{Robins Stripped our American Holly - Ilex Opaca}

Usually we manage to keep the berries on our American Holly Ilex Opaca tree till February when flocks of Cedar Waxwings come and strip the entire tree in a couple of days. But this year things went different and quite unexpected. On Thursday I did make photos from our heavy Holly berry crop. On Saturday, hundreds of Robins did land in our American Holly tree and feasted on the thick berries. Sunday at breakfast time I noticed the tree was BARE. It is very hard to capture those birds on camera, while they keep flying and landing and eating... We've tried that with the Cedar Waxwings before but they move constantly. Below post you find a link to a Youtube video with Robins in action.

So I can only show you the yield before and the bare tree after the invasion.

Well, what would we do if we were a bird? 

Probably feast on them too!

This tree is at the corner of our Veranda, you can see the top of the house behind it.

They were great for Christmas time and almost all of January...

The tree in the back ground is our Live Oak tree so from our Veranda window we at least see year round GREEN!

There already were lots of spills from the 'Bird Cafetaria'... The ground is covered with them.

Love the Kidney Weed or Dichondra Repens that is growing instead of grass, as that too is evergreen!

BARE, except for that one on the left... 

We never had this American Holly tree stripped that early.

IF the Cedar Waxwings do come; they will cry!

Do you have such an American Holly tree, still loaded with berries in your yard?

Related link:

American Holly (Ilex opaca)

Robins feed on Holly tree berries Youtube video

{Our Japanese Diospyros Kaki Persimmon}

Have to share with you our once delicious Japanese Diospyros Kaki Persimmon... We did plant an exotic tree and it was November 8, 1999 that we took these photos of an abundant harvest. They were so sweet and firm like an apple. Sure, Diospyros is Greek and meaning Food of the Gods. We had a total of no less than 105 fruits, so many that we took them also with us to work in Indonesia. Funny, nobody there had ever seen or tasted them. The second year we only harvested a good 30; WHY? Because all the critters in the area, like raccoons, or THE BANDITS as they also go by, had discovered them too. Pieter became 'smart' the third year and put plastic bags around the little fruits and stapled them. So they could not get to the fruits. Guess what? The neighbor's yards were full of plastic bags with branches. They had chewed them off regardless. We felt embarrassed so the Japanese Diospyros Kaki tree is no more... We gave up on it. But it was sad for having to do so. 

Still on the tree... perfect orange fruit!

They don't have a long stem and are not that easy for harvesting.

At least not for humans; a raccoon seems very apt in removing them or chewing off part of the branches.

Part of the harvest. To the right you see another persimmon variety we had behind our greenhouse.

LOVED the Japanese Diospyros Kaki Persimmon which you see to the left!

Now we only do have: Our Diospyros virginiana L - Eastern Persimmon and we leave them ALL to our  Wild Life... You can click the hyperlink.

Do any of you have a Japanese Diospyros Kaki Persimmon tree?

{Cotton Ajour Sweater with Lace Effect, knitted by Me}

One more AJOUR sweater in a lace effect pattern, I'd like to show you. This is a 100% cotton one, so it can be worn over a longer period of time. I've slightly altered the pattern at the neckline.

Barty, our 8-year old male cat, is joining me into our garden.

On Monday, April 9, I read Willy's post about Twee breirollen or Two knitting-rolls as it used to be done in the 18th century. Different stitches, even up to one hundred, were done in one length. There were no magazines then. Even some 70 years ago it was done by the students and the stitches were written down in a book. 

Look→ Twee breirollen | click it, for Willy's post about those knitting rolls. 

This knitting history story is also printed on the Ariadne magazine's page, from where I used this pattern.

  Our weeping peach tree wears a protective cuff...

Wish those peach blossoms would stay longer...

Best colors of spring!

Wearing my precious 925 silver rose ring (lost that in April of 2019...)

Detail of the AJOUR with Lace Effect. It was really a joy to knit this out of cotton. 

Answering some readers' question about how I find time to do this, besides everything else, plus blogging... These sweaters were knit 'BB' or Before Blogging!

My neckline is done straight...

Okay, this is only helpful for readers in the Dutch language but it gives each one an idea.

For my MIA Missing In Action over the past four days, I will be catching up with you soon. 

Welcome to all the new followers, I promise to visit you soon.

Today our new modem arrived and we had again Internet. Blogging via iPhone is nearly impossible so I've been very active doing other chores, like doing laundry and ironing.

What is your favorite yarn to knit with; if any?

Hope you have a pleasant mid-week and enjoy reasonable weather too.

Related articles
Mohair blend Peacock-stitch Sweater Knitted by Me | previous post by me
{AJOUR KNIT JACKET FOR MY NIECE MAARTJE} | previous post by me
{30 Years  Ago In My Rose Sweater} | previous post by me

{Mohair blend Peacock-stitch Sweater Knitted by Me}

Just like to show you my hand knitted Peacock-stitch sweater in a mohair blend. Since I've always loved ajour knitting, this was a great pattern for me.

Photo is taken on March 25, under our weeping peach...

The sun was rather bright...

Relief of one cloud... creates different shades of pink.

That's the peacock pattern!

And my silver bracelet for my birthday... with roses.

The days for wearing a sweater with mohair are over, till we get into fall again.

This is where I got the idea from...

Sweater in Peacock stitch.

Pattern is in Dutch...

One more sweater in Peacock stitch...

Do, or did you love to knit sweaters in ajour knit, like this peacock pattern?

There are two blog-ladies whom I admire for their knitting of sweaters and such: Anett from Fadenstille  and Marlies from Bergzauber stricken.

Of course, there is Mieke from Gebreidesjaals who knits heavenly shawls and stoles in ajour knit with lace patterns. 

