If I hadn't been in the bathroom drying my hairI wouldn't have caught a glimpse of a furry tail passing by the window
and I wouldn't have got up to take a closer look at the fox
and I wouldn't have seen the flower on the lace cactus, Echinocereus reichenbacci,
and if I hadn't mentioned it to D he wouldn't have told me that there was another lace cactus blooming out in the front,
and if I hadn't gone out to look at it I wouldn't have seen the buds on this clump of cactus, Escobaria missouriensis about to burst into flower any day,
and if I hadn't gone out to check on it the next morning I wouldn't have seen the flower on the rain lily that appeared overnight (The plants that MSS gave me a few weeks ago) It was such a perfect white bloom.
And if I hadn't gone out to photograph the cactus again a few hours later I wouldn't have disturbed the three deer that hang about all the time,
and I wouldn't have gone over to look at the rain lily and seen that it was completely mowed down.
Oh, well I guess our very pregnant doe is eating for three along with her children from last year(a little boy and girl) They have fine taste in foods.
But at least I got to see the cactus in full bloom.
It always floors me to hear about/see deer casually munching blooms. Your succulents are really putting on a show!
ReplyDeleteJenny, I always enjoy your posts. But darnit, that rainlily was stunning. I suppose it was also delicious, and we can always pardon anything a mom-to-be needs, right? The cacti are downright gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteI just loved this post! A walk through the garden is always a series of serendipitous events. :o)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos, as usual.
ReplyDeleteIt pays to take a photo of any flower outside the fence, before it becomes dinner.
I agree with Cheryl -- serendipity! So many wonderful sights in the garden are lucky chances.
ReplyDeleteIris- I like having them around but it is frustrating.
ReplyDeleteCheryl and Sweet Bay.- I'd probably give up if it weren't so.
Linda- I got to enjoy it for one brief moment.
Hi RR.
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures of your cactus blooms, it always amazes me how big the flowers are on cactus in relation to the plant size...such show offs!
Great subtle colors.
Have you ever had any problems with freezes in the winter? Do you cover them?
Interested.
ESP.
Lovely post and beautiful photos. You have such large cactus specimens. Have you had them for a long time? I have a small Echinocereus reichenbacci, and the one bloom it produced last year was it. It doesn't seem to be doing anything this year, which is the case with several of the cacti I have.
ReplyDeleteWonderful capture of an unexpected chain of little moments, Jenny! The cactus are quite spectacular.
ReplyDeleteAt our previous Austin house the deer always ate the rain lilies so I dug a few up and grew them on the deck in containers. Then when we moved here the containers came with us and now white rainlilies bloom in this yard.
Good thing you looked fast!
Annie
ESP- This is the best cactus blooming I have ever had. Almost all at once.
ReplyDeleteAiyana- The lace cactus are about 7 years old. Funnily the one I pictured first was a single when I accidentally trod on it and then it made 3. I thought that was really interesting. I have had several small cactus come from this large clump.I have a feeling that this was a special year for cactus here in Texas as the Opuntia have been outstanding.
Annie- I really knew that the deer ate rain lilies because I have seen flowers disappear before. I do need to put them inside my gardens and not out there. The deer had her baby yesterday but we haven't seen it yet.
Just beautiful plants and photos. I am so glad you respond on my blog to my search for the name of flowers I had
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, I really appreciate your assistance. I have Googled the names and they are right on. Now for reading and seeing what it is I need to do to care for them and to keep them alive. YAHOOO.
Splendid show of catus.
ReplyDeleteYou have fed my eyes on flowers today and filled my mind with inspiration for a multitude of mornings.
What poetry the morning brings...you have brought paint into my brush for paintings not yet thought of...but I can taste them...
Jenny, your cactus blooms are stunning. Makes me want to plant cactus. And even when they're eating your flowers, it's nice you're still so compassionate about the deer.
ReplyDeleteOur cactus are blooming here at Draco as well, all except the Horse Cripplers, they will be out a little later in the summer. The yellow blooms on the Nipple Cactus and the purple ones on the lace cactus always look like they are tattered in a high wind. I so wish the blooms lasted longer as they are so stunningly beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI had that moment today too. If I hadn't chased that deer away last night I could have gotten a camera shot. I like how you did that.
ReplyDeletequestion how do you get so much room for those pictures. what template do you use? How do you get so much room?
renee- I do rant on about the deer quite a bit but it is wonderful to have them out there.
ReplyDeleteBob- I was surprised this flowered so late along with the two final flowers on teh lace cactus. The cripplers flowered weeks ago.
anon-Are you referiong to the size of the pictures. Just go into the html and change the sizes to 640x480 and the single number to 640.
Jenny, I think anonymous means the name for what style of Blogspot template you have. Yours is "Minima Stretch" and the photos do seem to fill a larger percentage of the screen than my "Scribe" template allows.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm glad you think it's wonderful to have the deer since you're stuck with them!
Annie
You are right Annie it is minima stretch but you still have to change the size of the pictures in the html. So much to learn! Bit by bit!
ReplyDelete