I enjoyed the buck dancing competition at the annual Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest & Folk Festival. This is actually one of the judges who got up to shake a leg and tap a toe while the scores were being tallied.
tbfc
Month: May 2024
Heuchera sp.
California native Heucheras, commonly referred to as Coral Bells or Alum Root, consist of about 15 different species and sub-species that grow naturally in a variety of habitats in elevations from less than 500 feet up to 10,000 feet. I’m not sure of the exact species growing in the King Gillette Ranch native garden, but it sure is pretty.
hand (was) in glove
Now I’m googling “how to repair a rubber glove.”
The Postman Joseph Roulin
Fun, fast art supply relay session on Draw with Me, using Van Gogh’s The Postman Joseph Roulin for inspiration. Watercolour pencils, regular coloured pencils, watercolours, paint markers, gouache, Posca pens, drawing inks, calligraphy ink.
muscles
At life drawing this week, the teacher gave us a 10 minute overview of the anatomy of the arm. “Any questions?” he asked.
I raised my hand. “Are we supposed to remember all that?” Got a few laughs.
Even though the class is not-for-credit, and there will be no test, I thought I’d come home and review anyway.
Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Marjorie Channon’
Whenever I notice something for the first time, it makes me wonder what other beauty I am obliviously missing.
Orgyia vetusta
The deerweed on the hills at Leo Carrillo is being absolutely denuded by Western Tussock Moth larvae. Shrub after shrub along the trail has been stripped to bare stems, while others show a thick population of caterpillars munching away with abandon.
Orgyia vetusta is native to western North America, and is considered a pest by many because of the speed at which the caterpillars can defoliate a tree. They‘ve been reported on virtually all California oak species as well as various fruit and nut trees, ceanothus, hawthorn, manzanita, toyon, walnut, and willow. And deerweed!
The defoliation wrought by these caterpillars can trigger a chain reaction in ecosystems. Trees and plants serve as vital resources for numerous organisms, and their decline can throw food chains into disarray and diminish biodiversity. Tussock moth caterpillars have several natural predators, including birds, parasitic wasps and predatory beetles. Here’s hoping that the population reaches a healthy stasis at Leo Carrillo.
Leo Carrillo
What a joy it was, to have a full weekend of camping and nature journaling with 22 other curious nature lovers at Leo Carrillo State Park.
I got to wondering — who was Leo Carrillo (1915–1957)? Turns out he was an American actor, vaudevillian, political cartoonist, philanthropist, and conservationist. He gained lasting fame when he played the role of Pancho on early television’s “The Cisco Kid.”
Carrillo served on the California Beach and Parks commission for 18 years and played a key role in the state’s acquisition of Hearst Castle at San Simeon, Los Angeles Arboretum, and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. He was also an ardent historic preservationist and helped to save a number of historic buildings in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.
His legacy is not entirely golden, however. During World War II, Carrillo advocated for the removal of all Japanese Americans from the west coast. In a 1944 telegram to Congressman Leland Ford that received extensive coverage, Carrillo wrote: “…it seems that every [Japanese] farmhouse is located on some strategic elevated point. Let‘s get them off the coast and into the interior.”
As for pronunciation of his last name, we now say “Car-reeyo“ with the “y“ for double “l“ as in Mexican Spanish. However, his autobiography* phonetically spelled what his family considered the correct Castilian pronunciation: “Cay-reel-yo” with a liquid Castilian double “l”. *Carrillo, Leo (1961). The California I Love.
Cultellunguis ingenuus
Grindelia camporum
Time for a new sketchbook. This one has a white canvas cover, which will quickly get grubby, so I decided to paint it. Watercolours definitely run amok on canvas!
Great Valley gumweed is native to California and Baja California, where it can be found in a number of habitats including chaparral and woodlands. The flower heads fill with a sticky white exudate that was reportedly used by the Chumash to treat poison-oak rash, skin diseases and pulmonary troubles.
hashiworks 