Archive for the ‘Nature’ Category
A Volunteer
Wednesday, February 10th, 2021Hail
Monday, January 25th, 2021I grew up in Ohio, lived in New Jersey, and attended grad school in Washington. All locations have seasons. I do miss seasons. The anticipation of change, the changes.
It doesn’t rain often on the California Central Coast. Excited to read that rain was in the forecast. But would it really rain?
I was a tad disappointed that today has been a perfectly sunny day. Has been windy enough to topple a potted Norfolk pine, but sunny. Where is the grey gloom associated with rainy days? Just when I was wondering when the rain would start, it began to hail!
While still sunny.
Sweet Essence of the Magnolia
Friday, January 22nd, 2021
Billbergia nutans
Sunday, January 10th, 2021
Gulf Fritillary Caterpillars
Saturday, December 26th, 2020The courtyard garden needs cleaning and clearing. The drought offers loads of dropped oak leaves and pine needles.
Passiflora and Pandorea vines growing on the trellises need some care.
When I started to clean and clear the dead bits and the dropped oak leaves and pine needles, I saw a Gulf Fritillary caterpillar.
This morning I found another one.
Late for them to be hanging around the garden. Good that there is plenty fo food for them.
If they make it through the chrysalis process, this is how the will emerge.
The chrysalis of the Gulf Fritillary looks a bit like a dead leaf.
Plan to put the cleaning on hold to give the caterpillars a chance of becoming butterflies.
Converted Egyptian Paste Piece
Sunday, November 29th, 2020While reorganizing my garage studio space I found one of my Egyptian Paste test pieces had apparently been used as a hotel for mice.
The mice managed to get in the garage and found all of the dried and drying plant materials sustaining.
When I was cleaning the space after the mice were relocated, it didn’t occur to me that I should look through the boxes of pieces stored in the space.
The box was constructed of hardware cloth and Egyptian paste. After firing the box, it was lined with black nylon and bound closed with strips of the same fabric. The fabric was dipped in diluted wood glue and hit with a heat gun, for a shrink wrap effect. I like that nylon can look like a skin, exposing the structure under it.
I have posted about this piece in the past. Pleased that the pieces have not developed a light coating of sodium.
The pieces were constructed of hardware cloth, some had the addition of nails.
The Egyptian paste was used like spackle and the lot fired to cone 015.
What to do with the mouse house? I am leaning toward popping it someplace, out of the way, in the garden.
Acacia Seed Pods
Thursday, November 19th, 2020
The interior of the pod is beautiful!
Ladybug Visitor
Thursday, November 19th, 2020Ladybug Found Roaming around the Kitchen
Placed it on a potted Brugmansia that is infested with spider mites.
The concave area appears to be a malformation or some type of damage. The ladybug probably came to be in the kitchen after involuntarily hitching a ride on dandelions or kale that was purchased at the Farmers’ Market.
I sharpened the image to show the damaged area a bit better.
Datura Pod
Thursday, November 19th, 2020
