Orchard Photographs

This is a list of the photographs available at this time. More will be added.

I made each of these photographs employing my Minolta Dimage 7 digital camera, set for a resolution of 2560x1920 pixels and saved in a *.JPEG format. Then, the image was resized to either 320x240 or 160x120. It might have been cropped to improve the composition. Then, saved again as a *.JPEG file of 41 or 22 KBytes, respectively, versus the original of 2 to 3 MBytes; so that it would down-load to you faster. Lately, however, I have standardized on a 25% scale -- 640x480 --, which yields a file-size between 54 KBytes and 123 KBytes. The file-name indicates the date when the batch of photographs was uploaded from the camera to my computer: year, month, day, a letter to identify the specific batch that day, the sequence ordinal-number within this batch. If you desire to obtain the full-resolution image, please so request and provide the file-name.

outside view
- looking south-west, in the morning. Close-up and far-away. {2002 vii}
- looking west, in the morning. The Bonita Avenue {2002 vii}
- Monrovia Nursery, across the Bonita Avenue. Now, the lilies in front of their fence are in bloom: 03 04 05 06 {2002 vii}.
- my mailbox. You should be able to read the street number. Inside is the Calavo sign, showing my name. The company which installed my house-alarm system. {2002 vii}
inside view
- three inside photographs of the same place #9, #10, and #11
- the avocado-orchard is a mature-forest -- the canopy has closed so tightly that it is dark underneath even in the daytime. {2002 vii}
various
- a montage depicting my orchard
fruit
- Carr
- Ryan
- immature Ryan & Suzan flanked by pair mature Ryan
- pomgranate
- since the orchard is a mature forest, one cannot see the trees for the forest. here is an isolated Suzan avocado tree, with Koszmar for scale.
- mew crop -- photographed on 07-th December 2001: a bunch of Suzan, on the litter on the forest-floor, waiting to soften for edibility. avocado fruit ripen on the tree; soften of the ground underneath.
testimonials regarding the Suzan avocado
- Freckles enjoying two new-crop Suzan avocado
- Strelica looking up while eating a Suzan
- Koszmar eating a second Suzan
- Wolcczica eating a Suzan
- Koszmar standing while eating another Suzan
- Koszmar finishing that Suzan

