We have lived in our home in the desert now for 33 years, going on 34. It was our first home together and we raised our grown children in it. We have many fond memories of this home and over the years we've planted many trees here. I always wanted a cottonwood tree and in 1979, my husband surprised me and brought a young tree home. He bought it at a nursery up in the high desert. Cottonwoods actually do grow well down in our lower desert, as long as they get water. There are many of them up in the mountains. We planted it away from the house, but where we can see it. We actually have 42 trees in our yard, which is about 1/3 acre! Many of them are acacias or palo verdes, both of which "naturalize". That means if the seeds fall on the ground and get enough water, they sprout and grow on their own! HA, HA! I don't have to buy any more of them! Over the years, this tree has been home to a family of orioles and various owls who come and sit in it at night and hoot and catch "critters" in our yard and neighboring ones. It is HUGE and our neighbors hate it because its leaves blow into their yard, but I love to sit and listen to the wind blow through its leaves. They actually offered to pay for half of its trimming a few years ago, so we took them up on the offer, and to my horror, the tree trimmers trimmed the branch with the oriole nest! I'm hoping that they will come back, but I didn't see them this spring in the tree, so maybe they've found and made a new nest? Anyway, I took this photo one morning early this week. This is "my world", at least....my backyard!
9 comments:
Planting a tree is investing in the future, and it's an investment that pays back so much more than we put in. Thanks for sharing your world.
We have been in our house for 33 years as well, though we had to move it off the new freeway 31 years ago. Pity about the nest. I remember having orioles in our yard when I grew up in So Cal. They make a fascinating nest.
There was an oriole nest at my school, too....way up high in a palm tree outside the office. During a very severe wind storm last spring, one of the babies blew out of the nest. I saw a bunch of kids gathered by some bushes and yup...it was the baby oriole! I called upon our 5th grade science teacher to help me. He placed it up in the palm tree so the parents could see it (they were already flying around it) and apparently it DID get back up into the nest (the babies were just learning how to fly). Apparently it COULD fly short spurts. During the summer, however, the nest finally did come down out of the tree, but they always hang around my school and I'm certain they will be back in the spring.
I have to admit that type of tree isn't my favorite because of the Cottonwood snow it sends out in the Spring. I'm glad you shared the story from your world.
Beautiful! Trees like that are so cool! Great MyWorld contribution!
Cheers, Klaus
A giant cottonwood in a yard is prime! I drive by the houses with those and a bit jealous of them. They are so beautiful and big.
You are not searching for shade!
I love your pictures -- and I love trees!!
Planting a tree, I think, is such a meaningful thing to do.....it will hopefully be there for future generations....
How lovely to have so many trees........I love acacia.....I have one growing in a huge tub, it has to be covered in the winter to protect it from damaging frost....it was a present from my husband five years ago........you are so lucky to have them growing wild...........
We have a cotton free Cottonwood on our backyard and it provides us with wonderful shade in the blistering Oklahoma summers. I love these trees
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