Sunday, April 26, 2009

Huntington Library - February and April 2009

We were able to get away to the Huntington Library's botanical gardens twice so far this year, in February and April. As you certainly would expect, there were many more flowers in bloom in April, especially in the Cactus Garden. First, flowering plants related to the cereus, though of course these will all be day bloomers. The cactus greenhouse is open on Saturdays, and among the specimens in bloom during the visit was this beautiful cereus labeled "Epicactus 'Mystic Mood'":




Two more views of this cereus...







Echinopsis obrepanda, also from the greenhouse. (Don't these Latin names sound like vile diseases?)




I didn't get the name of this one, but I think it's the same plant I had that perished in the January, 2007, freeze:






Straining for the sun,,,




One stands above the crowd...




Cyclops is a little bit spooky, especially when it catches the sun...




Finally, from February, a butterfly alights on a peach tree in the Chinese Garden that was in bloom at the time...


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Sequoia National Park - March 2009

In March, we went up to Wuksachi Lodge in Sequoia National Park. A foot and a half of snow fell after our arrival, making for some nice pictures and an interesting drive down the mountain. Before the snow fell, the clouds rolled in...




After the snow, on the drive back down...




Farther down the mountain, close to the snowline, where the snow on the road had already melted...




Looking back at the snow-covered mountains...


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Death Valley - December 2008

It's been months since I updated this blog -- been too bloody busy, unfortunately -- so here's a spate of posts. These are pictures I took at Death Valley National Park late last December. First, the charcoal kilns above Wildrose are always worth a visit...




Sunrise, after a little help from Photoshop...




Two views of sand dunes, that same sunrise...







Death Valley itself, seen from Badwater Basin. A large, framed version of this one now adorns the kitchen wall...




From near Artists' Palette...




Mountains near sunset...




What constellation are you seeing in this photograph of the night sky? Click here for some assistance.


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