Santa Barbara is Butterfly Country!

Butterflies Alive!

Summer is in full swing....

Our butterfly garden is alive and well...

creating lots and lots of new Monarch Butterflies!

Here is a Pupea...a Butterfly Cocoon

waiting for the Crysalis to complete

and turn the caterpillar into a gorgeous

Monarch Butterfly!

 Several years ago we discovered how to

cultivate a "butterfly garden"...

not only to attract the adult Monarchs to lay their eggs,

but to have the food for the caterpillars!

Milk Weed is a pretty little plant which

propogates itself very easily

and attracts Monarch caterpillars by the droves!

It is fascinating to observe them devour an entire plant..

and then go to their "resting place" to create their

little house which allows them to transform themselves

into gorgeous, stunning and amazing Monarch Butterflies!

The work of the caterpillar to create their

'pupeas' is heartwrenchingly difficult!!

However, the 'Crysalis Event'  is like a miracle!

Observing the "butterfly" leave the pupea

unfold her wings...dry her wings

and take flight is a miraculous event!

We are sooo blessed that the Monarch

Butterflies have made our gardens

home!



Happy Easter!

It is Spring in Santa Barbara!

After a long and very welcomed rainy season....

and several unusually warm days...

Spring has truly Sprung!

Some of the Monarch's are already flying around

and many fat caterpillars are looking for a place to make their pupa

Lots and lots of birdies are building nests in our gardens....

 Easter is a time...when all of life is renewed....

join us for Easter Brunch in our beautiful garden....

Easter baskets are ready to be enjoyed....

wishing you all the blessings of Easter and Passover however you may celebrate

and a renewal of hope, peace and joyful celebration!

Summer Harvest in Santa Barbara

Our fruit trees were bursting with their bounty

Apricots...apricots....

...and more apricots!

the Santa Rosa plums were not as prolific...but there were plenty

and the peaches....oh those delicious peaches!

....apples, lemons oh my!

our lemon tree makes the biggest lemons...and is always pregnant!

we even have a "volunteer" Fig Tree! 

This fabulous bounty provided our local semi-pro baseball team, The Foresters, a basket of fruit after every home game day for weeks!

And...we have three cases of jam, applesauce and canned peaches in addition to several pints of limoncello and apricot liqueur

mmmmmmm.....yum

lots of tomatoes.....onions and lettuce....

blackberries didn't last long enough to put up...

The bee keeper who moved the hive from my husband's office sent us a jar of honey....mmmm...

limoncello, lemon curd and lemon squares from our prolific lemon tree!

Green beans, peppers and eggplants are getting close....stay tuned!

if you're not into gardening yourself...we have a Farmer's Garden every day of the week in our area!