Friday, May 28, 2010

Wild Thangs

I am ever so thankful that the long weekend is finally here...
The second I declared this my year for the hot cha cha pinks, my dear friend, Wunx, gifted me with these electric Geraniums.

At the onset of Memorial Weekend when it is ~ at long last ~ finally time to plant some pretty annuals.

 
 Triplets! These brazen baby foxes live right across the road from me.

Wunx is a nickname for foxes, how appropro that I should find 3 cute as a button new neighbors while scouring the landscape for a perfect place to plant the pinks.

Those fancy geraniums weren't the only thing she gifted me... Dearest Wunx also snagged me one of the new SLC Master Gardener tote bags!

I hardly deserve to haul this around. Haven't attended a meeting in over a year. Ever so busy. Plus I'm a bit of a hanger on. Living 4,000 feet higher up in the mountains, my garden world is very, very different from those talented green thumbs living down in the valley.

And, who might you be?

This young fellow is the latest mystery bird to frequent my gardens. I've been trying to master the art of high altitude bread baking ~ which can be serious rocket science. The birdies snack on the rejects and it's turning into quite the party out by the bird tree.

 Euphorbias are taking over.

I'm predicting fairly marvelous Memorial Day weather conditions. It always stops raining the moment I decide NOT to go camping.

But, I'm also predicting the gardens will be looking pretty spiffy after 3 long, leisurely days of playing in the mud.

 First Montanas are quite scraggly but the bees don't mind.

Happy long weekend to one and all.

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ohhhhhh... those little foxy triplets are adorable! I just want to reach out pet them all :) That is a perfect photo capture... their expressions are so intense.

Happy long weekend to you, too, Kate!

Melospiza said...

A yellow-headed blackbird, I think.

And cute foxes! Even though we have these in our very suburban neighborhood, I still get a little thrill when I see a fox.

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hi, Titanium;
They're so cute... and don't seem the slightest bit afraid of people. They are getting lots of visitors stopping by to take pics. :) Here's to 3 days of big fun!

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hi, Melospiza;
Fingers crossed the weather cooperates and we get several days of good garden time.

I've never heard of a yellow-headed blackbird!

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

Foxen! So sweet. My Euphorbia is done blooming. It warms my hart that someone somewhere is later in the growing season than me--I know I said both of these on twitter already.

Amy said...

Kate, Those Euphorbias are awesome. so are the fox babies (I think!). I may have lost my favorite cat ever (Foodle, if you can believe that name!) to a hungry fox several years ago. I was told an adult fox could drag a 14 lb cat up to two miles.

That is a sweet little bird - hope you can get it id'd!

jan said...

You have some great wildlife! Flora and Fauna! Hope you have a great weekend, playing in the mud!

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hi, Monica!
By now, I suppose, you've figured out that I'm quite the lame novice with Twitter. :) It's fun but the nuances are beyond my level of comprehension. So, if you respond to me and I ignore you it is once again not because I'm rude. Just stupid. I'm even worse with blotanical - which makes no sense at all to me! Isn't it just another version of facebook with confusing navigation? La dee dah... it's a wonder I ever learned how to handle blogger....

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Oh, yikes, Amy. I never gave a thought to those cuties gobbling my cat. Pete tips the scales at 20 lbs. so hopefully he's such a big bruiser that foxy mama will run the other way. I am so sorry to hear you lost Foodle. That would be heartbreaking.

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Thanks, Jan;
Hope you're having a fun mellow weekend as well. :D

Susan in the Pink Hat said...

Lucky! Your the foxy lady, I guess.

If that is Euphorbia myrsinites, or myrtle spurge, you may be better off getting rid of those Euphorbias, you know. The Trib did a big article on how these are incredibly invasive and you can't buy them in SL County anymore. They are encouraging everyone to tear them out. Check it out: http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_15064629?source=rv

Shady Gardener said...

Hi Kate, You gave us lots to think about today!! Love your little kits - they're precious. Great photo!

Hope you're having a good weekend. :-)

Melanie J Watts said...

You are quick with the camera, first the foxes then the mystery bird. Happy long weekend Kate.

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hi, Susan;
Thanks for the note. It's a good reminder to all of us to be cautious about the types of perennials we plant in our yard.

The Euphorbias I plant are non-invasive, well-behaved hybridized versions of the spurge we're trying to get rid of. I plant Euphorbia Ascot Rainbow and Euphorbia Bonfire. When I wrote that they were 'taking over' I probably gave everyone the wrong impression. What I meant was that it's their time to shine since the tulips are now fading. :)

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Thx, Shady;
I was surprised they sat still for that photo. :)

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hi, Melanie;
I am loving your desert wildflowers pics. Looks like you had a fantastic trip. :D

Priscilla @ Homegrown Delight said...

Beautiful vibrant pink Geraniums. My mom gave me some Geraniums too, I need to plant them. Happy Memorial Day! Yesterday I took photos of my red, white, & blue colors of the flag arrangement.

Wendy said...

aaawww, those baby foxes are so cute! They don't cause any real problem do they?

Rose said...

Wow, that electric pink just woke me up:) I do love this color, though; I'm not a big fan of most hot colors like orange, but hot pink is one of my favorites.

The little foxes are so cute! I just want to reach out and pet them.

Hope you had a great weekend, Kate!

Snowcatcher said...

I'd love to have those foxes as neighbors!!! Although one of my human neighbors told me they spied a full-grown specimen tightroping my fence railing a couple of weeks ago. So I just haven't been as lucky to shoot my furry neighbors as you have.

Did get a baby rattler's portrait though, while working in my own garden during the long weekend...

caite said...

I have a photo very similar to yours of the baby fox that I took in Alaska..very nice

Iron Needles said...

Cutie foxes! And I think you deserve the master gardener tote bag, hanger-on or no...

Deb Mc. said...

Yep - a male yellow-headed blackbird! They generally hang around marshy areas, but ramble a bit before they settle down for breeding. We see them at our place west of Kamas in the springtime, as they like to yell from the top of our 2-story tree in the front yard - sounds like a machine stripping it's gears.

Was led to your blog by the nice folks who ran the 7/26/10 panel discussion at the Swaner EcoCenter on gardening at high altitudes. Thanks for sharing your garden!

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hi, Deb!
Thanks for stopping by. :) I wish I could have attended that thing at Swaner. Hope it was fun and informative.

Deb Mc. said...

It was great! At least 90 people showed up; tomato-love and the scourge of rodents were hot topics. I admire the High Star greenhouse and hoop houses, and hope to have a proper visit shortly now that I've met C. Ah, for such in my backyard on a February day. :-)

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Oh, tell me about it... my winters would be way more fun with a greenhouse to play in. My last volunteer day at High Star Farm was Friday. :( They are growing some fabulous heirloom tomatoes so be sure to pay Carol a visit. :))