Rhyncostylis gigantea "spotted"

Rhyncostylis gigantea "spotted" is blooming!

During the day it is fragrant and the smell fills my office with a nice sweet scent.

Also, all of my Phalenopsis are starting to spike so hopefully I shall have some photos of those as well.

American Goldfinches in my Houston, TX backyard

This winter has been quite warm.  I have not seen as many birds at my feeders this year which could be because of many factors such as "the worse drought in Texas history" that happened last year.  I was especially worried about why I haven't seen many American Goldfinches.  Last year there was an abundance of Goldfinches at my bird feeders.  I think that had to do with them feeding on the seeds of the two mature crepe myrtle trees in my backyard.  This past summer those trees almost died and didn't produce any flowers and now have no seed pods for the Goldfinches to feed on.

This morning I was pleasantly surprised as there was a flock of American Goldfinches at my feeder with thistle seeds.  I counted 14 but I think there were some more up in the crepe myrtle trees.  

American Goldfinches - Carduelis tristis,

are a common backyard bird in winter time for the Houston area.

Some more American Goldfinches with a 

House Finch - Carpodacus mexicanus.

The House Finches are residents in my backyard all year long.  In the spring time they sing a very pretty song which is nice to listen to during spring gardening. 

Here is a close-up of a Goldfinch.  This male is in its winter plumage but is still very pretty.

Other birds I commonly see at my feeders in by Houston, TX backyard are:

White-winged Dove

Mourning Dove

Inca Dove

Blue Jay

Cardinal

Carolina Chickadee

Common Grackle

Red-winged Blackbird

Brown-headed Cowbird

Northern Mockingbird

House Sparrow

Dendrobium x superbiens

A little over a year ago I bought this Dendrobium hybrid from JRN Nursery in Houston, TX.  It did not have a label of its name but its flowers were very pretty and unusual in comparison to the other Dendrobium hybrids that are commonly sold.  It was blooming profusely and got many compliments when on display at my friends business.  After it finished blooming I brought it home and soon it bloomed again. Since that day it has not stopped blooming - it will send out spikes from old and new canes.  After a little reseach I found out that is most likely Dandrobium x superbiens, a natural hybrid of D. discolor and D. bigibbum.  I am so glad I have this orchid to brighten these cold winter days...

Versace Men's F/W 2012 Show Time

The Versace Men's Fall/Winter 2012 Fashion Show will be shown on January 16, 2012.

Above is the preview pic from Versace's Facebook community.

The fashion show can be seen through live streaming at the following link:

Versace F/W 2012

Judging from the picture above it looks like its going to be a colorful fall/winter collection! 

My Versace S/S 2012 Wish List

Runway Sunglasses

Leather Wristband

Swimwear

Patent Leather Gladiator Sandals

All photos from Versace.com

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!   I hope this year brings you lots of good health, luck, and happiness!

What better sign to welcome the New Year than a newly hatched butterfly...

I found this Monarch butterfly - Danaus plexippus in my front yard garden.  There have been a lot of caterpillars this winter that have completely defoliated my Milkweed (I did plant them for the Monarchs).  I have also had a few Gulf Fritillaries - Agraulis vanillae hatching from their chrysalises in my backyard close to where my Passionflower grows.