Les Nymphéas

Our purple tropical water lily has bloomed!

Claude Monet Water Lily Pond 

Home on the Range

A group of deer (Odocoileus hemionus) are passing through Alverno.  They had a leisurely breakfast of Agave (Agave attenuata) and other delicacies, then a stroll over to the pond for morning refreshment, and then an active day of chillaxin in the shade on the south lawn.  These iconic symbols of the forest are facing many challenges

Deer in California are suffering a massive decline due to habitat destruction.  This encourages deer to roam into gardens and golf courses, which can lead to conflicts between humans and deer.

For their protection, it is illegal to feed wild deer

Deer at Alverno

Chillaxin in the Shade

Mule Deer

Episode of Touching the Wild.  If you can, this is worth watching.

Joe Hutto’s idea of research is anything but normal, dedicating seven years of his life to becoming a wild mule deer. The herd would ordinarily run from any human but, incredibly, these keenly intelligent animals come to regard this stranger as one of their own. Accepted by the matriarch, he walks among them, is even groomed by them, and can lie with a pregnant doe talking to its unborn fawns. As he crosses the species divide Joe is tapping into a new understanding about these elusive animals, literally entering a deer society. The captivating joy he feels for his new family is nothing short of infectious, but this human predator also learns to see the world from the point of view of prey – and it’s an experience that will ultimately rock him to his very core; sharing their world so personally finally takes a toll that sends him back to his own kind.

Cry Havoc!

Oh noooo!  Someone (probably raccoons) got into the pond (probably trying to get at the fish) and wreaked havoc on the pond plants, upending several and even dragging one out of the pond.

A living flash of light he flew

Our dragonfly is happily hanging out around the pond, not afraid of us anymore.

Dragonfly

Azolla is very healthy now

Once more unto the breach, dear friends

Alverno students cleared plants such as Marah macrocarpus (Wild Cucumber) in Bailey Canyon for the cleanup which was organized by the Sierra Madre Action Council.

Matilija Poppies are in bloom!

At First Blush

Our very first water lilly has bloomed!

The uncertain glory of an April day

The first wildflowers are in bloom around St. Francis' statue.  These are mixes of native wildflowers from Theodore Payne Foundation that students planted in the Fall.