A Trip to the Wild

For gardeners and plant lovers in general, we are often focused on that part of nature. But of course our natural habitats are filled with fauna not just flora. For those lucky enough to travel to various parts of the world that offer environments quite different than ours in temperate North America, they are offered the chance to see animals we won't see in our local environs. That is unless we visit a zoo. A friend and I did just that yesterday, visiting the small but interesting Oakland Zoo. Once a poorly run place, the zoo underwent a major makeover 20 years ago and is now one of the best small zoos in the country. A great emphasis was placed on creating natural environments for each animal and to give as space as possible for the larger mammals.
So, here a few photos from the day, each with a comment where appropriate.

Blue and Yellow Macaw. Many are familiar with this wonderfully colorful bird. Macaws are very smart birds. They are unfortunately being captured in the wild in great numbers, to supply the pet trade. Among the many truly awful aspects of this is that these birds mate for life and never leave that partner even for a moment so living alone is greatly difficult for them.

Siamang. Native to Sumatra, they are the largest of the smaller apes. They spend most of their lives in the trees. When walking they keep their arms raised for balance. One curious note. Since they use their arms for swinging and moving in the trees, they carry objects with their feet.

Aldabra tortoise. Native to the Aldabra Islands, near the Seychelles Islands in the Indian ocean. Males can easily weigh 500 pounds.

Aldabra or Desert tortoise. Not sure which now (I wasn't taking notes) but this guy has the appearance of really motoring! Must be dinner time.

Supercroc! This prehistoric crocodile lived 110 million years ago, was 42 feet long and ate dinosaurs! It's Sarcosuchus imperator for you Latin geeks and it lived in what we now know as Africa.

If this guy looks like an otter but somehow different that's because he's a River otter. The face is a bit different and so is the coloring of the fur. They're just as playful and social as ocean otters and just as efficient as devouring fish. The photo below almost makes him look like a woodchuck but that I think is due to the slightly more flattened face.

Gila monster (I think). These colorful little lizards are Gila monsters (at least that's what the Diorama sign said). This photo doesn't do justice to how colorful they are, with dramatic spotting.

Although the exhibition sign just said Tiger, I think these girls (there were five females in the enclosure) are Bengal tigers. They looked quite healthy and reasonably content. It's a large enclosure, complete with a large pond with a waterfall, an open grassy area, a "cave" where they can get out of the elements and these platforms for sunning themselves. 

Cats groom each other of course and that applies to all the big cats. Here one is licking and grooming its 'sister.' Somehow that simple act being performed by a lethal hunter is sort of surreal. Surreal too that we stood a mere 30 feet away from these awe inspiring creatures.

Malayan Flying foxes (fruit bats). These enormous bats, one of the world's largest, have up to a six foot wingspan and can weigh up to 2.2 pounds (that's extremely heavy for a bat). Though this isn't the greatest photo, it gives an idea of how big these bats are. They are native to Malaysia, the Philippines and Sumatra. One thing not commonly known about bats -- they are the only mammal that truly flies.

Goats. The children's petting zoo had a number of very colorful goats and we decided to pay a visit.  I love goats (hey, I'm a Capricorn) and it was great fun to hang out with them. I somehow imagine the creator saying "Okay, I need an animal that can live almost anywhere, including very tall mountains, is impervious to the cold, eats anything and yet can be domesticated and is safe around kids. Oh, I got it -- goats."

Squirrel monkey. Though this isn't the best shot I did want to include a picture of one of the cutest monkeys -- heck cutest animals on the planet period -- that you'll ever see. They're small, weighing only 2 pounds, but are very social and lively. While other monkeys are chilling, these guys are in perpetual motion.

Giraffe (reticulated). Interesting fact -- while the newborn of some large animals can be quite tiny, newborn giraffes are already 6 feet tall and weigh 100-150 pounds. They can stand, if a bit wobbly, in five minutes and feed after only 20 minutes. Offspring begin browsing for their own food in the first month, after which they stop nursing. It wasn't known how exactly giraffes communicate but recently scientists have discovered they use extremely low frequency 'rumbling' noises to communicate. These sounds can be heard over long distances.

Taveta golden weaver. These colorful birds hail from eastern coastal Africa and are very active. They are closely related to sparrows. 

This 'odd duck' is actually a duck, specifically a White-faced Whistling Duck. I couldn't get my camera to focus properly but figured a slightly blurry photo was better than none. Also native to Africa, it behaves more like a goose or swan than a typical duck. A bit vain, they spend a lot of their day preening. 

Hammerkop. Again, I couldn't get this unusual looking African bird to stay still and thus this is the best photo I could manage. The crest on the back of the head mirrors the stout beak and produces the hammerhead shape from which the species takes its name. Hammerkops feed on frogs, fish and invertebrates.

