In the corner of the garden close to the back gate, I found a wing that belonged to a Monarch butterfly. Poor tattered little one, colors dull and listless; I carefully picked her up to bring inside the house to spend eternity resting in a pretty box of similar treasures.
Photo by Enchanted Seashells
When I went back outside to finish a yard clean-up project, I had a visitor — this magnificent Monarch who stayed still long enough to spread her wings for a picture, vibrant and alive:
Photo by Enchanted Seashells
It’s a blueblue sky circle of life day here in SoCal.
It’s been an insane couple of days here on Earth, hasn’t it? A lunar occultation, double meteor showers, giant earthquakes, tsunamis — in addition to retrograde Mercury and the Lion’s Gate portal — and we are definitely in the midst of a massive amount of cosmic energy. I’m not sure what it all means, but I’m on high alert, that’s for sure.
There were no earthquakes or tsunami damage around here, but check out this crazy photo! I was in the garden near a brick patio cleaning fallen leaves from the eucalyptus tree. It’s a really annoying job because my stupid city planted the wrong sort of street trees decades ago and not only do eucs make a giant mess, they’re also a fire hazard. I have to constantly pick up the leaves and the incredibly painful-to-bare-feet seed pods (known as gum nuts). No matter how many times neighbors and I lobby the city to get the tree removed, we are always turned down; another stupidstupid city decision.
In and around the bricks and rocks, I had positioned a few random tiles to add some color when a friendly real lizard stopped by for a visit. I’m glad my camera was close by to memorialize the meeting between art and reality.
Does art imitate life or is life imitating art?
Yes, you are beautiful!
You can see some of the offending euc leaves that fell right after I had cleaned up this area. It’s SO annoying!
With all the powerful planetary energies at play right now and everything else in this country that almost too horrible to even think about, it seems like a great time to get grounded, to literally get back to what’s simple and healing — and that’s where you’ll find me, in the garden planting seeds of serenity (and flowers).
A garden must combine the poetic and the mysterious with a feeling of serenity and joy. – Luis Barragan
Sometimes you never know what’s going to thrive in your garden when seeds are sown, but this year’s zinnias have been spectacular. I’ll save all the seeds and try again since she’s really happy where I planted her near the front door.
This beauty brings so much joy! I especially love her little coronet of yellow flowers.
Photo by Enchanted Seashells
Zinnia is named after Johann Gottfried Zinn, a German botany professor who discovered these plants and brought them back to Europe in the 1700s.
The center of a zinnia is made up of disk florets, which are tiny flowers that form a cluster in the middle. These disc florets are surrounded by larger, petal-like structures called ray florets.
The circle of yellow florets is where the nectar is located. It’s where bees pollinate as they collect nectar and pollen. The center of the flower will start to grow larger as the seeds start to form. YAY!
If an apple a day is supposed to keep us healthy, what can I do with all of these?
This is the first year I won the battle with rats and squirrels. I netted and secured the entire tree and picked the most abundant harvest yet.
I counted at least seventy apples and now I’m left with a busy day.
Photo by Enchanted Seashells
I’ll post the recipes later, but I plan to fire up the crockpot to cook and freeze applesauce, apple butter, and prep apple slices ready for pies. I’m feeling very much like Little House on the Prairie with this bounty. I am so proud of myself!
Photo by Enchanted Seashells
These apples were from one tree; there’s another tree on the upper garden with smaller apples but I’ll pick them today and add them to the crockpot, too.
The smell of apples + cinnamon is sooo therapeutic! 🍎
Here’s a little sprinkle of alchemy from Mother Earth.
I grew these flowers: Forget-Me-Not, Zinnia, Calendula…with seeds collected from last season’s blooms. It’s a satisfying project to participate in the circle of life, almost like I gave birth to them, which in a way, I did.
It’s not just me: A query about saving one’s seeds reveals this: Harvesting garden seeds offers a deep connection to the natural world, to become more self-sufficient, and to witness the unique adaptations plants make over time to their specific environment. It also provides a sense of continuity and independence from commercial seed companies.
Yes! I do so love FREE things!
I try to save as many seeds as I can in the veggie garden, too. Cilantro and tomatoes perform well, as do certain types of lettuce. Cucumbers and members of the squash family won’t produce true to type if they’re hybrids, but it’s fun to experiment.
June is full of color around here. Soon enough, it’ll be too dry and everything will turn drab and brown, but the joy continues because I’ll salvage the seeds for next spring. It’s the circle of life all over again!
I’m beyond ecstatic to report this awesome news that for the first time evera California Scrub Jay momma is building her nest here at Casa de Enchanted Seashells.
I’ve been feeding a Scrub Jay family for a long time and they’ve become so trusting that they eat out of my hand, but I’ve never before had one take up residence. The birdhouse is in a fruit-bearing mulberry tree and it’s going crazy this year. Sometimes I harvest all the fruit and make jam and cobblers; haven’t decided if I’ll do it again this season.
I can’t wait to hear and see the babies! Scrub Jays are known for their high intelligence, particularly their abilities in memory, problem-solving, and social cognition. They excel at hiding and remembering food caches, learn new tasks by applying general rules, and even appear to understand the perspective of other jays when deciding where to hide their food.
If that wasn’t awesome enough, check out this (uncommon) Common Yellowthroat OR American Goldfinch–I can’t identify it for sure. I was able to snap a few pictures as they snacked on spent lavender blooms.
May’s birth flower is Muguet de Bois, Lily of the Valley. Every year on my birthday, my mom would give me a brand new set of Coty perfume and dusting powder. I felt SO grown up! I savored its divine fragrance as long as I could, and then stashed the empty bottle in my drawers to scent my clothes.
A favourite flower in my garden to see, if you ask me, just has to be The Lily of the Valley. Known to be the May Lily, this sweet scented, dainty white bell represents a return to happiness and innocence. How delighted I be to see my Lily of the Valley, as blooming it be in ye month of May. Often found neath leafy bushes, or hidden away within the nooks and crannies. Tread carefully mind. As under its flapping green leaves you’ll find its wee white bells dangling on a tiny stem. The Lily of the Valley symbolises Pure Love…They say Lucky in Love it be that’s why it be tradition for brides to have Lily of the Valley amongst their wedding flowers. There be many an old Myth told about the faery folk and the Lily of the Valley. In Ireland it is known to be “The Faery Ladder”.
Little thoughts written by Athey Thompson Photos taken at home by Athey Thompson
The welcoming fragrance of this wisteria is an intoxicating blend of lavender, honeysuckle, and lilac. You can smell it half a block away. I’ve never before seen such exquisite wisteria. Once upon a time I planted it in my garden but it didn’t thrive, I’m sad to say.
Photo by Enchanted Seashells
Wisteria symbolism is associated with romance, devotion, and good luck. In Japan, it represents longevity and success. It can also symbolize humility and endurance,
This is an update to a previous post about transplanting this awesome Peppermint Party Climbing Rose. It’s been a couple years and she’s really blossoming and super spicy!
I don’t give her too much attention except for a hard prune every January, and cross my fingers that she’ll grow back healthy and happy.
I took this photo when it was sunny. I woke up to rain which was totally, unexpectedly, but absolutely welcome, especially since we haven’t had any sky water is quite a while. Any little bit helps.
This was one of my most successful transplanting of a mature plant. I moved this Peppermint Party Climbing Rose from one arbor to another and it’s been thriving ever since.
Late afternoon sun on these stripey petals caught my eye:
Enchanted Seashells | Princess Rosebud 