Tag: vitex

Robin

Last week a robin showed up in the garden and began using one of the branches of the vitex tree as a springboard to throw himself at the window, over and over again. The loud thumping could be heard in the house morning, noon, and evening. As it continued day after day, I confess, it became quite annoying, especially during my afternoon nap! I tapped on the window whenever I was nearby, but he was undeterred. He just kept coming back.

I wondered how this robin could keep throwing himself at the window without hurting himself, so I watched from inside. To my dismay, I realized he could keep it up forever. Each time he flew at the window, he executed a neat quarter-backflip, thumped the window with his feet, and then flew back to his perch completely unharmed.

Gentle Reader, though I was sympathetic to his mating ritual, after more than a week, I decided to take action. This morning, I created a cage made of picture hanging wire around his favorite branch, so he could no longer perch there.

So far, so good. I’ll keep you posted if he outsmarts me.

The robin on his perch, prior to the wire cage

And then there were bats…

A couple of weeks ago, a neighbor told me about the bats that were hanging from her stucco walls and leaving their droppings on her porch every night. I was thinking how lucky I was not to have this pesky problem. Imagine my dismay when I discovered bat droppings under the vitex tree in the courtyard a week later. And the next day, and the next…

I didn’t want to poison them. (A bat’s got to live, after all.) The general consensus among my neighbors was to add light to the area, so I ordered some hanging solar lights.

Now my courtyard looks like Christmas, and there are no more droppings. Thank you, my strange, winged friends, for bringing some holiday cheer a little early.

I must admit, though – the little darlings are much more charming in their absence.

Invisibility Cloak

Nesting White-winged Dove

This morning my husband mentioned that a dove was nesting in one of our Vitex trees. I hadn’t noticed. She had hidden herself and her nest so well that it was difficult to get a photo. I quietly moved between the low-hanging branches for the best shot. She didn’t move a muscle or bat an eye. I assured her that I meant no harm.

It seems late in the season for a new family, but perhaps new life is never out of season. No doubt the chicks will grow quickly. I hope they survive the winter to come.

Purple

Vitex

In our courtyard, the Vitex tree is crowned with purple blossoms. The bees and butterflies flit and dive above the branches in an elaborate ballet. Somehow, they avoid collision. I look forward to this display every year. It will only last for a week or so, and then the flagstones below will be covered with a carpet of purple petals.

The potted Calibrachoa compete for the spotlight. Elsewhere in the garden, the Purple Cloud bushes are in bloom. Later in summer, after the monsoon rains, their display will be even more spectacular.

  • Purple Calibrachoa
  • Purple Cloud