Yes, this is a Spotted Hyena (two side by side). A few interesting things you may not have guessed about these carnivores. A hyena clan is a stable community of related females, among which unrelated males reside for varying periods. Within the clan there is a separate dominance hierarchy for each sex. The highest-ranking females and her descendants are dominant over all other animals (thus it's a kind of matriarchy). Hyenas are very smart and well organized, skills they use to hunt much larger prey.

Hummingbirds

My thoughts this morning somehow turn to our hummingbird friends. They are everywhere these days, zipping here and there. Here are a few things I like about hummers:
The males are fearless and will defend their territory, even if that's just one nectar feeder, with a zealousness that borders on the pathological.
Males will even try to scare off much bigger birds from infringing on their nectar source.
Hummers have tongues. Well, of course they do but you don't normally see them until the very moment they thrust them into a flower or nectar cup.
Hummers are the most expert fliers in the world. They can drop straight down or shoot up in an eye blink. They can also fly backwards (yes backwards), something that virtually no other bird can do.
Hummers lower their body temperature and heartbeat at night, sometimes to an extreme that seems hard to recover from. It's their way of preserving energy while they're not actively feeding.
Hummers do indeed migrate, some very long distances. That said, some in warm places like Florida stay there year round.
Unlike most birds, hummers will have two or three broods of young per year.
Contrary to what some think, hummers' diets include lots of insects, which they mostly catch in the air.
The most common Bay Area hummingbird is the Anna's. It's also one of the larger species and the only N. American one with a bright rose-red crown and throat (males).
Hummers are both fearless and curious. They will often come right up to within a foot of my face to see who I am and what I'm doing and have been known to alight on people's hats.
And for those who worry that having one or more nectar feeders will domesticate their hummers (having them rely only on sugar water), don't worry. They will still seek out their favorite flowers for nectar.

And now this week's photos!

Primula Primlet. This specimen proves that these common primroses are not annuals as is often thought. This one is in year three and going strong. The Primlet series are double form, 'budded' primroses that resemble tiny roses.

Flower or creature? On land or on the ocean's bottom? This 'Key Lime' chrysanthemum (mum) has both an otherworldly color and smaller, tightly bunched flowers that to me resemble sea anemones.

This simple flower belongs to a Rain lily (Zephyranthes). They earn their common name by popping 

up when the fall/winter rains arrive. They come in a variety of colors but somehow the white is an

ideal complement to the bright green grass-like leaves.

Celosia 'Cramer's Burgundy.' My first thought was 'It should be Kramer's Burgundy with a K because Seinfeld's Kramer kind of had hair like this. Fuzzy, phosphorescent and weird - what more can you ask of a flower?

Caryopertis 'Hint of Gold.' Though it's late, my Caryopteris is finally producing the distinctive purplish-blue flowers. A great combo with the chartreuse foliage.

Leucophyta brownii. If this Cushion Bush kind of looks like a silver tumbleweed, then well, it does to me too. Native to Australia -- where else? -- it's very drought tolerant and adaptable (though it does really like sun). It forms a 3' x 3' rounded shrub and does flower, though the tiny pale yellow flowers aren't that noticeable.

Not quite "Who goes there, friend or foe?" one might instead ask, "Who goes there, shrub or succulent?" And if this plant could answer it would say "Both." It's a Senecio barbertonicus and it's a shrub-form Senecio. It can reach a pretty good size, to 3-4', thus needs the space in which to flourish.

My Edgeworthia chrysantha is acting strangely this year. It took forever to leaf out, nearly June, and then has stayed very low. But at least it did 'recover' and is nice and lush now. This genus is commonly known as Paper bush, for the Chinese reportedly used the peeling bark as a kind of parchment.

Staghorn fern. These ancient ferns are quite adaptable, doing well as an epiphyte or grown in soil. This clump was somehow detached from the mother plant but it has since rooted and is prospering.

Deppea splendens. This summer and fall bloomer is just starting its bloom season. These bracts have yet to open to produce the golden yellow flowers. Endemic to Chiapis Mexico, this rare plant is thought to be extinct in the wild so thankfully several growers are keeping it in circulation.

I'm always taking closeups of individual flowers so am trying to break myself of that habit. Here's a newly planted Passiflora 'Coral Seas' that is climbing up a wooden trellis sprayed a yellow color.

Plectranthus 'Mike's Fuzzy Wuzzy.' One of the great names in the bot world, this tough little low growing plectranthus is taking its time spreading but it does help to lighten up a shady area.

Amorphophallus kiusianus. This is a leaf shoot that's about to open. A member of the Arum family and related to the huge Corpse flower, this more compact guy is proving very vigorous.

