Oaks in flower

It's another sign of spring.

I was up on the roof this afternoon to clean the gutters and take care of any pruning needs and was delighted to see the live oak closest to the house covered in "blooms." Most of the time, they're so inconspicuous you don't even notice them. They remind me of tiny catkins.

Winter in Miami

It's always odd to see Miamians wrapped up against the winter cold, and it must be a real shock for tourists expecting to prostrate themselves before a hot sun on the beach, but it is cold today and will be colder tonight with a freeze warning for interior regions of Broward County (Fort Lauderdale) and north. It's been more than 20 years since downtown Miami had a frost; I remember ice on the bird bath. It killed so many precious plants.


Today, it's grey, matched by the oak and Spanish moss above, but I came across one glorious bright spot out on my bike ride with Sparky the dog. It's one of the most colorful crotons I've seen, beautifully framed by the silver grey leaves of a young Bismarckia noblis palm.

Welcome, 2010!

Happy New Year to you. And may it be better than 2009.

Here's a view from the back garden shortly after midnight.

Vultures (with feathers)

A couple of turkey vultures were arguing over a possum carcass in the road a few houses along. There was a lot of commotion and clashing of wings before they sorted it out, and then a car drove one off, leaving the feast to the other. I walked over to what was left of the possum (be glad you didn't smell it), which caused me to wonder whether vultures, like raptors, have exceptional eyesight, or whether they have exceptional smell -- or both. Questions, questions.

If you live in suburban South Florida (and assuming you even notice them), you probably like seeing vultures wheeling around the sky. Vultures, turkey vultures specifically, are harbingers of the fall; they arrive from somewhere in the Midwest or Northeast in the first week of October, bringing with them the blessed promise of cooler weather. Except in the immediate aftermath of a hurricane, I don't think it's ever cooled down before the "buzzards" show up.

The occasion used to be celebrated annually on the steps of the courthouse in downtown Miami, which is where dozens choose to roost at night. As tall buildings went up around the courthouse, the vultures roosted there, too. The Herald wrote a story about very expensive lawyers in very expensive penthouse offices not appreciating vultures resting outside and spoiling their otherwise very expensive view. Oh, the irony!

If you do look up, watch these masters of flight as they ride thermals and glide across the sky with the rarest flap of a wing. On the ground, though, it's another matter. These huge birds, ungainly as they are ugly, are positively comical as they lumber along the ground preparing for takeoff. Sadly, this is when the vultures themselves become road kill.

Halloween fishermen at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

These guys look suspiciously like the fruit of the sausage tree (Kigelia africana). I hope the gators give them a pass...

Click beetles

Yay! I saw the first ones of the year, this evening; they were flashing away in the back garden. That's my top reason for liking May, which otherwise reminds me that the summer's intense heat and high humidity is getting nearer.

There were a couple of screech owls on the wires when I took the dogs for a walk and I wonder if owls hunt them.

Wikipedia has a good image of a click beetle.

Impermanence

The tabebuias flower in the spring.

D.C. has its cherry blossoms; the tabs are South Florida's response.

I grew three yellow tabs (Tabebuia caraiba) from seed. They did well, putting on a respectable show, but now, thanks to one tropical storm or another, only one remains. You can see it in front of the pink tab (T. heptaphylla).

The pink tabs are glorious this year, which may be because it was a cold (relatively) and very dry winter.

This one only put on her best display once since we've lived here - 14 years, I think. She was stunning. A few months later, she was also felled by a hurricane. A live oak now grows in her place, nourished by Maggie, our much loved chocolate lab, who is buried beneath it.

Nothing in a garden is static, which is its joy and its sadness.

Growing veggies

Dan told me he caught some nitwit on one of the cable news programs talking about the benefits of locally grown produce. Apparently she said that, "some people are even growing their own. But you don't have to be that extreme." And this is several weeks after Michelle Obama started her organic veggie garden at the White House.

I have three collards, bought as small plants from Home Depot, growing in a big clay pot. Dan cooked a bunch last night, with a ham bone, for the first time. They were really good. I was a bit dubious because they are a cold season plant, but I'm glad to say I was wrong. We'll have to see how long they last into the summer. (He also made cornbread and deep fried some catfish; it was a feast!)

In late October, I started lots of tomato seeds (a mix of hybrids and heirlooms) and was surprised that almost all germinated, resulting in an excess. I gave half away to friends. I've had mixed results, and I really don't understand why some varieties do well one year and fail the next.

I also bought a young lemon pear from Home Depot when I bought the collards, and it seems to be the only heirloom that has done well this year. My black Russian has flowers that are dying and has produce four toms so far, three of which were eaten by something else. My green grapes have been a disaster, and my Brandywine is going gangbusters, but has produced very few flowers, despite lots of tomato food.

The only ones that have done well, other than the lemon pear, are sugary and black cherry. All three are cherry sized.

I mostly grow them in sterilized seven gallon pots, but I planted a few in the ground at the side of the house. They are pathetic, but I'm wondering if a neighbor's dog is using them as a place to pee.

Anyway, it's going to be too hot for the fruit to set soon. I'd like to get one Brandywine and one black Russian out of the effort before that happens.