Yarden

Friday, November 14, 2025 →

Backyard Hooded Oriole alert! #HoodedOriole #BirdPhotography #Yarden #Fujifilm #CropToZoom #SOoC

Atop a wooden stake is perched a Hooded Oriole, looking to the left, with its bright orange body, black kerchief, wings with black and white stripes, and a somewhat visible cape of brown with black spots. Its tail is black. The background is just off white blur.A front facing Hooded Oriole perched on a Ceanothus branch with many green leaves. Its black kerchief is prominent.

Wednesday, November 5, 2025 →

We were gifted some daffodil bulbs! The instructions recommended seven inches deep, but I only have the patience to dig to five, just deeper than the trowel. I helped them along by mixing in some fresh wormy compost. #Yarden

A triangular garden patch, surrounded by river rock, just planted with a paper label with "Dutch Mill Bulbs" and "A Mixed Daffodils". Some tree stakes can be vaguely seen in the background.

Monday, October 20, 2025 →

Here are some random through-the-glass-slider photos of a few of the migratory songbirds finding food-a-plenty in our backyard: Yellow-Rumped Warbler & Lesser Gold Finch #YellowRumpedWarbler #LesserGoldfinch #Birds #Yarden

Three Yellow Rumped Warblers forage among brown asparagus fronds. Their yellow bellies are highlighted by the morning sunlight

A Lesser Goldfinch, back to camera & head turned in profile view, is perched in sweet basil foliage, it feasting on dried seeds. It has a yellow face, a black helmet, and white on black chevrons on its black tail.

Saturday, September 6, 2025 →

My wife discovered another, smaller avocado fruit in our “Bacon” avocado tree. So that’s two! Very exciting. We still need to continue research harvest time for this variety. It’s a minefield on the internet for that 🤨 #Yarden #HomeOrchard #Avocado

A small, finger length avocado amongst broad dark green avocado leaves and tree tape.

Friday, September 5, 2025 →

A Nuttal’s woodpecker visited our front yard Toyon yesterday! #Yarden #NuttalsWoodpecker #Birds

Saturday, August 16, 2025 →

It’s the backyard Asian Pear harvest! Yellow are New Century variety and the brown skinned are the more familiar looking Hosui variety. They are odd spindly trees right now. I’m not used to pruning central leader trees, but vase shape. #Yarden #HomeOrchard #AsianPears

A colander with a mixture of yellow and brown skinned Asian PearsA very spindly Hosui pear tree with multiple stakes and lots of tree tape. It has pears still. The sky is blue and there’s more vegetation along a fence in the background. Drip line and gravel are in the foreground.A New Century Asian Pear tree with small yellow skinned pears. It’s better branched and dilated compared to the Hosui tree. In the background, there are ugly metal structures behind a wood fence. In the foreground is gravel and drip line.

Friday, August 15, 2025 →

Our cultivated California native seedy grapes are ready. The two plants mostly feed Northern Mockingbirds, Western Scrub Jays, and in the late fall, Kinglets, but some grapes will be for the humans in the form of a compote. As a bonus, gaze upon our lone avocado! #Yarden #HomeOrchard

Many bunches of ripe purple grapes hang from a grape vine.A hand is holding a metal colander filled with ripe red grapes. It's being held under a grape vine.An avocado is hanging from an avocado tree. It has a long stem and a narrow, green speckled body. A hand is nearby acting as a scale. It's about five fingers long and three fingers wide.

Monday, August 4, 2025 →

Sorry to those that are squeamish about spiders, but this Western Spotted Orbweaver was just asking for a photoshoot. This spider took the night-shift last night in our front yard #WesternSpottedOrbWeaver #Spider #InsectPhotography #Yarden #Fujifilm #SoOC

Plan-view of a Western Orbweaver spider with a fat, round abdomen and a tiny brown cephalothorax (head). The abdomen has patterns of brown within a matrix of coffee with cream. Its spider web can be descerned from the background, which is all blurred out. Its legs alternate between brown and coffee with cream. It has hairs on its head. It has spikes on its legs.The underside of the Western Spotted Orbweaver, which appears reddish probably because of light conditions. It has four clear white spots on its abdomen and an elongated white spot just below its head. Its chelicerae are visible. The background is completely blurred out.

