Eleanor

Today's picture was taken today (Memorial Day 2009) by my sister Kathy. We named the hummingbird Eleanor and we think she comes back every year. She loves my mom's flowers on her deck and comes several times a day and has gotten so used to all of us and the dog that it doesn't even bother her anymore.

Playing With Collage Maker

I took my mom's watercolor drawing and played with collage maker on my
computer. Thought I would share all her wonderful works with you.

Raising Beauty

My most prized flower purchase. My sister and I went antique hunting in Old Town Orange one afternoon and stumbled across this cute country cottage store. In the backyard they had a nursery loaded with odd special plants. Plants and flowers you would find in an English Cutting Garden not your basic Home Depot Nursery. I purchased this plant called Milkweed as I was told catapillars love it when the flower turn into this sticky silk like substance. So we planted it out back and the next season sure enough we had about 8 catapillars. We had never seen these large catapillars in our yard before so we went out every few days to check we looked everywhere but couldnt find the chrysalis's until we found them already hatched on the ground we learned they made them under the overhangs of our cinder block wall.Once we learned they had hatched we came out later that day to find several Monarch butterflies hanging out on the milkweed. They didnt leave our backyard plants for several days. The kids were so happy to see this and to have this in our own backyard. This year we now have about 30 plants instead of 2. I guess once the flowers go to seed and make the sticky silk threading it blows seeds into other areas of our yard. My husband Greg says we need to pull them out but I think I might transplant some to the front of the yard as I sooo love the finished product as you can see below.

Fluttering Bye

This pretty butterfly fluttered by while mom and I took a walk

thru Los Olivos, CA. while one vacation.

(I am unsure what type of swallowtail it is)