Only in West Van...

A lemonade stand....closed?

We told these kids we'd come over and buy some tasty lemonade as soon as we were finished, but alas.

Then, I accidently knocked over their flower bouquet when I tried to take a pic of their price sign (inserted, flag-style, in said flower bouquet). It was, also, super cute.

So, I guess I technically vandalized a lemonade stand. There is a special place in hell for me. On the other hand, that'll teach 'em. (What, I'm not sure.)

Blue Bicycle

Art shot...

Discovered a new function on the camera today: "colour accent." Have no idea how to set what colour it accents, but apparently, today was blue...and red (see pic below). Some camera research is in order!

Trippy.

Magic tricks in Japanese maples...

Hard to explain this one....

Took a look inside this Japanese maple to see if it needed any summer-time pruning; you know, dead or crossed branches and the like. Found this:

Cool. Japanese maples in general have a tendency to fuse if two branches cross: the bark rubs off, cambiums meet, fusion happens. You see fused branches more often in weeping Japanese maples, because the natural branching pattern tends to be a bit of a birdsnest. Standard maples, like the one above, look better--and have better air-circulation--if you help them along by encouraging a vase-like structure.

Funny thing is, I can hardly tell how the above loop formed. The branches must have fused in the middle and atrophied tell-tale branch ends....? Or is the top branch fork messy enough to raise fusion-suspicion?

Low end: looks pretty normal...

High end: suspicious?

Anyhoo, I left this 101 Wonders of Nature candidate intact. It's actually a smart evolutionary move on the part of the tree. Japanese maples are susceptible to fungal/viral infections so, instead of bearing open wounds caused by branch-friction--which would be an entry point for infection--they just seal the problem. If you can't fix it, fuse it.

One (Wo)man's Weed...

...is another (wo)man's interesting specimen.

Some plants are borderline not-weeds. Granted, a 9 1/2 foot woolly mullein in the middle of a strawberry/blackberry patch may be pushing it. Rose questioned its existence today. Mike and I relented, but figure this impressive specimen takes the Who Let This Happen award for the summer. I do believe it was only 6 feet tall last week.

Oriental Lily Mutates: Over 200 Buds!

Maybe I should call the Guinness Book of World Records, or the National Enquirer...

This lily is five feet tall, and either an Oriental or Aurelian hybrid; either way, you're lucky to normally get up to 20 flowers. I'm estimating over 200 here.

In the photo below, you can see how the stem has mutated. Somehow, cell division went berserk and continued sideways. It's as if several lilies are fused together on a flat stem that looks like wide ribbon licorice. The mutation also triggered over-zealous leaf and bud production.

My fingers show how wide the stem is at the top. (I have big hands, so that span is about six inches.)


If you're thinking what I'm thinking...yes, I've staked it, and yes, I'm planning a scooter-photography-mission when I get the Bud-Break Report. This unlikely specimen is in Pierre and Patti's garden, soon to be a destination for Horticultural Wonders of the World pilgrims. Limited time only!