guard bitches and dog

Wolczica
- Wolczica on guard
- Wolczica patrolling, Strelica and Freckles in background
- Wolczica patrolling
- Wolczica head-&-shoulders portrait {2002 vi}
- Wolczica patrolling outside of her run {2002 vi}
- Wolczica: "When are we going for a ride?" {2002 vii}
Koszmar
- Koszmar on guard
- Koszmar looking at the neighbor
- Koszmar for once with her tail down
- Koszmar sitting upright, in front of four-o'clock-glories {2002 vi}
- Koszmar portrait {2002 vi}
- Koszmar sitting-upright profile {2002 vi}
- Koszmar resting in the deep shade of the avocado forest {2002 vii}
- Koszmar inquisitive {2002 vii}
- Koszmar head & shoulders portrait, with four o'clock in hackground. {2002 vii}
- Koszmar portraits: whole and head {2002 vii}
Freckles -- she is exceedingly photogenic
- Freckles looking towards me
- Freckles waiting to be let out
- Freckles relaxing, head down
- Freckles relaxing, head up
- Freckles portrait -- head in profile. I intended to photograph the flower on the white Hibiscus; but Freckles sat in front of it. Here are two head-and-shoulders portraits: 07 09 . Which do you prefere?
Strelica
- Strelica emerging from their den
- Strelica looking at me
- Strelica portrait siting-up
- Strelica portrait
- Strelica portrait looking at me
- Strelica & Freckles looking at me, from inside their run. That is the tail of Strelica showing on top of the head of Freckles {2002 vi}
Sagitarius -- the only dog
- Sagitarius quizzical #43, with Freckles in background
- Sagitarius quizzical #44, with Freckles in background
- Sagitarius portrait head-and-shoulder
- Sagitarius portrait
- Koszmar observing Sagitarius, who is looking at the neighbor. Can you find Wolczica?
- Sagitarius inspecting the field of white flowers
- Sagitarius playing with Strelica; on the front lawn, with white Nerium oleander, four o'clock glory, and Jacaranda in the background {2002 vi}
- Sagitarius contemplating a cat {2002 vii}
- six more photographs of him: 28 40 44 46 48 53 {2002 vii}
- Sagitarius (Monday 15-th February (II) 1999 - Wednesday 03-rd October (X) 2003) died of acute renal (kidney) failure, the cause of which could not be determined. To the end, he remained alert, strong, and eager to go for a walk. He died in the prime, at a mass of 59.4 Kgm.
  Sagitarius was a Saint Bernard at heart -- personality, robust build, great strength and agility, very large size. He possessed the bounding gate, which the Saint Bernard share with Newfoundland and the Pantherae (large cats). It is a most effective hunting ability. He also had the hooked, slightly protruding, claws on his thumbs (front legs only, of course). With these, he could bring down a prey animal be a single swipe of a front paw over the shoulders or neck of the intended victim. Again, a shared endowment with the aforementioned predators. He never hunted anything -- he just utilized these abilities in play. As all Saint Bernard, he was a compulsive licker -- ever eager to cheer me up and console me when I stumbled to the ground. Any opportunity, he would lick me! He is dearly missed by all who knew him.
miscellaneous
- Wolczica, Sagitarius, and Koszmar on our morning walk
- my automobile inside of the orchard
- my portrait by the official photographer at our College
- the tractor (Sears purchased on 25-II-1994, model # 917255980, serial # 0913935014797) and the chipper-shredder for maintenance of the orchard
- rear lawn
- a field of white flowers a view with a tub for water a close-up of the white flowers
- a brick wall
- red Hibiscus flower (blooming on 20th November 2001). The common name -- Rose of Sharon -- misleadingly implies membership in the Rosea family. Actually, the Hibiscus is a member of the Malvae family.
- electricity from Hoover dam {2002 vii}
- we had a wind-storm in the Spring of 2002. Several trees were damaged. Here are two photographs of one of them: 75 78 {2002 vii}
- an avocado stump {2002 vii}
- an 18-wheeler {2002 vii}

vegetation

Please call to my attention any misclassification. Likewise, please tell me the name of any unnamed plant that you identify.

At present, only larger features of the vegetation are pictured and described. It will require a microscope to examine the flowers. Next Spring, mayhap.

gymnosperm

fern. I had a very nice large fern plant; but, it succumbed to a lack of sunlight, as other plants encroached.

Thuja orientalis aurea nanna. It had been guaranteed not to exceed 6 feet (= 1.8 metres) in height; but, they have grown to about 6 metres. "aurea" means golden (yellow) and "nanna" means dwarf. Its edible (light blue-green) fruit is made into a soothing cream.

