I didn’t realise that the odd-looking Jaguar in front of me was an autonomous vehicle until I got home and looked it up. Have you ever been a passenger in a self-driving car? Would you want to? I think I’d like to give it a try.
waymo
Author: Hashi
Larus spp.
At least eight different gull species hang out at Malibu Lagoon, and telling them apart isn’t always easy. For starters, they change their colouration every year for the first three or four years, and their summer outfits might differ from their winter ones. But setting aside the juvenile years, I’m going to try to learn how to identify the adults, even if they look very similar to a casual glance. These two, the Western and California gulls, look pretty much the same year round, so I’m starting with them. I’m honing in on the subtle differences between the two, which admittedly can only be seen close up. More pairs to come as I get around to it.
Canis latrans
#1 question asked at the Visitor Center (usually preceded by “WHOA!”): “Is it real?”
#2 and #3 questions: “How do you get to the M*A*S*H site / Rock Pool?”
Occasionally I don’t know the answer to a question, which sends me off to do research. Right now I’m learning about trapdoor spiders because of a visitor query. More on that to come …
Primula hendersonii
Wildflower season has begun.
Corvus corax
It’s Edgar Allen Poe’s birthday, and I’ve been reading up on him (and re-reading his most famous poem). Any excuse to paint a raven!
Things I didn’t know about Mr. Poe until today:
- He was one America’s earliest practitioners of the short story, and considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre.
- He married his 13 year old cousin when he was 27.
- He died at age 40 under mysterious circumstances. The cause of his death has been variously attributed to alcoholism, substance abuse, suicide, murder, cholera, hypoglycemia, rabies, syphilis, influenza, and that Poe was a victim of cooping.
- His character was thoroughly assassinated by a rival after his death.
Leucadendron
Leucadendron (commonly called cone-bush) is a genus endemic to South Africa. The flowers are produced in dense inflorescences at the branch tips; plants are dioecious, with separate male and female plants. The seed heads of Leucadendron are woody cone-like structures, giving rise to their common name.
Piuma Ridge Trail
I returned to my favourite MCSP trail for the first time in about six months. I wanted to see how it was handling all the rain, and the answer is .. beautifully! The many tributaries are gushing, the mosses are glowing neon, and the manzanitas are blanketing the woodland floor in white blossoms.
for Lauren
I don’t normally take painting commissions, but I made an exception this time.
buddha in the grass
There used to be three buddhas out on the trails, placed by locals who respectfully use this undeveloped private land to exercise themselves and their dogs. The statues attract offerings of pretty rocks, flowers, and other treasures. Two of the statues were removed by the land-owner, but the smallest one remains.
tetragnathidae
Even though Trisha is an entomologist, not an arachnologist, sometimes she treats us to a spider under the microscope.
Long-jawed orb-weavers vary in appearance, but those most commonly found are long-legged, thin-bodied spiders. When at rest, they may cling lengthwise along a twig or blade of grass, holding on with the short third pair of legs while the long pairs of legs are extended. They typically live in meadows near water, and around the banks of waterways (rivers, lakes, swamps), usually on low-hanging branches and reeds. These spiders will bite if threatened, but the bite is not harmful to humans.
hashiworks 