Saturday, August 2, 2025 →

I think this is the last nectarine harvest. About 6 pounds. The shield bugs were showing up and nectarines were dropping fast from wind and bird pecks :-( They were effortlessly plucked off the tree. Next harvest: Asian pears! #HomeOrchard #Nectarines #Yarden

A nectarine tree with almost a dozen dropped fruit on the gravel and dirt area below. The tree still has a few dozen nectarines on it.A collander of very ripe dark red to orange colored nectarines sitting on a scale. The scale is on a plastic covering upon a tile counter. The scale reads 6 pounds and 5 ounces, so there’s about 6 pounds of necartines.

Sunday, July 27, 2025 →

Another nectarine harvest. This time, 4 pounds. Smelling more fragrant this time! A few came off with a tug (yellower stems) but most still need shears. Also, our milkweed has busted open their pods and omg the tufts are so soft! #HomeOrchard #Nectarines #Milkweed #Yarden

Four pounds of dark red to red to yellow nectarines piled up in a metal colander.A milkweed pod is releasing its seeds, which are ready to wind carried away by their fluffy, white tufts. The pods are cone shaped and split down the middle to release their seeds.

Monday, July 21, 2025 →

Our lone Mexicola avocado! Maybe this’ll be its first fruit to make it to maturity? It’s a long slog. #HomeOrchard #Avocado #Yarden

A small avocado, about 5-fingers long & 3 fingers wide, hangs alone in the canopy of an avocado tree. A hand front provides scale.

Sunday, July 20, 2025 →

Started our Nectarine harvest. Last year they got bug infested but not this year. So far. One branch got majorly overloaded 😬 so I harvested it first. #HomeOrchard #Yarden

A metal colander filled with ripe red to yellow nectarines and a few green leaves.A tree laden with nectarines stands in a rocky garden area. One branch, the closest one, is seriously overloaded.

Saturday, July 19, 2025 →

Outdoor backyard irrigation system fixed & weeds removed. That’s it for outdoors stuff! #Yarden #CaWx #DripIrrigation

A freshly reseated irrigation 20 PSI pressure reducer with drip hose T adapter. The area is freshly dug out for access. Dropped leaves cover most the ground.Bundles of 12V irrigation wires in a compact above ground black valve assembly, surrounded by dry leaves. Pressure reducers abs drip adapters are visible.

Saturday, July 5, 2025 →

A duo of juvenile Northern Mockingbirds in our elderberry & ceanothus bushes #BirdPhotography #Birds #Yarden #Fujifilm #SOoC

In the top third of the photo is a sharply focused, juvenile northern Mockingbird with a speckled chest and a little hair is coming down off its chin. It is among in-focus Ceanothus leaves. In the middle third of the photo is an out of focus northern mockingbird among out of focus Elderberry leaves. The sky is a nice blue.

Saturday, July 5, 2025 →

Juvenile Northern Mockingbird enjoying our backyard bounty of Elderberries #NorthernMockingbird #BirdPhotography #Birds #Yarden #Fujifilm #SOoC

A perched juvenile Northern Mockingbird with a dirty face and a speckled chest is looking out over a clump of mostly eaten elderberries. The sky is quite blue.

Tuesday, June 3, 2025 →

We’ve a bumper crop of volunteer Holy Basil plants and we’re extremely pleased #Yarden Young Holy Basil plants growing in a garden with a drip irrigation system. Orange pin flags are placed at almost each plant. The ground has soil with small rocks and other organic matter.

Monday, May 26, 2025 →

Today we suspended shade cloth over the avocado trees. The trees will now survive 100°F+ temperatures coming later this week. Heatwaves are on the way to California!

A shade cloth covering a small area of trees. A wheelbarrow is partially visible to the right, and ropes are stretched across to keep the cloth from resting on the small trees. The ground is covered with wood chips and gravel.

Two short avocado trees with a shade cloth suspended overhead and attached by rope to a fence. There is a gravel path along the far fence and close to the camera with wood chips inbetween. A drip hose snakes between the two trees. The sun is already shaded out with the cloth’s shadow projected along the fence.

#Yarden #Gardening #AvocadoTrees #HomeOrchard #California #CaWx

Wednesday, May 14, 2025 →

First year our milkweed has bloomed!

#Milkweed #BloomScrolling #Yarden #Fujifilm #SOoCA close-up of pale pink and white Milkweed flowers with green leaves in the background. The flowers have a star-like shape and clustered arrangement.

Monday, May 5, 2025 →

A Northern Mockingbird has decided to build a nest on the grape vines growing under the outer edge of our patio cover. We’ll try to accommodate A mockingbird bird is nestled among dense green grape leaves and a thick grape vine, building a nest. It even has a twig in its beak. Sunlight filters through the foliage, creating a warm and natural setting.

