How the Loop looks this morning

Ginko leaves near the loop

Right now in central park it’s a lovely fall scene. Only the yellow leaves are still hanging on. Another couple days and fall will be OH-VER.

I am posting this unseasonal Spring video to get me through. Winter is coming fast. Hold on to your hats.

Another mystery plant from San Diego.  Here are the facts:

1. Low bushes right near the water

2. Fleshy red fruit

3. The fruit opens up and has plum-like flesh with milky white juice. I put my tongue to it and its sweet and delicious, but I didn’t actually ingest any. The flavor was a bit like Maguey (from Mexico/South America) Is it edible?

Anyone got a name for me? I’d love to know what this pretty plant is. That milky juice is so weird — a science fiction plant!

Jordan was nice enough to be my hand model. I love this guy.

Here is the bud of a delightfully weird flower I ran across in La Jolla. It may come as no surprise that it seems a Dr. Seuss design — he did live in town.

Here’s the whole, open flower:

It’s about, 6 inches long and very velvety and pliable, like it would make a nice dress.

If anybody knows what this mother is called, I’d be much obliged for the info.

Man, these sunny pictures are making a NYC Fall look very gray.

The weather has been so golden this last week. I want to be outside every minute. It’s a dry 70 degrees and it’s practically begging you to come out and play. A couple days ago I was out around sunset and there were beautiful angled beams coming through the ferns near Stranger’s Gate. I only got a couple snaps off before my battery ran out. But that’s my battle cry lately- -get what you can before your battery runs out; the summer is nearly over.

After weeks of waiting, the blackberry harvest is finally underway. I filled a quart yogurt container with big, juicy blackberries from my secret blackberry patch somewhere south of the Great Hill. It’s actually not very hard to find if you’re looking closely. And the blackberries this year are practically the size of golf balls, so the secret is sorta out, not to mention I ran across a sign saying “BLACKBERRY Rubus Fruticosus.” How’s that for an explorer’s buzz kill? Not only is your secret out, but the park service made a frigging plaque. Oh well. I still say it’s a total thrill to harvest anything for free from the bounty of NYC parks service. Just wait till the crabapple harvest. I’m making Central Park Pies this fall, honey.

PHOTO BY JAD MINTUN

This weekend I went away to rural Pennsylvania–to actual nature for a change. The trip was too short; I had just found a whole stash of blueberry bushes when it was time to drive home. I also picked a few black raspberries, but didn’t have time to find more. I need to go back before its too late!

Today I’ll go and pick Central Park blackberries. They are still probably pretty green, but I’m sure a few will be dark and juicy. I’m already salivating.

Last night I got a hankering to check up on the super-secret Central Park blackberry patch, known only to me and a million thieving birds. I was worried that I had missed their peak, being out of town for so long, but it turns out they are still mostly quite green. Like this only less blurry:

I was very stealthy in my approach and had my spy camera out before I realized I was standing scant feet away from a supine teenage love-couple. I actually didn’t see them until the first picture was snapped- -the flash revealing their position. It was kind of embarrassing, but not too embarrassing to get a few more berry photos in before I left them to themselves. I was also able to sample a berry or two before they got back to their sloppy kissing. The arrival of a stranger with a camera stopped them for approximately 38 seconds.

I guess some people don’t appreciate the sanctity of secret blackberry patches.

Here are a few pix of what’s growing in my sister’s yard in Mesa AZ, as seen through the eyes of my brother-in-law. I was there for a full month and saw a lot of growing things and even lots of blooming things despite the fact that it was often 110 degrees.

Plants find a way to grow!

photo by KEN BALCOM

PHOTO BY KEN BALCOM

PHOTO BY KEN BALCOM

PHOTO BY KEN BALCOM

It’s pretty lame of me to think that nothing is blooming in Arizona right now. Of course the desert plants are all going to flower at some point–why not now? Here’s proof, courtesy of Mark and Chanelle.

Chanelle pointed me to her flikr site which has plenty of pix of blooming AZ. Great pix on this site.

photo by iamchanelle

This is a Palo Verde. I have seen them, but never in bloom. This is a very cool tree that looks like it was designed by Dr. Seuss–something I appreciate very much.

And Mark kindly set me straight with a few photos…
The Saguaro, of course, has beeyootiful flowers.

Ironwood flowers. (Olneya Testosa).

And Arizona Thistles (Cirsium arizonicum) which Mark says is the hip hangout for hummingbirds these days.