New Farseers

Day 220: It is said that patience is its own reward. For some time now, I have been accruing "rewards" points with a favourite store, and finally built up enough to invest in a new pair of farseers. My old ones have a broken eye cup, and are stamped "made in occupied Japan." That should give you a clue as to their age. Another issue with the old ones is that they don't flex far enough to fit my small face, meaning that I've always had to close one eye when looking through them. These snug down nicely to my pupillary distance. The new pair is also a bit stronger and has a slightly wider field, not excessively so, but rather just perfect for birding. They also give an image which is somewhat sharper. Good optics are important when it comes to identifying birds in the field, and I am quite pleased with these.

Hoya Fitchii

Day 219: Hoya fitchii is doing his thing again, and although the flower heads aren't as big as those on Hoya carnosa, what they lack in size is more than balanced by the striking colour. Hoyas come in an astonishingly wide assortment of foliage types, and a good selection of flower hue as well, although all on the "warm" side of the spectrum. Some produce open heads with only a few individual blossoms. Others may display clusters 4-6 inches across. Some species have flowers which emerge from leaf axils, but other varieties (like Fitch) carry their blooms on the ends of spurs. Foliage may be mottled, variegated, smooth, fuzzy, round and short, long and pointed, and it may climb supports, drape over its planter or creep along the ground. Some bloom once a year, and others may flower intermittently over three seasons. Not all of them bloom readily, though. Of the seven species in my small collection, two have never flowered, but I remain hopeful that some day, they'll surprise me.

Medlar Flower

Day 218: I fully expected the medlar tree to drop its buds after planting, but almost every tip now has a flower, and I'm hoping there are enough pollinators around to do the job. Technically, I suppose I shouldn't allow it to set fruit for a couple of years, but medlars are more vigorous than better-known fruit trees like apples, pears, peaches and such, so I think I'm simply going to let Nature take her course. Obviously, there won't be enough for a batch of jelly, but I can either freeze the juice to add to next year's crop, or I can eat medlars. Yes, the fruit of this unusual tree is edible, although most people cringe at the thought of eating it when it has turned to mush. It is actually quite tasty, somewhat honeyed, perhaps with notes of apple or rose. The texture is similar to that of persimmon, another oddity which has varieties suitable for the Pacific Northwest.

Aptly Named "Cleavers"

Day 217: Galium odoratum is one of several Bedstraws which go by the common name of "Cleavers," and how aptly named they are! When in fruit, these plants carry dozens of small, round burrs which cling tenaciously to socks, boot laces and flannel shirt cuffs, to say nothing of attaching themselves to animal fur which assists in their transport to new locations. Galium odoratum is a non-native species, identifiable by the number of leaves in the whorl. Ten native Galium species are known to occur in Washington, as well as four which were introduced from Europe. Galium odoratum is fragrant, hence its alternative common name, "Sweet-scented Bedstraw."

Scrubby Is Back!

Day 216: Scrubby is back! For the last few years, a California Scrub-jay has been showing up at my feeders as their range expands northwards. I was familiar with the species from seeing them on southwest Washington prairies, and when the first one showed up here about ten years ago, I wrote it off as an "occasional." Perhaps I was a bit too precipitous in that assessment, because they seem to now be one of my regulars, although they come and go throughout the season. This particular subspecies (Aphelocoma californica immanis) tends to be a bit more drab than A. californica californica, with more brown on the back. It is also somewhat larger than the birds found in California. The strong "eyebrow," less prominent in females, tells me that this bird is a male. Now why couldn't he have arrived in time for Big Day?

Centaurea Montana

Day 215: Quite a sizeable number of plants we now think of as weeds are in fact escapees from gardens. They become "weedy" when they spread beyond manicured spaces, and may find themselves listed as "invasive" when there are no natural predators to control them. My mother's flower bed hosted a large clump of Centaurea montana (aka Bachelor's Buttons) which as a child, I adored. They never crept out of bounds, didn't spring up spontaneously in neighbours' yards, nor did they reseed in our own landscaping. When I moved here, I discovered them growing on the road verge not far from home so, thinking in terms of free ornamentals, I loaded the shovel in the car and lifted a clump to add to the Barren Wasteland between the house and garage. I am pleased to say that they have never extended themselves beyond their allotted space, and therefore are not a "weed" as far as I am concerned.

Veronica Persica

Day 214: I find it very hard to use the word "weed" when discussing Veronica persica because its cheery blue faces are such bright spots amid the dandelion mop-tops and coarse grass which passes for "lawn" at my house, but unfortunately, this little plant is non-native and therefore deserving of the epithet. To its credit, it is not considered an invasive except in certain agricultural venues, none of which exist in this area. It may also be called "Speedwell," owing to the medicinal properties attributed to it. It can be included in salves for irritated skin, and a tea made of its leaves is said to alleviate stomach ulcers, although it is also diuretic. I prefer to let it grow, where it soothes my eyes with its simple beauty.