Where Have All the Silk Tree Flowers Gone?

This is a silk tree I saw in the parking lot at the new Paso Robles Grocery Outlet on August 22. As you can see, it still has some flowers, but it has also started producing its seed pod fruits.

Below is another silk tree in the same parking lot on September 19. It has lost all its flowers?

So where have all the flowers gone? Part on the ground and part transformed into the fruits -- all that is left but the leaves. To get a larger view of either photo, please click it.

Also see, "Bee in a Silk Tree" for more related photos.
Find out more about the Grocery Outlet here.

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Bee in a Silk Tree

Silk trees are in bloom again and will be for a bit longer. In this photo, you can see a bee hard at work in the silk tree's puffy pink flowers. You can also see the buds for future flowers that are not yet open.

Bee Foraging on Silk Tree Flower, © B. Radisavljevic 

Silk trees are members of the legume family of plants. The scientific name of the silk tree is Albizia julibrissin. It is a deciduous tree. In the photo below you can see all three stages of the tree's reproduction, but the bee is only interested in one of them -- the flower.

Bee in Silk Tree Flower with Buds and Fruits, © B. Radisavljevic
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Next to the flowers, you see the buds of the next flowers. Below the flowers, you see the long green pods that hold the seeds. Can you see the resemblance to peas and other plants in the legume family?

The photos on this page were taken in October 2012, on Bethel Road in Templeton on what was then the Veris Tasting Room property.

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Short August Visit to Jack Creek Farms

Last year I used to go to Jack Creek Farms often because it was only a mile down the road from me on 46 West. This year I'm in Paso Robles most of the time, so I didn't get there until August 8.  I expected to see the pumpkins and squashes on diplay they've usually had at this time of year, but this year they are missing. I didn't see any corn this year, either. But I did see these giant onions still on display just outside the store. You have to see them  to believe how big they really are. You can click the photo to make it larger.

Though it does not appear there will be a corn maze or pumpkin patch this year, there's still plenty to keep visiting children busy. Under this blooming silk tree is a wooden train big enough for the kids to play on. Behind that are some bales of hay to climb on. Remember you can click the photo to make it larger.

I was happy to see that the heirloom tomatoes are growing again this year. They are currently on sale in the store and you may even get to pick your own. I did that last year, and they were delicious. This might be a good weekend to vist Jack Creek Farms. You can see their ripe tomatoes on my Facebook Page for this blog.  I invite you to like the page while you are there.

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