A grey bird perched on an under construction nest, surrounded by green grape leaves and a thick grape vine. Its dark grey tail is pointing straight up and it’s looking side-eye toward the camera. #NorthernMockingbird #Birds #BirdPhotography #Yarden #Fujifilm #SOoC

Saturday, April 26, 2025 →

Backyard native flower status: Pink and white California roses and Elderberry. There appear to be flower buds on the milkweed! A pink wild rose in full bloom surrounded by green leaves, with a background of branches and more foliage.

A white wild rose with yellow stamens, surrounded by green leaves.

Clusters of small yellow elderberry flowers with green leaves on a bush against a cloudy sky background.

A cute tiny ladybug resting on a large green Milkweed leaf with visible veins and a cluster of flower buds in the middle.

#Yarden #NativePlants

Saturday, April 26, 2025 →

Backyard trees have decent fruit set. New Century Asian Pears, Hosui Asian Pears, and a Nectarine Green leaves and an unripe, small unripe green New Century Asian Pear fruit growing on a tree branch with a cloudy sky in the background.

A young tree with small, green Hosui Asian Pear fruits growing among glossy green leaves. The tree is supported by a stake. The background is a blurred garden setting.

A fruit tree with green leaves and reddish unripe nectarines, growing among the foliage. The ground is covered in gravel, and a shed is partially visible in the background.

#HomeOrchard #Yarden

Wednesday, April 23, 2025 →

Cool orange headed beetles on our milkweed today A pair of small beetles with orange heads and dark bodies are clinging to the stem of a green Milkweed leaves. A smaller beetle is atop the larger beetle. The background is softly blurred. #Beetles #InsectPhotography #Milkweed #NativePlants #Yarden #Fujifilm

Wednesday, April 23, 2025 →

From this morning, a Cranefly on a Milkweed leaf #Cranefly #Milkweed #NativePlants #Yarden A close-up of a crane fly is on a green leaf surrounded by blurred foliage. Craneflies are really weird looking.

Friday, April 11, 2025 →

My latest project is to remove one entire unused sprinkler valve assembly. Took a bit of care excavating but now I know to cut four pipes and cap at least the inlet (the pipe coming from the bottom of the photo). In a perfect world, I’d remove the three PVC runs into the front yard (mostly native plants there & no lawn!) but that’s a lot of work for no practical good payoff whatsoever. #yardenA trench and excavation revealing three standard Orbit sprinkler valves connected to PVC. One line tees off around the valves, presumably to the backyard valve box. There are two wires coming out of each sprinkler head. The soil is moist with some red coloration. Clearly the soil has experienced moist anoxic conditions.

Wednesday, March 26, 2025 →

Random unexplained photo of a very narrow part of our backyard #BloomScrolling #Ceanothus #NativePlants #Yarden #Fujifilm #SOoC A Ceanothus branch with clusters of small, light purple flowers and shiny dark green leaves. The bokeh background is wooden fence with sunlight streaming through.

Saturday, March 22, 2025 →

I guess both of my Asian Pear trees have a fungal infection. These black spots certainly do not appear to be insect related. I’ve treated with fungicide in hopes of salvaging these trees & this year’s fruit. #Yarden #HomeOrchard A budding Asian Pear branch with clusters of leaf green & white flower buds and some black spots on them. Probably fungus. The branch is attached to a tree with a rocky and mulched ground beneath. A drip hose passes through the mulch, which is encircled by river cobble.

Saturday, March 1, 2025 →

I adore our random bunch of daffodils that grew unbidden under a manzanita in the front yard #BloomScrolling #YardenA tight group of bright yellow daffodils under a blooming manzanita. A coyote bush and sage can be seen in the background.

Friday, February 21, 2025 →

Our backyard Nectarine is now in full bloom! #NectarineTree #Yarden #HomeOrchard #BloomScrolling #Fujifilm #SOoC A small Nectarine tree with pink blossoms in full bloom, set against a backdrop of a wooden fence and a clear blue sky. The tree is planted in backyard with gravel and bare soil around the tree. There’s an unsightly aluminum RV shed behind the fence.

Sunday, February 9, 2025 →

First bloom of our nectarine #Yarden #HomeOrchard A close-up of a budding nectarine tree branch with clusters of pink blossoms against a blurred background of a metal shed.

Friday, February 7, 2025 →

Backyard nectarine is at first pink #Yarden #HomeOrchard A close-up of a tree branch with a single pink flower bud about to bloom. The background features more branches, a wooden fence, a metal shed, and a partly cloudy sky.