angiosperm

monocotyledonous

small -- all of the grasses, including the cereal crops, belong here.
- Zea mays (Indian corn, maize)
  - at a neighbor's
- Hemerocallis sp. (day lily) of the Liliaceae (lily) family, which is related to the Amaryllidaceae family. Across the street, in front of the Monrovia nursery.
  - a close-up of flowers -- one two in front of their fence -- and along the fence, as far as the eye can see..
- Amaryllis belladonna (naked lilly) of the family Amaryllidaceae. The leaves sprout, from the bulb, in the Spring. During the Summer, these leaves dry-out and decay completely. In the Autumn, the flower-stalk grows and blooms. Since there are no leaves at that time, the flower is naked -- hence, the common name.
- Canna lily of the family Cannaceae. The leaves are alternating simple deltoid (see the illustration #13). The Canna lily was *supposed* to be red; but, it came out orange. :-)
  - Canna lily flower, in front of Agave leaves.
  - Canna lily flower & leaves; avocado peeking on the left, mixed background
- Iris sp. (iris) of the family Iridaceae. The Iris have linear basal leaves. My Mother obtained these purple iris, while my parents resided in Chicago, in the very early 1920's. She has brought the bulbs with her ever since -- eventually to here. This Spring began too cold at night; then, abruptly, too dry. Hence, irises did not bloom this Spring in Southern California.
- Gladiolus sp. of the family Iridaceae. I once planted some three-dozen bulbs; but, they did not grow.
Cycadales. The Cycadaceae is the only surviving family in the dioecious order Cycadales. It is on my wish-list.
palms
- palmate
  - my only palmate palm
- pinnate -- coconut and date
  - Koszmar examining one of the pinnate palms
- a modern hybrid of a palm and a communications tower -- in place of the clusters of dates, it has a dozen cellular antennae
  - neighboring marvel and its close-up
- .

dicotyledonous

simple leaves
- succulents
  - a large succulent bush
- family Cactaceae and genus Cactus
  - Peniocereus Greggii (reina de la noche, queen of the night) is a night-blooming cactus from Arizona and Mexico. Officially, it blooms *once* in May or June; but, mine blooms also in the Autumn. (About 1960, a cactus-expert Botany professor from UCLA had visited this bush, while it was blooming in the Autumn. He said that it is impossible and that we are hallucinating.) Each flower opens for only a single night. All of the flowers on a single bush are supposed to bloom within two or three nights. However, mine bloom over a span of a month.
    - four flowers on top of one stalk
      - a four flower buds Another photograph taken after sunset. The red after-glow plus the light from the blue sky produced this striking unusual color-balance. I corrected the color-balance; but, at a loss of the dramatic impact. Which do you prefer?
      - in bloom -- it is a one-night performance. close-up, farther-away view
      - the day after: close-up, farther-away view. With an Agave in back
    - the bush
    - A large branch broke of a near-by avocado tree. It fell on top of the hapless P. Greggi bush, burying it. I cut-up this branch with my chain-saw. Here is a photograph of the devastation to the P. Greggi bush. Then came the task of milling (chip and shred) the pieces of that branch. Strelica is inspecting the equipment.
- family Agavaceae and genus Agave
  - the flower stalk The darker picture is more dramatic. The lighter one shows more detail of the flowers. Which do you prefer? Two flower stalks.
  - the individual plants: 10 11 19 21 23. Numbers 10 (lighter -- more detail) and 11 (darker -- more dramatic) are the same small plant Which do you prefer?
  - an Agave, with the Peniocereus Greggii in front.
  - Agave in bloom.
- ordinary -- most of the common large plants belong here.
  - Persea americana (avocado) -- since this is an avocado orchard, we provide descriptions and photographs elsewhere.
  - Acer saccharinum (silver maple) of the Aceracea family has alternate triply-dentate leaves which are light-green above and silvery-white below. This eight-metre tall tree is more than half a century old and still growing, after having survived a drought, during which it had lost its highest branches.
    - close-up of a leaf and several leaves on some twigs
  - Nerium oleander is available in two colors. The leaves are opposite-triples simple ensiform (see the illustration #5).
    - white -- grows well and blooms profusely
    - red -- barely hangs in there
      - close-up of a flower, with a bunch of buds in the upper-left; four o'clock leaves at bottom, its own leaves at top
      - .
  - Mirabilis jalapa (four o'clock glory) of the Nyctaginaceae (four o'clock) family. Around 1900, while he still resided at the family estate Przetulia, my Father had obtained the solid-color ancestors of these plants. He hybridized them. Then, he propagated their seeds and brought with himself, as he moved from place to place -- eventually, to here in May 1955.
    - pure colors
      - white
        
        a lone pure-white flower
      - yellow
      - crimson -- this is my favorite color
        
        four more photographs 52 62 60 61 and another
        
        some flowers and the bush
    - hybrids. The first-named color is present as a background throughout each flower. The second-named color is present in sectors, which vary in amount and angle among the flowers on a individual bush. The color of these sectors is constant for each bush -- intra-bush --; but varies among the bushes -- inter-bush.
      - white-crimson. Since the white extends throughout the whole of each flower, the sectors where the crimson is present display as an unsaturated crimson; that is, pastel-crimson..
        
