just outside the window.
The image just above is not a crop of the larger one on top even though it looks like it could be. I was intrigued by the deeper colors created by petal overlap as the bright light shone through them and wanted a closer look.
I'm not sure where these exercises are leading me, if they are leading me at all, but I am enjoying the ride.
© Copyright 2006-2016, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.
Sunday, September 04, 2016
Black Iris
Pin It
These two photos were taken as an exercise in lighting. I stepped behind the flower, which was growing very near to a large clematis, and shot into bright sunlight.
I kind of like the washed out, over-exposed look of the background ferns and plants in contrast to the deep purple-black of the foreground iris petals, along with the bright light coming through and illuminating the veins of those petals further away from the camera.
These two photos were taken as an exercise in lighting. I stepped behind the flower, which was growing very near to a large clematis, and shot into bright sunlight.
I kind of like the washed out, over-exposed look of the background ferns and plants in contrast to the deep purple-black of the foreground iris petals, along with the bright light coming through and illuminating the veins of those petals further away from the camera.
© Copyright 2006-2016, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.
Monday, March 21, 2016
Lots of Rain for the Beginning of Spring ...
Pin It
... and this little guy has taken shelter beneath a just-bloomed iris.
Welcome to Spring!
PS: I'm posting a photo a day (on Facebook) for the next 7 (now 6) days, taking part in nature photography challenge. You can check it out here on my Facebook page.
© Copyright 2006-2016, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.
Saturday, March 19, 2016
Lilacs and Swallows
Pin It
The swallows arrived around March 15th this year and immediately began checking out last year's nests under the eaves of the house. As usual, I don't have a photo. Someday I'll try to video their flitting flight but am not holding my breath; they're just too quick.
Then this morning, a lilac that I pruned severely last fall burst into bloom.
Days are longer, temperatures warmer. And even if we are still having rain, it's a welcome change.
The swallows arrived around March 15th this year and immediately began checking out last year's nests under the eaves of the house. As usual, I don't have a photo. Someday I'll try to video their flitting flight but am not holding my breath; they're just too quick.
Then this morning, a lilac that I pruned severely last fall burst into bloom.
Days are longer, temperatures warmer. And even if we are still having rain, it's a welcome change.
© Copyright 2006-2016, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.
Monday, February 01, 2016
Bright Spots of Floral Color in Winter
Pin It
Small sparks of color are beginning to show up in my garden beds during this very gray and rainy winter. I do not begrudge the rain, we need it so badly, but I must say that these small bits of color are doing a superb job of lifting my weary-winter-blues spirits.
Small sparks of color are beginning to show up in my garden beds during this very gray and rainy winter. I do not begrudge the rain, we need it so badly, but I must say that these small bits of color are doing a superb job of lifting my weary-winter-blues spirits.
© Copyright 2006-2016, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
