Scones, Nectardew, & Nature

These are 'Glazed Orange Scones' from VwaV. This was my second time making them. But the first time, I used other citrus and also had fabulous results. Isa says the dough should be clumpy and not sticky. Mine was super-duper sticky both times. I just flour the cutting board really well & it works out fine. I made these again because I'm thinking about making them for a friend's baby shower - but, it's not until the end of the month, and I'm open to other amazing vegan party bread type things. Any ideas?!


Here's another hybrid, it's called a nectarine honeydew, and would have fit right in with my last post about artichoke zucchini. You can check this interesting article about hybrid fruits. I enjoyed this fruit almost as much as a regular nectarine. Whereas, the artichoke zucchini was a little weird -- I missed the ritualistic dipping of the artichoke leaves; and squash texture seemed strange with the artichoke flavor. I do recommend this though, and the window of opportunity is very short, so hurry if your going to try this new fruit.


Look, I caught a bee in our backyard pollinating the old fashioned way.











And, here's a volunteer butterfly bush. I want to transplant it to another spot, but I'm afraid I'll kill it. So it just keeps getting bigger, in the wrong place.










Can you believe a volunteer hydrangea? I absolutely love these flowers. We have another plant that has refused to blossom for past three years. I've tried everything, and still the healthy appearing plant never has flowers. So, I'm thrilled that at a completely different location, this flower pops up!





Liv and I enjoyed observing a preying mantis today. The praying mantis ambushes its prey and captures it with its spiny forelegs. A mantis feeds on all types of insects, including other mantises. The female praying mantis is widely known for her peculiar habit of biting the head off her partner while they are mating. The cannibalistic habits of praying mantises ensure that they remain solitary creatures.