        a white-crimson hybrid flower
        
        a side-view of white-crimson hybrid bush
        
        a white-crimson hybrid bush Another bush, showing flowers from solid crimson, through various blends of crimson on white, to solid white.
      - yellow-crimson. Since the yellow extends throughout the whole of each flower, the sectors where the crimson is present display as a shade of red, depending upon the penetration of the crimson in the individual bush: from scarlet, through deep-red, to red-orange.
        
        close-up of a yellow-crimson flower, with scarlet sectors on a yellow background
        
        solid-scarlet bush -- there is no sectoring on this bush
        
        yellow-crimson bush in lower-middle, crimson in left-upper; with an agave in right-upper
        
        yellow-crimson and solid-scarlet bushes -- these solid-scarlet bushes are gorgeous!
        
        flowers on three yellow-crimson bushes: 01 05 06
  - Diospyros sp. (persimmon) has alternate singly-dentate leaves, each with four lobes.
    - a bud for a flower
  - Hibiscus sp. (rose of Sharon) of the Malvae family.
    - a white flower, behind some Bougainvillaea.
    - new white flower: in context, close-up.
  - Bougainvillaea sp. belongs to the Nyctaginaceae (four o'clock) family. They have floral bracts, ranging in color from purple to red, depending on the species. These cultivars have an overabundance of imperfect-flowers. Each color is considered to be a distinct species. The bract is a set of colored leaves. The actual flower is the small stem (slender cylinder) inside of the bract. Superficially (size, shape, color, even the structure of a slender cylinder with a colorful flat disk at one end), the bract, with its contained flower, resembles the flower of the Mirabilis jalapa. On the other hand, the resemblance may be not unexpected -- after all, they are in the same family.
    - purple
    - crimson
      - three photographs 16 18 20
      - a rare perfect flower: 25 26
      - the bush: 27 28
    - scarlet
      - a rare perfect flower
      - the bush
    - purple and crimson bushes
  - this bush has extremely hard wood
    - a cluster of its flowers, covered with flowers, and another whole bush
  - another bush
    - close-up and the whole bush
  - a shrub
    - immature (green) and mature (purple) berries and flowers
  - .Philadelphus syginga (mock orange)
    - some leaves
  - Jasminum officinale (Jasmine) also J. magnificum -- we will have to wait to next Spring for any flowers
  - Magnolia grandiflora (the magnolia which was grown by Scarlette o'Hara)
    - some leaves -- we will have to wait to next Spring for any flowers
  - Strelitzia
    - Strelitzia reginae (the small bird of paradise) I had a very nice Strelitzia reginae plant; but, it succumbed to a lack of sunlight, as other plants encroached.
    - Strelitzia nicolai (the giant bird of paradise)
      - the bush looking from the south and from the north
  - Gardenia I had a very nice large Gardenia plant; but, it succumbed to a lack of sunlight, as other plants encroached.
  - Fuchsia I had a 4 metre tall Fuchsia tree; but, the people who put a new roof on the house cut it down!
  - family Geraniaceae and genus Geranium. I had some Geranium shrubs; but, they succumbed to a lack of sunlight, as other plants encroached.
  - Rhododendron of the Ericaceae (heath) family, with alternate leaves. What happened to my Rhododendron?
  - family Labiatae and genus Mentha (mint), in particular, M. spicata (spearmint)
  - a vine -- perhaps, liana -- which once grew to a length of some 20 metres. It had flowers which resembled a tulip: yellow on the inside; the outside shading from yellow on top to orange-red on the bottom.
  - Pisum sativum (sweet pea) is a leguminous vine. We will have to wait to early next Spring for any flowers.
  - a herb which looks like a mint; but, without the odor
