lone oak
Author: Hashi
neoconocephalus
I never really knew what a katydid was (as opposed to a grasshopper) until the other night. An easy-to-spot difference is the length of the antennae. Also, katydids are primarily nocturnal and grasshoppers are diurnal.
Insects in the family Tettigoniidae are commonly called katydids (especially in North America). More than 8,000 species are known. Many species exhibit mimicry and camouflage, commonly with shapes and colours similar to leaves.
The specimen we sketched is in the Neoconocephalus genus. Gotta love that cone head!
passerella iliaca
owl at night
Lots more hoots on recent nights. I still haven’t seen one, but I’m happy they are hanging out. Eat some gophers please!
diospyros
Waiting for these beauties to ripen.
rainy day gifts
Curly wet eucalyptus bark found on the driveway.
opuntia
The prickly pear’s in fruit.
Book group(s)
I’m in two book groups; these are our November picks. Have you read either? I thought the McEwan was excellent. I just started the Gray last night.
heteromeles arbutifolia
The toyon berries are putting on a good show right now. This is the shrub for which Hollywood is named, though it’s not a type of holly at all. Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) is a prominent component of the coastal sage scrub plant community, and a part of drought-adapted chaparral and mixed oak woodland habitats. It is the sole species in the genus Heteromeles.
Butterflies, bees and hummingbirds love the summer flowers, and the autumn berries are devoured by a large variety of birds, including cedar waxwings, quail, towhees, Western bluebirds, robins, and mockingbirds.
Selasphorus sasin
I think it was either a female or immature Allen’s hummingbird sitting still among the bougainvillea flowers. It was a fat, sturdy little thing with mostly grey colouring.
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