Indoor Flowers

While I have been slaving away outdoors, trying to liberate the flowerbeds and keep the grass at bay, the inside flowers have been doing their own thing, unaided by me. I didn't even notice that the plant climbing all over the ceiling of the jungle room (one of the plants climbing all over the ceiling of the jungle room) had four buds on it until they were almost ready to bloom. I call this plant rick rack cactus although I guess it isn't really. I'm not sure what it is. Like the night-blooming cereus, it blooms at night and is open only one night. Unlike the cereus, the flowers are not strongly scented. Whatever it is, it blooms seldom, although it buds often. The buds usually turn black, likely because it's too cold in our unheated jungle room greenhouse. But we have had some unseasonably warm weather this spring and four buds survived.

I waited up for the first bloom to open, which it did at 11:30 p.m. It was worth the wait. I did not put a ruler up to it but it was at least a foot across... the biggest flower I have ever seen.

Two opened a few nights later but I didn't wait for them to get all the way open. Nor did I wait for number four. None were as huge as the first one. 

 May is the month for orchid cactus to bloom, which they faithfully do every year. And they stay open for days, thank goodness. This psychedelic pink one was, and still is, covered in flowers.

I did not get photos of all that have bloomed so far. More open daily. May is a colorful month in our greenhouse. For some reason, the camera refuses to get all the colors actually present in this pink/purple/red combination.

My original cactus was plain ol' red. It hardly gets any notice anymore.

Also blooming this time of year are the Amaryllis, some from gifts to me in past Christmases (from my wonderful daughters-in-law) and some bloomed-out plants that friends have given me. I lose track of who has given me what so they mostly just stay here and bloom in the spring, when they're really supposed to.

 The plants upstairs in my office (it's a bit of a jungle up here, too) are also blooming. The hibiscus only managed one flower this year.

But the hoya is outdoing itself, both in numbers of blooms and fragrance.

And it seems to be reaching across the room now, trying to reach the computer area, where it will drop its sticky sweetness all over my papers. It will have to be retrained a different direction.

The rains have returned outdoors, to my great relief, relieving me from the constant watering and mowing duties and allowing me to enjoy the indoor flowers who ask for so little care and give so much beauty.

From Oceanside to Cape Meares

On Wednesday, May 15, we finished our Black Oystercatcher site surveys. First thing in the morning (after chores), we returned to our viewpoint on the north side of Cape Lookout to check the offshore rocks when the sun was behind us instead of shining in our eyes. Still no BLOY.

Then it was up the coast past Netarts Bay to Oceanside, which we hit just at low tide. We hiked through the tunnel and found a pair of BLOY feeding on an exposed tidal rock. At the same time we were looking at them, friends John and Barbara were just north at Short Beach looking at five more. It was nice to have someone glassing Short Beach at the same time we were at Oceanside so we would be sure that there were, indeed, seven BLOY in the area and not two that flew from one area to the next to be counted again.

After lunch at Brewin' in the Wind at Oceanside, a favorite rendezvous spot with Tillamook friends John and Barbara, we all drove north to Short Beach, where we found five BLOY still hanging out. For some reason, gulls and BLOY love the fresh water that flows into the ocean from a reservoir up in the hills. They drink and bathe and splash. Here are two BLOY enjoying a dip along with many gulls.

 Farther north on the beach, another pair were foraging on an exposed rock. They had just flown from the north end of the rocky beach, where another BLOY was still poking around.

Then we were off to Cape Meares, where John and Barbara have been keeping watch on the nesting peregrines and nesting Black Oystercatchers... for many years. The peregrines were out of sight this day but two pair of BLOY were each hanging out in their usual nesting areas, one on the north toe of the cove and one on the south toe. Neither pair are nesting yet.

For an unknown reason, I took few photos this day. Perhaps because I have so many photos of the area. (For previous trips with more photos, check out: http://lindafink.blogspot.com/search?q=Short+Beach,  http://lindafink.blogspot.com/2013/01/from-octopus-tree-to-short-beach.html )  Or perhaps because I was starting to wear down from our marathon BLOY surveying. In fact I was so tired, I let Johnny drive home while I slept the whole way.

I love the coast and surveying Black Oystercatchers, but... it has been time since then to stay home and get something done on the farm... like weed and mow and plant. And, on this past moonlit Sunday night, survey Nightjars. That story another time.

Three Capes Scenic Loop

Three Capes Scenic Loop includes Cape Kiwanda, Cape Lookout and Cape Meares. All three are Black Oystercatcher sites, so Johnny and I surveyed them last Tuesday and Wednesday.

As usual, one pair was easy to find on the cliff they like to hang out on at Cape Kiwanda.

Another was feeding on an exposed tidal flat. Then Johnny spotted one way over on Haystack Rock itself. But after a bit, the two on the cliff I was watching became three, then two of those flew leaving one, but another returned making two again. 

It is always difficult to figure out what's going on at Cape Kiwanda. The only nest we have ever found is half a mile offshore on the east side of the 100 meter high Haystack Rock. We think the birds still nest on the same ledge but have moved their nesting area out of our sight. Where the second pair nests is still a mystery.
 
