Gardens, Raw Nature

 Here goes the outside garden again.  It's been a late start due to the cool spring we've been having but some things are coming along. 

Purple sprouting broccoli, chard, artichoke, little onion sprouts in the bare patch, salad turnips under the cloth and peppers under the red tents

 

Lft to rt:  radishes, arugula cilantro  Back:  strawberries, asparagus in the bare place - this is a new crop to me and takes several years to produce viable stalks. 

Camas in the park

The indoor garden continues to thrive and produce.

 Not for the faint of heart: 

The other morning I caught some movement outside out of the corner of my eye and as I looked up I saw an eagle flying with deliberation in my direction clutching a twitching baby heron in its claws accompanied by the usual escort of very upset and vocal crows and seagulls. 

It landed on the roof of the building next door and proceeded to dismember that hapless heron and devour it. 

That's how it goes. 
 

Butchart Garden - another season

 I'd been hearing raves about the tulip display at Butchart Gardens and finally made it out there for the tail end of the show.  It was a sunny, warm Sunday and, unlike normal times, there were few visitors.  No tour buses bringing hoards off the cruise ships and only locals for the most part.  Quite a treat.  Though the tulips were no longer at their peak, it was still pretty spectacular.

This is a common wall lizard and is an invasive species.  Here on the island, they originated at Rudy's Pet Park in Saanich near Butchart Garden.  They eat bees and bumble bees are are therefore a serious problem.

 

 I'd been hearing raves about the tulip display at Butchart Gardens and finally made it out there for the tail end of the show.  It was a sunny, warm Sunday and, unlike normal times, there were few visitors.  No tour buses bringing hoards off the cruise ships and only locals for the most part.  Quite a treat.  Though the tulips were no longer at their peak, it was still pretty spectacular.

Spring Continues

 After a week of unseasonably warm and windless days in April that lulled us into a false sense of impending summer, reality reasserted itself and the typical cool, windy and ever-changing spring weather is here.  Nevertheless, everywhere you go, everything is blooming. 

Some new members of the pepper plantation family

The aji lemon continues to flower

And produce fruit

Meanwhile, the red habañero is starting to fruit

And the orange habañero is fruiting as well

An elaborately decorated stick found at the beach

Spring for sure

 Yes, it truly is spring and there's no prettier place to be than Victoria in the spring.  

It's spring in the indoor pepper plantation too.

New fruit on the aji lemon (lemon drop pepper)

And more habañeros

Another quirky neighbourhood "attraction" is what I call the Barbie yard.  The first time I saw it, it was predominantly "adapted" Barbie figures but has now morphed into a  strange conglomeration of doll parts.

 

I'd love to meet the creator of this little display some time.  I think......