Month: July 2023

Dipsacus fullonum

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Teasels are biennial herbaceous plants native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa. They’ve been introduced to the Americas, southern Africa, Australia and New Zealand. They are considered invasive in the United States, but I don’t remember ever observing one until last week on a back road of California’s central coast.

The genus name (Dipsacus) is derived from dipsa, Greek for thirst, and refers to the cup-like formation made where sessile (stem-less) leaves merge at the main stem. Rainwater collects in these receptacles.

The common name teasel is from the verb “to tease”. The fuller’s teasel was once widely used in textile processing. The dried flower heads were attached to spindles, wheels, or cylinders, sometimes called teasel frames, to tease or raise the nap on fabrics, particularly wool. Eventually they were replaced with metal combs.

elfin sunset

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On our last day at Los Osos, the fog finally cleared and we were treated to a sunset over the Elfin Forest, with a view of Morro Rock in the distance.

The three tiny lines to the far right are smoke stacks on a defunct power plant, built in the 1950s and decommissioned in 2014, situated right on Morro Bay. They are scheduled to be demolished, but it turns out that many locals have quite an affection for them, and not everyone is happy to see the demise of this industrial landmark. The town is colloquially referred to as “Three Stacks and a Rock” and there is even a homegrown hand signal — the middle three fingers of the left hand held upright, and the right hand making a fist.

I guess if tourists can no longer visit Three Stacks and a Rock, they will just have to be satisfied with a Rock, which to my eyes is a far more attractive sight.

Phoca vitulina

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Harbor seals at Fiscalini Ranch Preserve, Cambria, CA.

The harbor (or harbour) seal, also known as the common seal, is found in coastal waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans, Baltic and North seas.

Harbor seals are brown, silvery white, tan, or gray, with distinctive V-shaped nostrils. Individual animals possess a unique pattern of spots, either dark on a light background or light on a dark. The body and flippers are short, and the head is rounded. As with other true seals, there is no pinna (ear flap).

Their global population is 400,000 to 500,000. Seal hunting, once a common practice, is now mostly illegal. While the species is no longer under threat as a whole, subspecies in certain habitats are threatened. Many local populations have been reduced or eliminated through disease, conflict with humans, and encounters with ocean litter.

Enhydra lutris

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We had fun today, observing the antics of sea otters (Enhydra lutris) in the bay near Morro Rock. This marine mammal is native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. It is the heaviest member of the weasel family, but among the smallest marine mammals. The sea otter’s primary form of insulation is an exceptionally thick coat of fur, the densest in the animal kingdom. This once led them to be extensively hunted. Since an international hunting ban was imposed, numbers have rebounded somewhat, but they are sill classified as endangered.

Although the sea otter can walk on land, it is capable of living exclusively in the ocean. It mostly eats marine invertebrates such as sea urchins, various mollusks and crustaceans, and some species of fish.The sea otter’s use of rocks when hunting and feeding makes it one of the few marine mammal species to use tools.

I think I was likely observing grooming behaviour today. As the ability of the fur to repel water depends on utmost cleanliness, the sea otter has the ability to reach and groom any part of its body, taking advantage of its loose skin and an unusually supple skeleton. They certainly are adorable!