Another highlight of our San Diego trip:
The Jacaranda trees were in bloom!
They are planted all over San Diego, even though they are not native to the area.
The flowers usually bloom some time between mid May until mid June; earlier in some areas and later in others.
This year the blooms were spectacular!
Some times I miss Jacaranda bloom by days.
My SoCal "sister" Sara usually blogs about them when they bloom so I at least can see them in blogdom if I miss seeing them in person.
Just ask any native SoCal person about jacarandas and you will heard chorus after chorus of jacaranda praise.
(And a warning to never park your car under the tree in blossom as the falling spent flowers will stain!)
May I just say that I think everyone should see a jacaranda tree in full bloom and a Texas field full of bluebonnets at least once.
The castanet shaped seed pods are pretty cool too.
Ahhh...jacaranda, palm trees and bottlebrush together.
Must be a picture from home.
Bottle brush trees are noted for hosting hummingbird nests.
Every year I peer carefully at any bottle brush tree hoping to see a tiny nest; no luck yet.
Doesn't seem quite fair...lots of folks swinging into San Diego for a day wind up getting to see a nest, with eggs, and shoot dozens of fantastic pictures.
Oh well.
Some day it WILL happen for me.
I just know it will.
Really.
Every year I peer carefully at any bottle brush tree hoping to see a tiny nest; no luck yet.
Doesn't seem quite fair...lots of folks swinging into San Diego for a day wind up getting to see a nest, with eggs, and shoot dozens of fantastic pictures.
Oh well.
Some day it WILL happen for me.
I just know it will.
Really.
San Diego flora is far more appreciated by me now that I haven't lived there for almost fifteen years.
Now I see beauty even in a palm tree stalk!
Wax flowers always struck me as amazing...they still do.
The buds remind me of Chiclets gum...remember the glossy little squares of candy coated gum?
When the wax flower is back lit they are especially beautiful.
This photo is in perfect focus...just look at the center red area and you can tell.
The pink five armed petals are covered with a pink velvet.
It is hard to believe that the wax flower is real!
Nasturtiums bloom in the spring in San Diego.
They are an end of summer treat in Utah.
This morning I planted a couple of packs of nasturtium seeds out in our garden. Both the multi colored "Fiesta" mix and the Alaskan variety with white flecks on the leaves. I usually wind up wishing I had planted more seeds as I love using the flowers for bouquets and in salads too. Tasty!
I had on my calendar today to watch the Transit of Venus at 4 pm.
Yesterday it was 96 degrees here and skies were clear.
Today it is 60 degrees and the over night low will be around 46 degrees
The sky right now is cloud covered.
My hope of seeing the planet Venus moving across the face of the sun has been dashed.
Were you planning on watching?
Did you get to see it?
The event won't happen again for over a hundred years.
Humph.
Wonder if God lets those in heaven watch such events?
Guess I'll find out one day!
10 comments:
Those are the best jacaranda photos I've seen...you really captured their glory. My grandparents used to have those wax flowers; I haven't seen them since I was about six years old!
You've shared so much of the tropical beauty of San Diego in this post and your prior post, Jill! I loved the beautiful fauna and flora I saw when I visited SD, and all of California for that matter.
I stopped blogging about the trip my husband and I took up the CA coast last year when my Mother passed away In January, and then preoccupation with the wedding took over. I have to go back and finish before I forget all the special places we saw.
You got some great shots of the Jacaranda. Beautiful. I agree with Sara about the photos.
I imagine God is watching such events!
There was no Venus watching here. The clouds parted a bit but not in time.
That shots of the Jacaranda are amazing as well as the other flowers. I had no idea there was such a variety of blooms this time of year in SD.
Really gorgeous jacaranda photos. We enjoyed seeing jacarandas when we lived in Ecuador - stunning when in full bloom.
Well you have made a decision for me. A friend of mine invited me for a 3 day trip to San Diego the 15-17 and I couldn't decide if I should go or not. Now? I AM GOING! :)
Oh lovely! I would just add a field of lupines to your list.
Those wax flowers are so unique that they don't look real. Amazing.
Love those Jaracanda trees...a foreign picture in this part of the world. Beautiful blooms...all around.
We've had cloudy skies for too long to remember...so we aren't seeing much that is going on up there!
Such beautiful pictures. I visited SD once, but saw nothing like you have posted here. Keep up the good work.
Beautiful photos! What you call the 'wax' flower is called Hoya. I have a huge one in the house that is about 50 years old. It was my mothers. It hasn't bloomed for quite a while now for some reason but I love the flowers and the heady scent they emit in the evening. I enjoyed your above posts - rock hunting was amazing. What views! Pamela
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