Paperwhites (Narcissus papyraceus) are now blooming in my yard, and the bees are happier than I am about that. Narcissus is a genus of predominantly spring flowering perennial plants of the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae.
Quite a few years ago my secret pal at work gave me a cyclamen for Valentine's Day. It came in a hand-painted clay pot and had bright red blooms rising above the heart-shaped leaves. I thought it was a perfect Valentine's gift.
I recently moved to a new house that has a few Acacia baileyana trees on the land. It is also called Cootamundra Wattle, and is named for a small town in Cootamundra, New South Wales Australia where it is native to. It is in the Fabaceae family.
The third week of January we were able to return to one of our favorite areas, the Monterey Bay. We stayed in Pacific Grove just a few blocks above Lover's Point. After unpacking we quickly walked down to the point and then along the shore trail to Perkin's Park.
