Plant: Bauhinia flowers....

The plant genus Bauhinia, also called orchid tree is economically important...with aesthetic as well as culinary uses...not to forget folkloric medicinal uses...

A stunning tree, gracing Mission San Diego garden....

Among flowers, the purple and while variety is most popular...in South California, they have been planted in good numbers...in spring and summer they are loaded with brilliant blossoms,drawing admiring glances of every passers-by..and attracting nectar-suckers like hummingbirds........

Purple orchid tree blooms.....

White orchid tree blooms...

Another variety of Bauhinia...

Plant: Birch tree.....

The birch  trees are putting on tender leaves..its an absolute joy to stand underneath and gaze at the emerald gems forming a canopy..

Back-lit crown of pruned tree...

Illuminated with long rays of setting sun.........

This structure looking like an eye is the pattern on the trunk of an alder  (a birch) tree. The birch trees have numerous of such funny impressions.

Catkins  looking like green mulberries.......

A blanket of  catkins....male  staminate catkins are long,  whereas female pistilate catkins are small in size.

This birch tree in front of our house. I love watching its variable looks in tune with changing seasons and weathers. Here are two pictures, one taken on a sunny noon, another on a foggy morning. One highlighted, the other muted.

Bird: Robin croons spring song..

Robins rarely visit the trees in our apartment. To my immense delight, the other day I spotted this beautiful bird on a bare sweetgum tree. It treated me with a melodious song, before flying away.

We saw this robin foraging on wild fruits in late summer, in Lake Crescent..Olympic National Park..

Observation: Tepees in the wilderness....

A beautiful tepee set up in Wildwood park for tired hikers to rest their weary legs while soaking in the grey-green chaparral thickets..

Another one I saw in Glacier National Park..........

One at Ocean beach......

Photography: Back-lit leaf shots.......

Back-lit snapshot of a leaves....
Philodendron leaf..loved the illuminated veins...

Ginkgo......

Ash.......

Sycamore.........

Grapes.....

Brazil pepper.........

Bird: Sparrows .........

Sparrows in Pacific beach...

A sparrow I met this morning while out on a walk...It seemed to enjoy the fog just like me..

Saw this house sparrow perched atop the cedar tree by my window....Perhaps, enjoying the soft warmth of afternoon sun....seems the bird was oblivious of my presence, going by its serene countenance...

A portrait of house sparrow as it hangs out in the monkey enclosure in the zoo...