Desert Sunflower Roulette

Gardening is a lot of fun, but it is also a lot of work. Based on my experience the work component can be more or less difficult depending upon the garden’s location. In the desert, there seems to be an ongoing struggle during the warmest months.

There are roadside sunflowers along the trails and highways of Sonoran Desert that seem to tolerate the harsh growing conditions. After seeing this desert-adjusted specimen growing in the Phoenix area, I decided to try to grow the more showy, standard sunflowers in our cultivated garden.

My main concern was the sun’s intensity. Heat is one thing, but the searing intensity of the sun’s rays is another. There can be a more than one hundred days with temperatures of one hundred degrees or more. The one factor in my favor is that our gardens receive irrigation and drought will not be a factor for this experiment.

With this idea in mind, I visited one of our local stores and purchased a package of mixed sunflower seeds. I wanted a selection that would perhaps offer up at least one variety that is less prone to fail under our extreme conditions.



The package indicates that the plants will bloom from summer to fall, but I did not anticipate that long a blooming season in the desert ecosystem.

This is our second year growing these sunflowers. Each spring we pour a selection into a container and make our choice of five random seeds. Once they become viable seedlings, we select the strongest three for final planting.



This year we had a false start because a large squirrel entered our courtyard and devoured our first group of sunflower seedlings. You can read about that HERE.

Bushy-tailed squirrels are not the only culprits in an area where nutrients and water are scarce. Birds, lizards and a variety of rodents prowl the premises looking for greenery to eat. Packrats are especially problematic because of their size and climbing ability.



Did I mention rabbits? There is an abundance of rabbits in our neighborhood and they constantly probe our gardens for weaknesses to exploit.



The situation is not insurmountable, but vigilance is the key. Every day I make the rounds of our gardens to check for damage or potential breeches in our “bulwarks.”

Last year we had two sunflowers from our chosen group that stood out.



This multi-headed beauty enhanced our front courtyard for a number of weeks.



Another seed produced a plant that yielded a single and rather unremarkable flower which was disappointing. Our last chosen seed graced our rear patio with an orange-hued flare. While it did not flower as long as the courtyard specimen, it did give us several nice blooms.



After the destruction of our initial plantings by the squirrel this year, I started additional sunflower seedlings. I was concerned that we missed the best growing window with moderate temperatures, but we had little to lose.

After careful cultivation and coddling, we were able to appreciate the fruits of our labor.



As we were about to leave for a one week, out-of town visit, we watched this one bud get larger and larger and hoped that it would bloom prior to our departure. Sure enough, the day before we left, the flower opened. The plant is a bit taller than I am in the picture above and considering that it is in a pot, I estimate it was 6’3″ tall; give or take.



The close up view (above) shows that there were more flowers to come and we hoped they would survive our time away. Upon our return a week later, we were greeted with this…



This morning, I was making the rounds in our front garden where we have two other sunflower specimens progressing toward their blooming stage and I noticed that there was some destruction on one of them.



We have cutter bees in our town and there is little gardeners can do to prevent their damage. They cut circular patterns in the leaves, but they are relatively small circles or semi-circular holes. I knew this was not their work.

Then I noticed these black dots on some lower leaves



and around some of the large buds heads.



This was a sure sign of a caterpillar, i.e. a larva of a butterfly or moth. Sure enough, I hunted it down and sent it packing! The plant will do fine as long as I continue to monitor the situation and prevent other significant damage. The caterpillar did not eat any of the buds, practically destroyed the one leaf pictured above, but did little else to the plant.

It was not all dismay and gloom with the courtyard sunflowers as this beauty opened this morning.



It was a deep, burnt orange color; nearly red. If it produces well, I might try to collect some seeds from it for next year although it may be cross-pollinated and not true to the mother plant. It would most likely have strong color.



I don’t know if we will continue to grow the showier cultivars of the sunflower family, but it has been fun and fills our mornings with hope that we will be greeted with yet another marvelous flower.


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©Jeffrey B. Ross 2014 – 2019 – JBRish.com



STATUS QUOte Picture Quote – 20190204

 

Today’s STATUS QUOte Picture Quote

I always loved butterflies, because they remind us that it's never too late to transform ourselves. - Drew Barrymore

“I always loved butterflies, because they remind us that it’s never too late to transform ourselves.”
– Drew Barrymore –

 

Picture Via

 
See previous STATUS QUOtes HERE


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©Jeffrey B. Ross 2014 – 2019 – JBRish.com


Photography: My Shot — White Peacock Butterfly (Anartia jatrophae)



As readers of JBRish might recall, I volunteer at the Desert Botanical Garden (DBG) in Phoenix, AZ. It is the second most visited tourist attraction in the state after the Grand Canyon. After all, what can compete with the Grand Canyon?

