I ventured back to the beach today, expecting a huge amount of storm-delivered trash, but the sand was actually pretty clean.
Malibu lagoon and beach
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garden god
We have two (different) armless statues in our garden. I’m guessing they represent Hindu deities, but they could have just been invented by some 20th century artist. Anyway, I like how the shadows look when the sun is bright.
Libellula saturata
I had fun watching a couple of flame skimmer dragonflies cavorting over the pool while I ate my lunch.
Mutillidae
Mutillidae is a family of more than 7,000 species of wasps whose wingless females resemble large, hairy ants. Velvet ants can be found worldwide. Over 400 species occur in the North American Southwest, where this male specimen was collected.
Males fly in search of females; after mating, the female enters a host insect nest, typically a ground-nesting bee or wasp burrow, and deposits one egg near each larva or pupa. The mutillid larvae then develop as idiobiont ectoparasitoids, eventually killing their immobile larval/pupal hosts within a week or two.
The exoskeleton of the velvet ant is remarkably strong. It requires 11 times more force to crush than that of the honeybee.
speed sketching
Ten classic album covers. Three minutes each. How many do you recognise?
at the doc’s
Even a long wait is tolerable when you have a sketchbook.
Brachychiton populneus
The Kurrajong bottle tree — native to the foothills and plains of eastern Australia — is adapted to semi-arid climates, warm temperatures and seasonal drought. It’s been introduced to South Africa, the United States and Mediterranean countries, where it is well suited for use as a street and park tree.
The kurrajong was used by many Australian Aboriginal clans and tribes. The seeds were removed, cleaned of the fine hairs within the seed pod, and roasted. Water could be obtained from the tree roots by boring a hole in the trunk and squeezing the wood. There are also records of the seed pods being turned into a children’s rattle or toy. The soft spongy wood was used for making shields, and the bark as a fibre. The leaves are also used as emergency fodder for drought-affected animal stock. There are records of European settlers using the seeds as a coffee substitute.
Hypsiglena ochrorhynchus nuchalata
This was the second little snake in our empty pool before Hurricane Hilary blew into town. Two new-to-us reptiles in one night! Very cool.
Tantilla sp.
Fun visit last night from a tiny, rarely-seen snake! Very exciting.
Lynx rufus
We bought some new skulls for the Visitor Center (legally and ethically obtained).
hashiworks 