Below are two links for more info.

Related articles
{AJOUR KNIT JACKET FOR MY NIECE MAARTJE} | previous post by me
{30 Years  Ago In My Rose Sweater} | previous post by me

{Our Diospyros virginiana L - Eastern Persimmon}

In our wood garden we discovered for the very first time lots of fruits on a tree we have had for many years. It appears to be a Diospyros virginiana L or Eastern Persimmon. When ripe, the sweet fruit of Persimmon somewhat recalls the flavor of dates. Immature fruit contains tannin and is strongly astringent. Persimmons are consumed fresh and are used to make puddings, cakes, and beverages. American Indians made persimmon bread and stored the dried fruit like prunes. Opossums, raccoons, skunks, deer, and birds also feed upon the fruit. Principal uses of the wood are for golf-club heads, shuttles for textile weaving, and furniture veneer. The word persimmon is of Algonquian origin, while the genus name Diospyros, from the Greek, means fruit of the god Zeus. For more info just click on the hyperlink in the name above of Diospyros virginiana L.

October 13 shows perfect fruits and as we tasted them, they indeed somewhat recall the flavor of dates. They do have several stones so there is not that much fruit-flesh left to eat from. We leave them totally to the wildlife for snacking on.

This was on November 10. They kind of cling to the branches with no stem on the fruits. You see the leaves turning pretty yellow already.

This and the next images are from October 13 with still green leaves. Someone is also snacking on the leaves...

It will ask for some skill for getting those fruits off. We had a hard time doing so...

Maybe a raccoon or possum will get to them easily?

Providing Food & Shelter for our Backyard Wildlife HABITAT for which we earned our certificate: Our Backyard Wildlife HABITAT Certificate from August 1997

{Our Firmiana simplex, Sterculia platanifolia, Chinese Parasol Tree}

Our Firmiana simplex, Sterculia platanifolia, Chinese Parasol Tree is a very special tree that blooms and six weeks later produces seeds. Yesterday I took photos of those seeds so this makes it complete for showing it to you. This tree is original from China, Japan and Taiwan. German link: Firmania simplex for my German readers. Also a Spanish link: Parasol de la China (haga clic en la palabra). It is a very interesting tree with different attractions, huge leaves and large trusses of flowers, than the seeds. And so far it bears the longest botanical name I have come across! Of course I am not talking about a Garden Tour during the HEAT of summer. 

It was May 31, when this photo was taken.

Quite a load of flowers!

Huge leaves; hence its name 'Chinese Parasol Tree'...

Photo taken this morning, look how in six weeks those berry-like fruits (seeds) have developed!

So tell me; were you familiar with this kind of 'Parasol'...?

{Our Catalpa Bignonioides - Indian Bean Tree}

One more exotic tree to show you. It is our Catalpa bignonioides; Common Names: southern catalpa, catawba, Indian bean tree. Catalpa has large tropical looking heart-shaped leaves. The white bell-shaped blossoms are 2 inch (5.1 cm) in diameter and patterned with small purple spots and two large orange markings at the throat. The flowers are followed by long slender cigar-shaped pods up to 16 inch (40 cm) in lengh. The green pods ripen to brown in fall and split to release flat fringed seeds. For more info and better views of the flowers, click on both hyperlinks above. It is very hard to capture its blossoms as they are way up high. But these are the photos taken by Pieter at our garden. This tree is close to the creek on our main garden, not in the wood garden. Let's start the Garden Tour.

Pictures are taken on May 6 in the morning.

{Our Pinckneya Pubens - Poinsettia Tree}

In our garden we do have this special pink-blooming tree: Pinckneya

Scientific name (Pinckneya pubens)

Common name - Fever tree; Poinsettia tree 

Join me on a Garden Tour with: Mariette's Back to Basics.

Pinckneya is a small deciduous tree native to the coastal plains of the southeastern United States. It is notable for the very showy blossoms borne on the tips of the branches in late spring. Their color is usually pink, but the possible shades range from creamy-white to rose-red. The blossoms occur in large clusters, and a tree in full bloom is a spectacular sight.

Actually the petals of the individual blossoms are small and inconspicuous. The size and color of the bloom comes from the sepals, which can expand to several inches. Because these sepals retain their color for an extended period before fading, the show lasts for several weeks.

This is a plant of the deep south, and it can't be grown in the north except in a greenhouse. Even in the south It isn't common, either in gardens or in the wild. Its native habitat is wet acidic soils on the margins of bays, swamps, and streams, often in the light shade of scattered pine trees. Cultivated plants can grow on drier sites, but may need special attention during droughts. Root rot can be a problem, especially on poorly-drained clay soils.

But in the right conditions the species can grow fairly fast and begin blooming at a young age. It needs a moist acidic soil with good drainage, and does best in light shade. Wild specimens often spread by producing root suckers, and cultivated plants usually have multiple trunks.

A Pinckneya grows rather tall, it was hard to capture its blossoms on camera...

Pinckneya can be grown somewhat north of its native range, in the warmer parts of Zone 7. It can be killed to the ground if the temperature drops below zero (F), but will usually resprout from the roots.

Most blossoms were way up high where we could not reach them!

The scientific name of this species has been changed from Pinckneya bracteata to Pinckneya pubens. An old common name is Fever-bark Tree, and the bitter bark of the plant was formerly used as a home remedy for reducing fever. The species is related to the Cinchona Tree (Cinchona ledgerina) of South America, the original source of quinine.

Trees in our garden are rather tall and also this Pinkneya has its blossoms all the way up in the air. But at least we got you some pictures. Pieter held a branch down for me to catch on camera.