Five finger fern (Adiantum aleuticum). One of the prettier California native ferns and tough to boot.

Swainsona galegifolia, the white flowering form. This resilient Aussie native nearly died on me but after a complete haircut is springing back. Fern-like foliage and pure white flowers make for an attractive combo.

Readers of this blog will know that I love dwarf conifers. Here's a new one, kindly donated by Lisa at Sebastopol Growers. It's a Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Boulevard.' It will eventually get 10' tall and 6' wide but it's still a modest two feet right now. Love the color and the way the tips curl.

Fall-ing into Summer

Our strange climate here in the Bay Area, especially near the bay, raises the question of what exactly constitutes summer. For most of the rest of the country, summer is the period with the warmest weather, the main time one is outside, be that at the beach, out in nature or even just in the back yard BBQing. Not so here. September through November is often our warmest period, while June July and August can be cool, as it mostly was again this year. This observation may be a specious one except when it comes to gardening. Though the nights are indeed cooling down, the warm days allow plants to continue to thrive. Flowering is extended, deciduous plants wait a bit longer to do so. A longer paradise if you will. I for one am not complaining, nor seemingly is my garden. I'm being more conservative with the water but have not gone whole hog and told the plants "You're on your own." I don't have that type of garden. My way of dealing with this reality is to use as little water elsewhere as I can, save my shower water and get as many things out of pots and into the ground as I can. So far so good. Then again, I've never had a lawn and I water carefully, so no liquid goes to waste.
All of that said, here's some photos of the garden taken this morning. Enjoy.

Rhipsalis 'Limey.' I love this genus, which has many interesting species. Many of them cascade, as this one is beginning to do.

Passiflora 'Lady Margaret.' This new variety is a real showstopper. Wine red petals with sort of striped filaments make this a real find.

My Halliana honeysuckle is popular with moths as well, as this visitor demonstrates. The white petal is the perfect 'backdrop' for his subtle colors.

Caryopteris 'Hint of Gold.' This new variety of bluebeard features chartreuse foliage and eventually wispy purple flowers.

Calluna 'Firefly.' This type of heather acquires more red color as the weather cools, though my specimen has decided to get a head start on that chameleon-like change.

Do Asclepias curavassivicas self seed? Yes, as this little guy demonstrates. And it wasted no time in flowering.

It's a little hard to tell from this photo but this is a flowering quince (Chaenomeles), in this case a C. 'Fuji.' It is one of a group of plants that produces flowers directly off its trunk or branches, as you can see here.

Echeveria pulvinata 'Red Velvet.' A new addition, this gorgeous Echeveria features dramatic red coloring to the leaves and orange flowers. C'est magnifique!

Kalanchoe 'Chocolate Soldiers.' No idea where the strange common name came from but this fuzzy kalanchoe is one of my favorite succulents.

My Begonia 'Illumination Yellow' is almost done blooming but I managed to get one last photo, here using the wood background to make the buttery yellow petals really shine.

Fuchsia 'Firecracker.' I had to cut this nearly to the ground but it has sprung back, showing even more color than before. Sometimes the garden gods smile on you.

Ampelopsis. This has been the best year yet for my Porcelain Berry vine. Many more blue and purple berries to help put on a show. 

Nematanthus wettsteinii. If this name draws a huh? maybe the common name Goldfish plant will ring a bell. Normally grown as a houseplant, it can actually be happy outside for all but the coldest nights. Mine has adjusted to its location of bright shade.

I'm still not sure which bromeliad this is but its smooth speckled leaves eventually produced a many-branched spear and finally, and I mean finally, it produced simple little chartreuse flowers (seen here at the very tip of the 'branch').

Tecoma stans 'Bells of Fire.' My specimen is happy, happy, happy and in full bloom, only a month plus from me bringing it home in a gallon container.

Cassia phyllodinea. Last week I posted a photo of this new addition to my garden (and wrote about it). Here's a close up of the lovely gold flowers. Silver and gold, a wonderful combo.

Speaking of silvery foliage, here's a photo of my Ozothamnus rosmarinifolius ‘Silver Jubilee.’ It's just beginning to sprout its tiny white flowers, adding a brighter accent to the downy foliage. One of my favorite plants.

Grevillea 'Moonlight.' One of the most spectacular grevilleas around, it produces eight inch long cones of buttery yellow flowers. Long blooming and nectar rich, it's a favorite destination for bees and hummers.

Chamaecyparis pisifera juniperoides 'Aurea.' This new addition to my dwarf conifer bed is a lovely charmer. It will top out at two feet and the new spring growth is more of a golden color.

My mimulus would be one of those 'summer' plants that is convinced that summer is a long way from being over. Here it's a M. aurantiacus 'Pete' care of Susan Ashley.