“More fresh veggies than you can eat” is a good problem to have. Better than the opposite, that’s for sure. Despite our valiant efforts to eat a basketful of greens every day, they’re bolting.
going to seed
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Gopherus agassizii
Our friends Lola and Lynne have a Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) which they inherited from their neighbour. The species is native to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. It is the official state reptile in California and Nevada.
G. agassizii lives for 50 to 80 years. Stallone is in his mid-twenties, healthy and strong. I hung out with him on their back lawn today while he munched on rose petals, his favourite snack.
crimson soup for lunch
Fresh from the garden: a nice fat beet with glossy, full leaves. Coming up: Crimson Soup for lunch. Mm-mmm.
before hours
I had time for a very quick sketch between watering baby oak trees and opening the Visitor Center at noon. I love that huge sycamore. It has multiple bee hives in its hollows, as well as several acorn granaries. It’s a generous tree.
fostering plant love
We kicked off the 2023 Junior Ranger program at Malibu Creek State Park today, with my session on plants. We had 23 kids in our target age group (7 to 12 yrs old) plus another 40-odd parents + older/younger kids. Many questions were asked. Many leaves were fondled. I think we all enjoyed ourselves—I know I did!
One enthusiastic young miss informed me that she wants to be a veterinarian. And because she loves animals, she also loves plants, because animals need plants. And we humans need both animals and plants. We are all connected. Yes, wise one, we are.
Thomomys bottae
I’m not a big fan of gophers, given the subterranean damage they wreak, but I’ve learned to live with them, and even save their lives on occasion.
lizard fun
I was thrilled to see my first horned lizard on this morning’s hike with Vic and Annette. Huge kudos to A. for spotting this guy in the shadows. The Blainville’s Horned Lizard is a flat-bodied lizard with a wide oval-shaped body. Adults can vary in length from 2.5-4.5 inches / 6.3-11.4 cm (snout to vent) and have enlarged pointed scales scattered on the upper body and tail, and a large crown of horns on the head. Their biggest claim to fame is that they can squirt an aimed stream of blood from the corners of the eyes for a distance up to 5 ft / 1.5 m.
We also spotted a pair of side-blotched lizard having a cuddle in the middle of the trail. Ah, spring!
silver lake skyline
I made a rare trip deep into the metropolis to catch up with some loved ones in Silver Lake and Echo Park. Rising tall and skinny above the traffic, graffiti, noise and grit—palm trees as far as the eye can see.
tomato day
The garden is still chock full of winter veg, but I found spaces to squeeze in some tomato seedlings. More will be planted as we finish off the abundant goodness that’s currently filling the raised beds.
Quiscalus mexicanus
Great-tailed grackles do indeed have great tails—they can fold them in half to make a vertical presentation. These birds are larger than starlings but smaller than crows. Males are iridescent black which sometimes has them simply called “blackbirds”. Females are brown with darker wings and tail.
It’s breeding season, and there’s a lot of grackle activity (and song!) going on at Legacy Park, where they are sharing space with red-winged blackbirds, another beautiful and melodious black bird.
Photo reference: Vivek Khanzodé
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