The water garden and moss garden

It was a fine day to be out gardening.  I watered a bit in the morning.  After lunch I was out for about 3 hours.  I did weeding and a bit of pruning.  There are lots of little Saskatoon berries, there are little yellow plums, there are tiny apples, and the strawberries are still blooming and forming berries. 

This is a look at the dry stream that goes from next to the pond to under the deck, into heavy shade.  At the bottom of the photo is the little lace leaf maple and next to it is the lantern.  I am happy to see it is beginning to grow some moss and get a nice patina.  Across from the lantern is my best moss that is under the mountain laurel that is just coming into bloom. On the left there is a little cedar by the lantern and you see one bloom of the rhodo that is just over from the lantern.  At the curve in the dry stream there is a old stump and on the other side just before the curve is a large fern.  At the stump the dry stream curves and runs under the outer edge of the deck.

A close up of the moss.  I have at least four different kinds of moss growing. 

This is a look at the dry stream from both sides in the area of the 'posts'.  After the posts, the stream takes another turn and disappears under the ferns.  I have moss on the outer side of the deck of the dry stream. I cut the ferns off that try to grow in the moss, but leave the Welsh poppies grow.  They are a bright yellow, delicate flower and look great with the moss.  Just up from where the dry stream takes its second curve there are helebores an azalea, more ferns and another rhodo by the deck support post.  When cleaning up this area I was surprised at how few violets there actually were.  I thought this was going to be a 2 day job, but it actually took very little time.  The moss is coming along really very well.  I must try to keep it all moist.   I saw only one slug and one of those little green snails.  On the side of the dry stream that is farther under the deck, I have solemons seal, a variegated evergreen little shrub that I clip, and I let the violets grow on this side.  On the other side of the ferns there is a bleeding heart plant that is surviving.

This is a view of the whole pond.  The marsh marigold on one side and the little lebanon cedar on the other.  There are campanula and saxifragia on the side that is at the bottom of the photo, with iris to the right and the water hawthorn in middle in bloom.  If you look closely you can see the frog.

This is the frog.  I think it is one of those big ones that is taking over the habitat of our indigenous species of frogs.  It is about half the size of the big one I had in my pond before.  I don't know how I can catch it.  When it leaps and dives into the water when it hears me coming it makes this weird squeaking noise.   I don't think it ate the fish, as the new ones I purchased are still in the pond. 

The water fall is now running a bit too fast, but better fast than too slow.  You see the marsh marigold and the sweet flag.  The sides of the water fall are slowly growing moss.  I must get some moss growing on the bottom of the mermaid or find a better place for her to sit.

June in the Garden

The clematis are coming into bloom.  The above is the one that climbs up to the deck and surrounds the deck water tub.  The wisteria has been relegated to climbing up the Douglas fir tree.  It makes this evergreen bloom beautifully. 

Ok Ken!  Your advice for the penguin to upload to megashot is right ON.  This is the one.  Thanks..  actually I may just upload three of them.   What the heck... I have lots of storage room, there and our photos display very well, too.  :-)

Today was another perfect day.  Since I had to go to the lab for some tests, I decided to spend the morning at our Royal Oak mall.  Its a very charming mall, with an eclectic collection of shops and medical professional offices, pharmacy, grocery store, used book store, a good collection of restaurants and many other things.  There are no high end clothes or shoe shops, which is just fine with me.   Lunch was a bowl of won ton soup.. yumm. 

The Canucks have won the 2nd game of the Stanley cup playoffs.  This game went into over time, again... but only for 11 seconds and our team scored.  B.C. is going wild over our hockey team.  The police are already training their riot squads for the day we win.  I really hope there is no over exuberant celebrating this time.  Now, I believe they go to Boston for the next game in the series. 

A nest full of sparrows has hatched.  This evening they were dust bathing in my front garden flower bed.  So I went out and dusted them off with the garden hose.  I did a bit of watering as well.  Those little birds were complaining bitterly over this ill treatment they received.  Saturday and Wednesday are my days to water flowers, shrubs, vegetables, with a sprinkler  from 4:00 to 10:00 in the am and from 7:00 to 10:00 pm.    Otherwise I can water by hand any time, as long as my hose has a shut off trigger.  At the moment, I don't think I need the sprinkler, although we did not get any of that much promised rain.  I have not been out weeding for a few days... maybe tomorrow.

Endangered Species - Galapagos Penguins

Photos from our trip to Ecuador and Peru last year.  We have a new community on Megashot.nethttp://www.megashot.net for endangered species.  I cannot decide which one of these I wanted to upload to Megashot, so thought I would have a look at them on my blog.  It was a difficult shooting position: in a rocking boat that was lined with other tourists on both sides.  The sun was bright at mid day.
Yesterday in the Times Colonist there was this article with regard to B.C.'s laws about endangered species: Quote...
Languishing species report earns tongue lashing from NDP

Robert Shaw
Times Colonist
June 2, 2011

The B.C. government is keeping secret the recommendations of its task force on protecting species at risk, says NDP environment critic Rob Fleming.
The task force, made up of scientists, academics and environmental groups, was struck last year to look at whether changes to legislation are needed to protect endangered animals and ecosystems in B.C. The creation of the group was promised by government in its 2009 throne speech.
The task force submitted its report to Environment Minister Terry Lake in January, but government has never disclosed the recommendations and would not release the report publicly Wednesday.
"I don't know what their recommendations were, nobody does," said Fleming.  "It's been sitting collecting dust for six months."
Lake was not available for comment Wednesday. "Government is now examining the report in detail and giving it the frulsome review that it deserves," he said during his ministry's budget debate earlier this month.  "I can say at this point that it will be considered fully by government."  Lake said he hopes to release information from the task force3 "in the relatively near future," but offered Fleming no timeline for such a move.
"There was no explanation for the delay that was satisfactory, and no explanation for the amount of secrecy that has shrouded this report," said Fleming.
Fleming introduced his own endangered species private member's bill Wednesday, saying New Democrats want to act on the issue while B.C. Liberals continue to do nothing.  It is the second time he has introduced a bill on the topic, but his initiatives have never been supported by government.  His latest bill is almost assured to fail because the B.C. legislature adjourns Thursday for its summer break.
Fleming's bill aims to identify and list endangered species and protect their habits to ensure their survival.
Environmental groups the Sierra Club of B.C., the Wilderness Committee Eco-justice, Conservation Northwest, and the David Suzuki FRoundation expressed support for the NDP bill Wednesday, saying B.C. has 1,900 plants and animals declining or at risk of disappearing.
B.C. and Alberta are the only provinces without standalone species at risk laws, said Fleming. ... Unquote.
and then I found the B.C. website about our endangered species.  Its a good site, very up to date and comprehensive.  I don't believe I have photos of any of our own endangered species.
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/atrisk

we have been promised rain for the last 2 days.  Its was cloudy and warm, beautiful the last few days, but no rain.  I have the lawn mowed and edging done.  ... easy, as I don't have much grass.  The garden is looking really pretty good.  The moss garden needs some attention.  The woodland is full of plants.  I need to weed some of the more rambuncious ones out to give the others a chance.  My potted plants are doing well.