    - flowers and leaves
  - a very small shrub
    - in bloom
  - a small plant, with a succulent on the lower-left and something else on the lower-right
  - Punica granatum (pomegranate)
    - a flower and immature fruits
  - Callistemon sp. (bottlebrush)
  - a brushy-tree. By definition, any dicotyledonous plant that exceeds 12 foot (= 3.66 metres) height at maturity is a tree. It grows up to 5 metres; but, has numerous smaller branches emanating from around the main trunk. Each cluster of bright-yellow flowers is about 7 centimetres in diameter. In the Spring, the tree is covered in these clusters; thus, the whole tree looks yellow.
  - a 5 metre tall tree, which overhangs the front gate. It has alternate runcinate (see the illustration #13) leaves
    - close-up of the leaves and two photographs of its characteristically pealing bark: close-up, a little farther away.
    - its branches begin upwards, then arch horizontal (in response to the shade by the avocado trees over it) -- to produce the foliage.
singly-compound leaves
- Ailanthus altissima (tree of heaven) of the family Simaroubaceae. A deciduous dioecious tree from Australia. It sprouts leaves in late Spring and drops them in early Autumn. It spreads by underground stems, which can extend some thirty metres. The leaves are opposite/opposite singly-compound. These trees grow too tall to be convenient to photograph.
  - here is a young tree
- Wisteria. The leaves are alternating/opposite singly-compound odd-pinnate (see the illustration #13). The seeds mature during the Summer. When the seed-pod dries-out, it shatters with an explosive bang! The seeds scatter widely.
  - scanned singly-compound leaf
  - an immature seed-pod
- there are several of these trees with opposite/opposite singly-compound odd-pinnate (see the illustration #13) leaves, each of which has seven or nine cordate leaflets.
  - the top of a 10 metre tall tree
  - leaves of the 5 metre tall tree which is just in front of my house
    - close-up
    - some very small branches, with the two trunks in the back
doubly-compound leaves
- Jacaranda minosifolia of the family Bignoniaceae I planted these two trees in the late 1950's. Now, they have grown to be some 19 metres tall. Late Spring and Summer, they are covered (on top) with pale-blue flowers; however, one has to walk far away to be able to see the flowers. There are only a few at eye-level. The leaves are opposite/opposite/opposite doubly-compound. The leaflets are odd-pinnate (see the illustration #22). At least in this climate, it is evergreen; with new leaves sprouting before the old ones fall-off . The seed-pod is a flat disk.
  - close-up of a Jacaranda flower, with its doubly-compound leaves in the background
  - a cluster of flowers
- Jacaranda at the college where I am employed, they have numerous trees scattered over the campus. They look the same. I was astonished to see that the seed-pod is elongate.
triply-compound leaves
- Asparagus plimosa (fern leaf asparagus) of the family Liliaceae. [Thank you, Dave L. (our instructor of horticulture), for identifying this vine.] It blooms profusely in the late Summer -- September and October. The leaves are alternating/alternating/alternating/alternating triply-compound. The leaflets are needle-shaped clumps (see the illustration #1). At least in this climate, it is evergreen; with new leaves sprouting and the old ones never falling-off . This plant was donated to my Father by a Botany professor friend of his, just so that we would have something exotic that no one else has.
  - a perennial evergreen vine -- notice the barbed bare stem across the foreground. Scanned individual leaf -- very large file (2.6 MBytes), in bloom -- another very large file (2.5 MBytes), an enlarged fragment thereof -- only 280 KBytes -- showing flowers and fruit.
  - vine in medium-distance
  - vine, with avocado in background