The last post of 2007

The ice storms and dreary weather have gotten me down so I just want to do one more post this year to keep my spirits up and try to think about spring.












I do like cacti with ice on them. but I prefer them with flowers!

















Eventually spring will come, I can hardly wait!


Happy New Year










The new flower of the week in the greenhouse is
Lachenalia viridiflora











Erythronium americanum red anthered form in the wild in Lancaster Co. PA










Narcissus rupicola in our garden last spring. It is good to know it is near the cacti just waiting for a little bit of warm waether.

Entertainment: Jigsaw puzzles at Jigzone

Jigzone does nice digital jigsaw puzzles. You can even have your own pictures "jig sawn". Here is one of mine. Click and drag on the pieces to move them. They will "snap into place" when you let go of them if the are close enough to the correct position. Pieces are in the correct orientation.




Castilleja sp. (C. integrifolia?) taken in Wasatch Mountains of Utah, July 2006 at the NARGS Annual Meeting.

The gallery of my puzzles on Jigzone is here:
My Puzzles Jigsaw Puzzle Gallery - JigZone.com

Listening to Birds

I just came across a web site that I would like to share with people. It is the Listening to Birds
an anthropological approach to bird sounds web site. As soon as I found it I just had to tell my sister about it and put in my contribution about R-b nuts!

I love hearing many bird songs and call but the one that always brings a smile to my face is the little anh-anh-anh sound that Red-breasted Nuthatches make as they chat among themselves as they energetically search for food along the branches and trunks of trees.

I like this call so much because this subtle yet cheerful sound inspires me during the cold months that they spend in our area and also the fact that they don't come here every year so they are an irregular delightful surprise when the do come and spend the winter.