Living Rock blooms

Hello! What a beautiful fall day it is today. Acutally since the beginning of fall the weather has been perfect here in Houston, TX. I think the bright sun and cool dry air is not just pleasant to us humans but also the wildlife. Yesterday when I came outside to water my new native plant garden I noticed my Living Rock, Ariocarpus fissuratus, was blooming. Unfortunately I didn't have my cameras memory card with me. But today it bloomed again. Not as strongly as yesterday, but as you can see, it is still very pretty.

Autumnal Equinox 2010

Happy Autumnal Equinox!

Fall is finally here and Im ready for the cool weather!

Here is a picture of the beautiful Moon tonight:

...taken with the Pentax K-x

Houston Arboretum

Hello! How are you today? Today Tink, my Parents (visiting from FL), and I went to the Houston Arboretum for a short hike. It was such a nice day today. The temperature was warm, cloudy, and not too humid, which is really nice compared to the usual blazing heat this time of the year. I love the Houston Arboretum because you can really get the feel of what Houston, TX looked like before it was settled. I also always see something interesting and unexpected (today was a good one, see below!). There is an abundance of wildflowers which is great if you want some inspiration for a native plant garden. Lots of different species of birds live here too.

Beautyberry -Callicarpa americana

Buttonbush - Cephalanthus occidentalis

Missouri Ironweed - Vernonia missurica

Ruby-throated Hummingbird, there were a lot of them zooming around.

Sneezeweed - Helenium amarum

Gerardia - Agalinis heterophylla

A pond in the middle of the arboretum.

Prairie Blazingstars - Liatris pycnostachya, thriving!

Sharp-pod Morning Glory - Ipomoea trichocarpa

Scarlet Sage - Salvia coccinea

Leafy Elephant Foot - Elephantopus carolinianus

Blue Waterleaf - Hydrolea ovata

Rose-mallow, Hibiscus sp.

Bumble Bee visting Aligator Flag - Thalia dealbata

Surprise!! A Broad-banded Water Snake - Nerodia fasciata confluens. This was the first time I have seen a snake in Houston after more than four years of living here and we saw two! My Mom spotted both, she has a good eye! :D This one looks like its going to be shedding its skin soon as its eye is looking a little milky. Supposedly, a common snake in Houston. Its very pretty and non-venomous so please let them be if you see one.

Giant Swallowtail Caterpillar

Look what I found on my potted Lime tree this morning!

Its not a huge bird dropping!! Its a Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes) caterpillar! I think it had just found its way from one of the neighboring Citrus trees because not a leaf had been nibbled on my tree and it is in its last molt before it becomes a chrysalis. That would be pretty amazing because the other Citrus trees are in my neighbors yards (closest one being about 30ft away. No worries though, Im going to allow this caterpillar to eat as much as it likes on my lime before it becomes a chrysalis (hopefully on the lime tree itself). :)

I moved!!!

Hello! I just finished moving back to the house I was previously living in. Moving was exhausting like always but it is for the better. Saving money, time, and having a garden again are some of the major benefits of moving back. I have started sowing seeds and getting my garden back together. I am also buying all new furniture - the Martha Stewart Living furniture that is sold by Home Decorators Collection. So please check back again because I will be updating really soon! :D

Versace Men's F/W '10 sunglasses

Hey everyone! I just got my new sunglasses from Versace. They are the same ones used in the Versace men's fall/winter 2010 fashion show. These are now my favorite pair of sunglasses I own. The model number is 4196.

Versace runway sunglasses Mod. 4196 - entire view

Versace runway sunglasses Mod. 4196 - front view

a model from the Versace fall/winter 2010 show

models backstage for the Versace f/w 2010 show

Hello!

Hey Readers! Sorry I have not posted anything for a few months! Things have been really hectic and busy all summer! I have been keeping very busy with work, traveling, swimming, and many other things. I have so much to blog about and will be sharing some of the things I've been doing very soon! I hope you all are having a fun and safe summer! :D