I did not go to see any fireworks, it was raining and I was busy with year end stuff. There were some bangs from outside, though, and I heard that my friends had had fun, so it is all good.
Rain on New Year’s Eve, light, water and Liquidambar(?) leaves
Today, New Year’s Day, it was raining some more. Photography is different in rain. I should use the opportunities when they arise, as California is not very wet state.
Water droplet on a palm, New Year’s Day
Water droplets on grass, sun was shining on a New Year’s Day between the showers.
I also saw a flight of geese (based on honks and flight pattern) going north-north west, but they had disappeared by the time I had adjusted my device for photography. Weird.
The night after that, it was really windy. There was a tree branch on the sidewalk, when I was getting to my car. The morning wind came from north, soon after it turned and arrived from east. There were a few more geese, seemed to be going sort of westward (towards the Bay). The direction does not matter, I was surprised to see any, going any direction.
Pink magnolias are beginning to bloom, Dec 26th or Boxing Day in Berkeley, CA. The weather was variable, in the afternoon it began to rain again.
I also saw a bold humming bird. It initially shied away, but when it saw that I was not attacking, it returned to feed close enough to video. It must have been hungry. Once it flew away, I continued on my way.
Christmas Eve, Berkeley, CA. The rainy season (winter) has started and new, hopeful green shoots are peeking.
Mosses are green, too.
Magnolias are blooming, different species than the big white ones in the summer. Those are now producing seeds. There seems to be always flowers in Berkeley, CA.
Berkeley palms against December sky. Later, it began to rain.
Then some Christmas ornaments. Or seed pods of a gumball tree (assuming I identified the species correctly.)
Finally, some late ginkgo leaves, most of the ginkgo leaves around here are already down, but there are some trees that even have some green left.
Today, while walking with my mobile ready to snap a picture or even a video, I noticed a number of hummingbirds, not as a flock but a hummingbird or two every now and then. More than I could photograph. Aside from being fast, the little birds are well camouflaged when sitting among the green leaves of a tree. Also, they are small, which means my camera’s resolution will not be sufficient for a good picture or a video. Hummingbirds are migratory, moving south for winter and flowers. I don’t know if they stay here in Berkeley for winter, maybe they are just passing through, but some were singing.
A photo of a hummingbird and a bottle brush plant, October 19th, 2025, Berkeley, CA
Monday’s rain had apparently inspired little green shoots to peek from the ground. Hopefully this was not a false start. The best part of the winter is the greenery as the rainy season ushers new growth.
Skipper butterflies were still around, though this time I did not see a swarm. There were also occasional Monarchs and smaller white butterflies.
I was lucky enough to be aiming for a red bottle brush flower, when a hummingbird flew to feed. Quick switch to video mode captured a few seconds of hummingbird and red flower.
A short video of a hummingbird and a bottle brush plant, October 19th, 2025, Berkeley, CA
Sometimes you need to take a break and appreciate the small things
So, I got a temp job as a scientist starting late September and have been busy. But I am planning on keeping posting, even if the intervals between content get lengthy.
About a week ago I was walking around taking snapshot and videos, and was impressed at the amount of butterflies fluttering around, multiple species of them, multiple places. I am still trying to process my videoclips (I have quite a few of them taken this year) into YouTube videos, but here is a little sample at lower resolution.
There was a bush (or a cluster of them) with yellow and pink flowers, which seemed to be very popular with small brown and quick butterflies. I had seen them occasionally around, but their numbers had been increasing towards autumn. They look like online photos of skippers, which are common in California and North America, and though I would not presume to identify the exact species with 100% certainty, an Umber Skipper or a Fiery Skipper seems a possibility.
I think this swarm was from the latest brood that had eclosed and was preparing for winter and / or having a mating season. I have some earlier clips of similar-looking butterflies, but those were difficult to obtain because the insects were skittish and quick to fly. The butterflies in this swarm seemed to be more interested in feeding, occasionally chasing each other, but I could get close to this specimen without it flying away. Maybe they were preparing for winter or for laying eggs.
Pure speculation, since Winter in California is the rainy season, with new green shoots, so it may be a good time for new caterpillars to hatch. On the other hand, maybe the adults were preparing to hibernate through the wet and cold.
A skipper butterfly in pink inflorescence, October 04, 2025
I have become more active on jigsaw puzzles and other short form posting, because I am now also in Pinterest, and as I make designs there, some of them seem to lend themselves for jigsaw puzzles, which I post here and on Pinterest.
White magnolia flower modified from a photo in jul10 folder (63 pieces, click the image to play)
Other photomodifications may make print-on-demand designs, whereas others might go to commercial jigsaw puzzle site.
A palm top and a plant growing from the trunk, an interpretation (108 pieces, click the image to play)
This is a mosaic bubbles version of a photomodification of a palm top and an epiphyte growing on it, also from jul10 folder, photographed in Berkeley.
To apologize for the vanished free jigsaw puzzles, here are two until I design more. These are photographs from around Berkeley, CA, which I gave more color and adjusted brightness and contrast. As before, click the picture to open a jigsaw puzzle and, please, have fun!
Weed
Unbothered. Moisturized. On my lane. Happy. Focused. Flourishing.
One project I was proud of was the series of five collages, Spring Flowers in Berkeley.
Spring Flowers in Berkeley 1 – Urban Beauty
All these flowers were photographed in Berkeley, CA from March to May 2025.
Spring Flowers in Berkeley 2 – So Many Varieties
The only modifications were cropping and adjusting color saturation, warmth, brightness and / or contrast. Except for one of the background images that may have more manipulations to make the background prettier.
Spring Flowers in Berkeley 3 – Beautiful California
Yes, palms have flowers, too. By the way, palms are not trees but monocots like lilies and grass.
Bay Area climate supports an impressive variety of ornamental plants from all the inhabited continents (Antarctica does not count), and the residential streets of Berkeley are an ideal place to spot them blooming.
Spring Flowers in Berkeley 4 – Relax and Enjoy
Spring Flowers in Berkeley 5 – Moments of Calm
These five collages have been uploaded to CreateJigsawPuzzles site and can be bought from there (click a picture and the link will take you to the shopping page), though I should warn the US readers that the current tariff situation with the elimination of de minimis rule from China may make them surprisingly expensive and / or complicated to buy.
One advantage CreateJigsawPuzzles has is that their bulk discount applies to products of similar type even if they individual puzzles have different designs, so one Spring Flowers in Berkeley tube puzzle is 20,40 euros + shipping, whereas all five tube puzzles of the series are 83,00 euros + shipping or over 18% cheaper per puzzle (for some reason CreateJigsawPuzzles is not showing USD prices for me any more.) Two puzzles instead of one already have the same discount, i.e., price of 16,60 euros per puzzle.
I am planning to create Summer Flowers in Berkeley series once the summer photos have been collected. Right now, I am processing lichens from Finland.
PlanktonPunkt 