the arboretum

last weekend marked my seemingly now annual trip to the arboretum on the university of california santa cruz campus. looking back at my photos from last year, my visits were 366 days apart...apparently my need to get out of the house and see flowers in bloom occurs with some regularity. last weekend was also the hummingbird festival at the arboretum and the birds did not disappoint! i was buzzed by a number of allen's hummingbirds as the males performed their spectacular mating flights and dives. it also proved to be an excellent opportunity to try out my new binoculars as the male's perched on the tops of trees to try to get the females to take notice. 


two of my favorite gardens at the arboretum - the australian and south african - were in bloom, but a bit behind where they were last year. nonetheless, it was a beautiful afternoon to spend amongst the hummingbirds and the flowers.