The DBG recently constructed a new and much improved butterfly pavilion which houses two different butterfly exhibits each year. One focuses on the Monarch butterfly while the other shows a variety of butterflies.

The picture above was taken during a recent visit to the DBG and the butterfly exhibit. These are beautiful and dainty creatures. It is always breathtaking to see so many of them up close among a captivating floral setting.

 

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Metadata

File Name: XT2A1876_r.tif
Capture time: 11:18 AM
Capture date: Oct. 6, 2018
Exposure: 1/320 sec @ f/5.6
Focal Length: 55mm
ISO: 200
Camera: Fuji X-T2
Lens: XF18-55mm, F2.8-4 R LM OIS
Edited in Lightroom & Photoshop

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See more photography posts HERE and visit Jeff’s Instagram site HERE


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All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged, please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross 2014 – 2018 – JBRish.com



Video – Butterflies and Turtle Eyes

The video below captured in the Peruvian Amazon explains the relationship between several varieties of butterflies and the turtles that provide them with a very important resource. Do you know what it might be?

 

More Vide – Ohs

To See additional Interesting Videos, click HERE


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All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged, please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross – 2018 – JBRish.com



Photography: As Shot – Butterfly & Bee on a Thistle

NOTE – “As Shot” photographs are some that I have posted on Instagram, but without any imposed crop that might not be warranted, less detail reduction and more of an explanation.




Swallowtail butterfly and bees buzz about a thistle at Yosemite National Park

While I would be the first to admit that this is not technically the most perfect photograph, there are certain qualities that I like. We were hiking along the Valley Loop Trail at Yosemite National Park when we came across a clearing. Nature, animals and wildflowers are some of my favorite subjects. The sun was very bright and I noticed that one thistle was receiving a lot of activity.

I remained at a distance not wanting to scare away the insects hovering about. My camera wasn’t the steadiest, but I think the lack of sharpness helps the picture convey a sense of motion. I particularly am glad that I caught the bee coming in from the left; although barely!

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Metadata

File Name: 000025_IMG_0275.tif
Capture time: 10:26:09 AM
Capture date: Jun 5, 2016
Exposure: 1/200 sec @ f/6.5
Focal Length: 215mm
ISO: 100
Camera: Canon PowerShot SX50 HS
Lens: 4.3-215mm

Edited in Lightroom

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Read more photography posts HERE

Visit Jeff’s Instagram Portfolio HERE


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All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged, please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross – 2017 – JBRish.com



Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 40 (Butterfly and Thistle)

XXXXXXXXButterfly enjoying a thistle along the Valley Loop Trail

While hiking along the trails at Yosemite, it is easy to be taken in by the grandeur, but whenever we are having an outdoor adventure, we try to appreciate the more subtle and perhaps intricate beauty the world has to offer.

Butterflies were taking advantage of the abundant wildflowers and recent rains. Other insects were also foraging among the thistle.

 
Do you have a question about our visit to Yosemite? Ask it in the comment section.

 

JBRish.com originally published this post
*All photographs Copyright by Jeffrey B. Ross with all rights reserved.

 
See previous Year of Yosemite (YOY) posts HERE. If you want to read the introduction to the YOY series, CLICK HERE.

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Meta Data – Day 40 YOY – Year of Yosemite

File Name: 0272.CR2
Capture time: 10:25:09 AM
Capture date: June 5, 2016
Exposure: 1/400 sec @ f/6.3
Focal Length: 158mm
ISO 100
Canon SX50 HS

Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 7

A butterfly and other insects enjoy the thistle

“A variety of insects joined this butterfly to enjoy the thistle.”

Of course whenever one visits parks and wooded areas, there is always hope of seeing native wildlife. We came across an open meadow on the Valley Loop Trail, not too far from the Majestic Yosemite Hotel, and this thistle was being worked over by a variety of insects. To the left of the butterfly, a large insect is coming in for a landing.

 

JBRish.com originally published this post
*All photographs Copyright by Jeffrey B. Ross with all rights reserved.

 
See previous Year of Yosemite (YOY) posts HERE. If you want to read the introduction to the YOY series, CLICK HERE.

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Meta Data – Day 7 YOY – Year of Yosemite

File Name: IMG_0275.CR2
Capture time: 10:26:09 AM
Capture date: June 5, 2016
Exposure: 1/200 sec @ f/6.5
Focal Length: 215mm
ISO 100
Canon PowerShot SX50 HS

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