Sketchbook: Mariposa Lily Seed Pods

Phew!  So much to blog, so little time!  I'll start out the week with some really fabulous Calochortus seedpods (these things just keep getting better and better!  For blooms, click this).  I was so taken by them, I had to do a little sketch and splash it over with wild colors.  The discovery of water color pens- fun!

I should probably add:  my work is copyrighted, so using my images without permission is just not nice and downright illegal!  Ok, back to the regularly scheduled program! 

Mariposa Lily: An Abrupt End to the Story

This weekend consisted of waves of adrenaline, constant amusement, and well-earned sleep at the end of it all!  One of the many excitements resulted in the photos here:  the journey of the Mariposa lily, which I am now so totally obsessed with.

She opened up right before the compost delivery truck dumped three yards of compost on her.  Yeah, ouch.  I'll always have pictures to tide me over until next year.  And a few other lovelies will climb their way out of the mulch to endlessly amuse me in the coming weeks.

Her neighbor, who survived, closes at night only to awaken to the sunshine the next morning.  Those petals seem to fit together so perfectly!

Another bee's eye view.  After a quick google diversion, I still can't figure out what its pollinator is...  I know that a few plants produce flowers that resemble meat to attract flies as pollinators, but I don't know if this is the case here.  Can anyone contribute to my confusion any further?

Presenting: Mariposa Lily in Four Acts

I'm trying to embrace my impatience with the reluctant Mariposa Lily, instead focusing on the ever-changing story unfolding in my garden.  I'm beginning to learn that the other parts of the story besides the climax can be important, too as this Calochortus slowly unfurls her party dress in the sunshine.  She's striking quite the vogue-style pose in the photo above!

The drama builds...

An unexpected sub-plot emerges!

The tension rises and the suspense continues...

The Bulb Catalogs Have Arrived!

I have been looking, musing and looking again at the pages of my new bulb catalogs! Here's how it typically goes: look at every page, dog ear a few, flip back, fold the dog ear back, circle a few items, each round more emphatic until you can't read the typle, order the bulbs after 2 months of deliberations, and wait impatiently for the garden to match the beautiful pages that by this point have become folded and wrinkled from handling and spots of spilled tea. This year I'm going to order some mariposa lilies and some pink brodiaea and maybe even some daffodils because who can resist?! What bulbs are you planning on planting this fall?