Two of the four amaryllis buds opened today. These are very bright red in color. After these have opened and are gone, there is another flower stalk on this plant with more red flowers to come! Click on the image to enlarge.
January 2013
Conjunction and Occultation
Many of us observed the conjunction of the Moon and Jupiter Monday night. Here in Wickenburg, AZ, we had perfect conditions for observing this beautiful asterism. The amazing astrophoto above, was submitted to the SpaceWeather.com Realtime Image Gallery by an amateur astrophotographer in North America. You see the Moon with Jupiter and three of its four Galilean moons (not sure which three). Click on the image to enlarge.
Another amateur astrophotographer in Buenos Aires, Argentina, South America took a picture of the actual occultation of the Moon and Jupiter. Click the link to view.
More Fragrance
Last week I posted about the “Touch of Fragrance” bouquet we bought. Today, the Asian lilies were opening to lend their sweet fragrance to the mix along with their beautiful appearance. Click on the image to enlarge.
Cholla Moon
Damsel took this image of one of our cholla with the beautiful Arizona blue sky and the waxing gibbous moon today. Invisible in this image is the fact that planet Jupiter is within a fraction of a degree of the moon today. We went out after dark and saw it this evening. Beautiful! Click on the image to enlarge.
Upside Down Thistle Feeder
We have a new goldfinch feeder – a Perky Pet Upside Down Thistle Feeder. We got it from Amazon.com last week just to try it out.
The product description on Amazon follows:
Keep undesirable house finches and larger birds away from your finch feeders with this unique finch feeder. It’s designed to attract goldfinches, who can easily feed upside down while other species cannot. Holds up to 2 pounds of thistle seed or finch mix. Features plastic squirrel-resistant cap and perches. Cap slides along a hanging bail for ease of filling. Weather-resistant 18 inch feeder tube. Six upside-down feeding ports & perches. Feeder empties completely leaving no residue.
The feeder hangs from a garden crook just outside of the courtyard where we can see it through the front window. Click on the image to enlarge.
Feather of a Fallen Dove
It is an almost daily occurrence to find tail feathers from a mourning dove or some other unfortunate prey of the many hawks and other raptors that hunt the blue skies of Arizona. This one softly landed on the Sedona rocks that cover our RV drive and much of the landscaped part of the property. Click on the image to enlarge.
