Our writer-naturalist-historian-artist-musician friend Suzanne just gave a presentation on the “ghost railway” of Malibu. This vase of flowers was on the coffee table in front of me at the event venue; I knew S. wouldn’t mind if I sketched it for her while listening to her excellent talk.
Lots of folks are out enjoying the State Park this weekend. We had 230 through the Visitor Center in four hours yesterday; that’s the most I’ve personally served while on duty there.
The most-asked question was: “Why can’t I get to the M*A*S*H site?” (A: The bridge across the creek was removed at the start of winter to prevent it being destroyed by flood. It’ll be re-installed soon, probably later this month. Come visit again in May!)
Around here, we lean heavily towards DIY, as opposed to hiring an expert. Mostly this means saving a lot of money. Mostly it also means that repairs take a longer time. But then, skills and knowledge are gained, so that’s a plus. And there’s the couples bonding that comes with crouching uncomfortably in tight spaces, breathing decades-old dust, barking knuckles, lifting heavy things, and solving problems.
All’s well that end’s well. We have hot water in the kitchen again!
This week in the PerpJo: prickly popcorn flower. I often see this little cutie while out hiking—it flowers from March to June—but I’ve never noticed it beside our driveway before. But perhaps I’m just becoming more observant.
The myoporum thrips is an invasive species that’s causing a lot of damage to Myoporum laetum and M. pacificum plants in landscapes and nurseries along the California coast. We have five M. laetum trees alongside our driveway; one of them has been infested with this insect for a couple of years now.
Last year we tried introducing lacewing larvae to the tree for natural pest control, but we had storms soon afterwards and never saw evidence of adult lacewings. I’d like to try that again this year, after the winter rains are done.
The thrips can kill even well-established trees so it would be good to get them under control.
They say the best time to plant a tree is ten years ago. The second-best time, in our case, is five years ago. We’re happy to see flowers on the macadamia for the first time; here’s hoping that they pollinate successfully. We do have a lot of bees in the yard, so there’s reason to be optimistic.
The macadamia is native to rainforests in south east Queensland and northern New South Wales, Australia. (It is not native to Hawaii, as many people think.) Our variety (Cate) was developed here in Malibu, and suits a more Mediterranean climate.
Fast sketch from the car while waiting for a friend.
It was good to be back with Trisha on Youtube last Thursday night. I learned some new words and cicada body parts. She also told us about the Massospora cicadina fungus that turns cicadas into “flying salt shakers of death”. Amazing(ly gross).
The citrus cicada is found in the south west US (CA-AZ-UT-NV). (Trisha’s specimen was collected in Mesquite, NV.) They are not one of the 13- or 17-year cicadas; these ones have a life span of 3-4 years from egg to adult death.
It was good to be back at Malibu Creek State Park for the first time since January. We had so many people show up for the monthly Welcome Walk that we had to split into two groups; I helped Dave lead 26 Boy Scouts on a two hour hike. The Park is looking so good after all the winter rain. Spring is off to a great start!
Bodie is a herding dog, not a hunting dog. So it was very surprising when she sniffed in the grass beside the trail, then suddenly lunged and caught a rodent of some kind. It was bigger than a mouse, but smaller than a gopher, and its tail was shorter than a rat’s but not gopher-like. She ignored my commands to drop it, and crunched for a minute before swallowing it. Ugh! Sorry, little critter!
hashiworks 