We are watching the pouring rain as we leisurely pack our toothbrushes (and other stuff) in preparation for our caravan back to the NC High Country tomorrow morning. Hope the rain lets up before departure time early tomorrow, otherwise it will be a nasty drive up I-95/I-26/I-77. Right now the rain is coming down in sheets and the golf course paths, greens, and traps are flooded. Fun to watch since we don’t need to be out, but miserable for those folks who must be out in it.
What will I miss when we leave? See yesterday’s post for a big item, and I’ll add to that the proximity to Fred, Nancy, Levon, Philip, & Geneva. We have made weekly visits to Savannah this winter, meeting Fred & Nancy for lunch with Levon. That’s been great, and we both will miss it a lot. We haven’t seen Philip and Geneva as much as we’ve seen Levon because they have been at work when we go there for lunch, but we have been able to see them on our several weekend visits to Sun City. Levon will grow and grow while we are back home, and our greatest fear is that he won’t know us when we see him again!
Remember this bloom bud? I posted the image when it first came out and promised to show you what it looks like when it flowers. Seems like it took a long time but it’s now flowering, so here is my report. The leaf color has changed from red to bronze to almost green, and I assume that the fully-mature leaf color will match that of the leaves to the left in this photo.
The blooms are opening now and they are delicate white flowers in a bunch. In this image the leaves and flowers are heavy with water drops, so you may have to look closely at the larger image (click on the image here) to make out the flower detail.
Haven’t seen any pollinators on them yet (and we probably won’t since we are leaving tomorrow), but they must attract some kind of help for the pollination process. Speaking of pollinators, the only bee I’ve seen here is the kind I photographed and posted yesterday with the image of the azalea bloom–the bumblebee. Given the effort expended to keep the Island comfortable for humans, I’m guessing that bees and wasps that are susceptible to insecticides will be scarce here.
About Tom
Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, Appalachian State University.
Leaving the Island…
What will I miss when we leave? See yesterday’s post for a big item, and I’ll add to that the proximity to Fred, Nancy, Levon, Philip, & Geneva. We have made weekly visits to Savannah this winter, meeting Fred & Nancy for lunch with Levon. That’s been great, and we both will miss it a lot. We haven’t seen Philip and Geneva as much as we’ve seen Levon because they have been at work when we go there for lunch, but we have been able to see them on our several weekend visits to Sun City. Levon will grow and grow while we are back home, and our greatest fear is that he won’t know us when we see him again!
Haven’t seen any pollinators on them yet (and we probably won’t since we are leaving tomorrow), but they must attract some kind of help for the pollination process. Speaking of pollinators, the only bee I’ve seen here is the kind I photographed and posted yesterday with the image of the azalea bloom–the bumblebee. Given the effort expended to keep the Island comfortable for humans, I’m guessing that bees and wasps that are susceptible to insecticides will be scarce here.
About Tom
Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, Appalachian State University.