After climbing back down the dune, we ate lunch at a tiny, but very good, cafe nearby, then continued on the scenic loop road to Cape Lookout. The 2 1/2 mile hike to the end of the cape is on a very well-maintained trail: very unlike that trail was 30 plus years ago, the last time Johnny hiked it, when it was a muddy mess. (I hiked it last fall with friend Carol.) This time we had a beautiful day with beautiful viewpoints all along the trail.

 A natural bench from tree roots made a handy resting spot.

 We stopped to glass the rocky flats by a cove on the north side where I always hope to, but never do, see Black Oystercatchers.

 From a side trail going up, I could see all the way north to Cape Meares, the third cape on the loop, and, with the camera zoomed in, the three arch rocks off its coast.

 
Johnny took a photo of me on my perch above the trail, admiring the view northward.

However, while I looked for BLOY, Johnny watched the ocean and suddenly cried, "A whale! And she has a calf!" Sure enough, a cow and calf whale were swimming slowly north along the shore line in the cove. I tried to get a photo but was too slow to get them when their backs were nearly out of the water. They were about to disappear into the white froth when my shutter clicked. You'll have to take my word for it that the green smudge in the photo below is part of the mama whale's back. The lighter green smudge behind and beside her is the calf. I don't know what the green is but it was on part of both their backs.

Even zoomed in, it still just looks like a green smudge.

When the trail wandered to the south side of the cape, the vistas were so lovely I took a zillion photos of, basically, the same thing. In the distance is Cape Kiwanda, where we had been earlier, and Haystack Rock off its shore, both looking very tiny from the much higher Cape Lookout.

 Eventually, we made it to the end of the cape.

Our target bird, a Black Oystercatcher, screamed and flew out from the rocky flats below and then returned. If there was more than one, we did not see it.

 After the 2 1/2 mile hike back to the trailhead, I decided to hike the north trail as far as our customary vista point to see the two offshore rocks that are possible BLOY hang-outs, although we've yet to find them hanging out there. Johnny drove the car to meet me. I thought I might be able to at least hear BLOY from the trail but I was wrong. I could not even hear the ocean until I was almost to our vista point. But it was a lovely trail with huge sitka spruce. My walking stick is 4 1/2 feet long. This tree must be nearly three times that at the base.

Several trees made cool archways over the trail.

At one point, there were Giant Trilliums that were bigger than any I've ever seen. I put my foot in the photo to give an idea of just how big this trillium is. It bloomed earlier in the spring. I would like to have seen the flower!

It's a good thing the mile plus trail was so intriguing, because this is the view I finally had of the rock through the trees. Our view from our usual vista point is just as good. Johnny had the scope set up and was looking at the rock when I came dragging in. Five miles on the cape trail and then a mile or more on this one was a bit much. And we saw only one BLOY all afternoon. But the whale and calf and the views were well worth the trip... and the sore muscles.

 The following day we traveled north to the third cape, Cape Meares, via Oceanside and Short Beach. That tale next time.
 

Hard Work and Comfort Food

When not surveying birds this week, we have been working like mad on the farm. Johnny spread bark dust on the paths, tilled the garden, created pvc posts to hold up the netting over the garden (we net the garden to keep the peacock out), while I weeded, mowed, watered and weeded some more. Today I moved some of the tomatoes out into their tire beds and planted flowers... and mowed. Tomorrow I'll plant at least part of the main garden. It's still too cool at night for some things. But cold hardy potatoes and peas and parsnips and beets are well up in their raised beds.

Potatoes and Peas in the old manure spreader

 Although I have hauled off a jillion loads of weeds, the flower beds look like it's time to weed them. Sort of like our house looks after we've cleaned like mad... most people would look around and think it was time to clean house. That's life on a farm. Nevertheless, here are some photos of my flower "meadows".

Forget-me-nots and Peonies

Columbine and Forget-me-Nots

Rhododendron

 
Below is the fountain-turned-sundial. I'm hoping the sedums I rescued from another flower "meadow" will fill in the empty spaces.

 Johnny bought me this decorative sprinkler. I set it up in the middle of the rhubarb/blueberry bed and it works great! Thanks to neighbor Irv for buying one first and trying it out. He told us it was the best sprinkler he ever had. Now I want a second one.

 Below is the front, unweeded path, with Johnny's barkdust and the faithful yellow iris. They don't let weeds stop them from blooming.

 I did weed the strawberry bed... several times. They're blooming so hopefully we'll have strawberries in June.

 The first artichoke is ready. Yum! I love artichokes. Johnny does not so I get them all. Too bad.

 Here's my hard-working helper gnome, standing on horse manure. When I give up digging weeds, I dump horse barn cleanings on the whole mess to make the weeds easier to pull. Or that's the theory.

This is an exhausting time of year... a time for comfort foods. My mother made wonderful banana bread that was always my treat when chores were done. Luckily for me, Jessica makes wonderful banana bread and keeps me supplied. Hers is gluten free. Nothing tastes better to me when I'm tired or grumpy or sad... or happy or cheerful or full of energy... than Jessica's banana bread. A new supply arrived for Mother's Day. Life is good.