This guy was poking his head out of the long grass as I went by. I hope he’s living up to his name and eating lots of gophers!
Pituophis catenifer catenifer
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Allium schoenoprasum
Chive blossoms are so pretty … and edible! I should be incorporating them into our meals.
Phoca vitulina
Annette and I drove up the coast a ways to join the Channel Island Nature Journalers for a windswept nature journaling session at Carpinteria. (Note to my Australian friends: the emphasis is on the penultimate syllable, Car-pin-ter-REE-a) A good (blustery) time was had by all.
Quercus lobata
I spent all day indoors at the Park, in a first aid class. It was so nice to emerge into the late afternoon sunshine, and notice the new leaves on the valley oaks.
Backbone #10
Lovely day out on the trails. Still plenty of water in the creeks and waterfalls, and the wildflowers are really starting to pop. Feeling very grateful to live in these beautiful mountains.
for nicki
enervated
Some mornings, I decide that I’ll take Bodie for a walk in the afternoon instead. Then the afternoon comes and we both feel like this.
nesting hummer
Look what I just found! I don’t know if it’s an Anna’s or an Allen’s hummingbird. The nice thing about this nest location is we can see it through in the window. Incubation period for an Anna’s is 16 days, for an Allen’s 17-22 days. Stay tuned!
Bombus vosnesenskii
According to iNaturalist, there are 24 species of bumblebees in California. The one that is busily pollinating our sage is the Yellow-faced Bumblebee. Bombus vosnesenskii is among the most common bee species on the West Coast of the United States, and the most common bumblebee from Oregon northward. The bee nests underground, usually in colonies of 200-300 workers.
Ceanothus azureus ‘Concha’
I was actually surprised when I looked up the planting date on this shrub; it’s only been in the ground for 2.5 years — it seems longer. Looking at pictures of mature specimens, I’m excited for the future. But now I’m wondering why we went with a cultivar, not a local Ceanothus. Perhaps it’s all that was available at the nursery?
hashiworks 