First the new challenge - please help me identify this bird. It's lean, and vocal, and somewhat social. It had a feast when I watered the plum tree a few weeks ago and displaced a colony of earwigs (did you know they were social insects?). And since then I've noticed it come over several time to see what I'm doing when I step outside. More outgoing than any bird I've encountered. Very curious -- maybe it's just looking for its next bug feast as a result of my watering. Birds are quite trainable, supposedly.
I came home from a weekend away to find the goofy mystery plant had blossomed and revealed itself as a red poppy. My mother said she laid seeds a year or two ago for them, so it must have been mixed in with the bok choy, carrots, and lettuce seeds she gave me. So beautiful. Makes me consider reserving some space in the beds for flowers - before now I've only planted vegetables.What a pleasant surprise! And I'm glad something in my intuition said not to pick it when I got rid of other weeds.
You should be able to save the seeds from the poppies when they die back and replant next year. They really look weird when they first come up.
ReplyDeleteThose remind me of these incredible exploding seed pods Mike and I found in Sicily. Was really hoping that was the case here :(
ReplyDeleteMystery solved: http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/108/_/Western_Scrub-Jay.aspx
ReplyDeleteAwesome! I'll save the seeds and now I can refer to my little friend as the scrub that he is. =) Just hope he doesn't eat my peaches...
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