From Turkeys to a Titan Arum

Among our feathered visitors this month were turkeys. Erick spotted one on the deck railing outside the window in his work space near a bird feeder and snapped these with his smartphone.

That feeder seems a bit small for me...

Maybe I should leave... 

Off I go!

I came on the scene later, but was able to get some good photos of the turkey on the ground using my SH-1's zoom.

Lately a flock of sheep has appeared on the far hillside of the canyon.  Using full zoom, I was able to get photos in which the sheep are fairly visible.

The flock just before it headed over the rise and out of sight.

Detail of the photo above.

The flock spread out on a hill a couple of days later.
Looks like a couple of hundred to me.  What's your guess?

As always, sunsets and light variations on the hills provide lots of photo ops.

Mount Diablo glowing in the evening. 

Same scene using zoom

Clouds over the bay around sunset.

Blooms - inside and outside:

I still can't resist bringing home an orchid when it's the same price as a cut bouquet.
(The painting is by our friend Atul Pande)

Lots of blooms on this one.

The Bower Vine that came with the original landscaping has really taken off this summer.

Close up of the blooms on one of the succulents in our driveway pots.

Last week we returned to one of our favorite places, the UC-Berkeley Botanical Gardens.  This time to see (and smell) a Titan Arum.  It was our first visit to the Tropical Greenhouse.  

This unusual plant greeted us at the entrance.

Here's "Trudy",  the Titan Arum.  These arums produce
one of he largest and rarest flowering structures in the world.

In the foreground is a typical, single (unbrella-like) leaf produced
by another of the Titan Arums in the collection.

Trudy from another angle, a bit closer.
Note the color around the edges of the spathe.
Already I could get a whiff of the decay-like smell that will attract flies for pollenation.

More about Titan Arums can be found here, including a photo of the blossom fully opened.  http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/titan-arum/#tab-1-0-titan-arum

A Bird of Paradise variety in the greenhouse

Outside in the dry climate area of the Gardens:

Cactus in bloom

Aloes among the rocks

Aloes in bloom

Large aloe, close up

Here are photos of Erick and me taken during the July Monclair RR Trail Work Day.

Erick pulling our "broom" an invasive plant that's a fire hazard.
He earned the title "Broom Maniac" in the 3 hours we were working.

Lots of raking to do every work day.
Those Live Oak leaves pile up quickly.