Green Thumb Sunday: practice with macro

Here's some pics I took yesterday with the macro setting on my camera. When I had to get a new camera after my old one broke, I made sure to buy one with manual controls and the ability to get within a few cm in macro mode. I really haven't explored most of the options yet, but it's fun to take simple close-up shots.

Squirrel BYOC party at my plot

I think I now have a pretty good circumstantial case that the squirrels come to my plot to sit and eat the corn they steal from other plots. Here's the clues:

1. Thoroughly-knawed corn cobs left on the bricks surrounding my compost pile
2. Watching vigorous rustling in my garden neighbor's corn patch, and then watching a squirrel burst out of the patch with a cob and take off
3. Happening upon them hanging out, looking guilty:


and running like the little looters they are :)


(by the way, BYOC means Bring Your Own Corn)

I have no corn in my plot this year, but I grew a few last year in my first little plot. I planted the corn before I realized I had no idea when to harvest it. With no one to advise me, the internet was a vague guide, so what the weevils and ants didn't get was mushy and no good. Oh well, always worth a try! And in the garden area I have plots in this year, I'm glad I don't have any corn - the squirrels and raccoons feast and plunder under the cloak of night, leaving the plot owner to find complete wastage come morning.

Colors of the Garden

Sunflower glamour shots

My sunflowers are blooming! I planted three kinds: Taiyo (giant yellow), Velvet Queen (burgundy) and strawberry blonde (pink to yellow). I found out only two kinds made it: Taiyo and strawberry blonde. Oh well! They are beautiful! Here's some pics:

Aww, shucks!

The nice and knowledgeable folks over at Bifurcated Carrots wrote a post about my blog!

In the spirit of beer appreciation, Patrick, here's a pic of my hops vine! I really wanted to take a new picture of it with a Sierra Nevada next to it, but my camera broke the other day... anyway, hopefully sometime soon there will be some hops on it!

Green Thumb Sunday