Welcome to Whitey's World
All of the banner background photos on this site were taken by Whitey.
Above is a close-up of the bark of incense-cedar (Calocedrus decurrens) in winter.
Ah, it was June in Oregon's West Cascades and it was tiger lily time (Lilium columbianum). Who would guess that that long, ho-hum bud would turn into these spectacular flowers?
This is the fourth of five (forecast) consecutive days with temperatures in Eugene above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Even my well-watered vegetables—such as green beans and tomatoes—have withered under the multi-day onslaught. Plants around here just aren’t to this kind of heat. And neither are we humans. But, ONWARD!
June and its tiger lilies in the West Cascades are now past, but July brings Indian-pipes springing from the forest duff and the appearance of the first bald-faced hornets (whose foraging females are fairly friendly, but don’t get near their nest!) and my favorite butterfly of all, the California sister (Adelpha californica).
In the garden, I picked the earliest tomatoes ever, the last week of June. And of course there are plenty of cole crops: broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower. The onion tops are now dying down, as are the garlic tops, now that they’ve made my food for next winter. And the berries? Strawberries are over now, but marionberries are hanging on (the ones that the scrub jays and eastern fox squirrels are kind enough to leave for me) and there are still blueberries to pick.
The West Woodland (in front of the house) is starting to look its summertime self, when all the wildflowers wither and go dormant. But there’s still plenty of interesting life to observe (see photo of Oregon-grape!).
And Life goes on!
Questions sometimes arise about why Oregon's state flower, the Oregon-grape (Berberis aquifolium) is called that when its flower clusters in spring are pure yellow. Well...just wait a few months until the fruit clusters begin to develop! Unfortunately, despite their appearance, they do not taste like grapes. Although they are edible, very few people would consider them "tasty."
This is what 2024's First Tomato looked like just before I swallowed it. It's a broiled sandwich of bread, butter, Plochman's mustard, sliced tomato, mayo, salt-and-pepper, and a good cheddar cheese on top. Oh-so-good! (Photo taken 29 June 2024.)
(This page updated 08 July 2024.)