January Orchids

This yellow and bronze orchid is Odontocidium 'Pacific Sun Spots'. This is the first bloom for me and I hope in the future it will have more flowers on the bloom stalk. I cannot let January and February go by without getting  a cyclamen, which is sitting here beside the 'Pacific Sun Spots'. I love cyclamens, for both their unusual slicked back flowers and their beautiful leaves.

I believe this is also an interspecific orchid; in other words, they are crosses between two orchid genera. However, I do not have the name of this one anymore, if I ever did. It is big and beautiful and very crimson.

Chocolate Persimmon

This persimmon tree was growing in the yard at the Brantley Citrus Farm in Daphne, Alabama. It  was a beautiful tree, maybe about 15-20 feet tall. Aunt Imgrid said it was called chocolate persimmon and that she liked it because it was not so soupy when it was ripe as some other varieties. When fully ripe, it is brown inside so that is where the chocolate part of the name comes from. I found them very delicious, and  I also liked that they were not so liquid inside when ripe. The smaller size was also appealing to me. The fruit size was larger than our native persimmon (these have no seed), but about a third the size of the ones I see in the grocery store, so I guess they could be described as medium sized. They are more oblong in shape than grocery store persimmons. The cheapest ones I saw online came from Willis Orchard Company in Berlin, GA, which is just south of Moultrie. Ummmm. Thinking about it...

Brantley Farm in Daphne Alabama

It's not often you see chickens running loose in the yard anymore, but there were some here. It reminded me of long ago, except the usual chickens were Rhode Island Reds. These are Dominicas and some variety of buffs. Beautiful. Here you see the fruit stand just out Aunt Imgrid's  back door. She has satsumas, Meyer lemons, kumquats, and some persimmons.

More Animals at Brantley Farm in Daphne Alabama

                                                                  Pot bellied pigs

                                                                   Horse and donkey

Peacocks at Brantley Farm

These peacocks were on display at the Brantley Farm in Daphne.
I admire peacock plumage so much! I think these birds are just exquisite. The only thing about them that is not so good is their voice. That makes my skin crawl.
I did not see any females. Maybe they were somewhere setting eggs?

Dora Kills Snake

On the second day of the year, Dora found and killed a snake, albeit a very small one. She likes to sleep in the sun nestled in the leaves. I did not see her find it, but I imagined it was lurking about in the leaves.

I

 She dispatched the snake and deposited it where I would not miss it--at the foot of the back steps. When I first saw it, I was sure it must be a copperhead as I sometimes see them around here and they are always small. But NO! This snake has a wee pointy head without the viper arrow shape to it's head. I do not know what it could have been. It was very small, smaller than the diameter of a pencil, and maybe 6 inches long. Any guesses?

Emus

This guy does not look very happy. Looks like he had rather twist a plug out of you than not.

The Brantley farm in Daphne has not only citrus fruit, but a petting zoo and kid's birthday party location. (No need to point out that petting an emu might not be a good idea.)  In addition to emus I also saw pot bellied pigs, one of those horses with big hairy feet (if this was a Clydesdale it sure was small) , a donkey and I don't know what all as far as odd animals. The farm is in the middle of what is now a very densely populated area-surrounded by all sorts of homes. It seems like the area just exploded in population around what used to be farmland. I wonder how long they will be able to hold out against what must be extremely high land prices.  It is a relief to find this farm almost hidden from the world of shopping centers, subdivisions, and tourists.