You’d think a bark-gnawing beetle would eat bark, but nope. It eats beetles that eat bark. Go figure.
Temnoscheila
Category: Uncategorized
after the storm
Most common item of plastic trash at the beach: drink bottle lids.
new apron
This is the third cross-back apron I’ve made for myself (I’ve also made several as gifts). It’s for sure my most-worn garment, given that I don it every day when cooking and cleaning. I wore aprons #1 and #2 to tatters, so today it was time to make #3.
planting day
Colaptes auratus
I have a new favourite local bird (sorry, Spotted Towhee, you’ve been toppled). Look at that polka-dotted breast!
I saw a Northern Flicker in Topanga yesterday; it was only my second sighting of this gorgeous woodpecker. It is native to most of North America, parts of Central America, Cuba, and the Cayman Islands, and is one of the few woodpecker species that migrate. According to Wikipedia, over 100 common names for the northern flicker are known, including yellowhammer, clape, gaffer woodpecker, harry-wicket, heigh-ho, wake-up, walk-up, wick-up, yarrup, and gawker bird.
Sketched from a photo by Ashok Khosla
Ribes malvaceum
I planned to hike Hondo Canyon in Topanga State Park, but the creek was swollen with last night’s rain and I didn’t fancy getting wet. So I explored in the other direction on the Backbone Trail, and was rewarded with my first currant flowers of the season.
Bubo virginianus
The other night K heard owls in the yard and aimed his camera in their direction in the dark. He got a cool capture of a great horned owl looking back over its shoulder, which I used as reference for this sketch.
waisted passion
I just discovered this green passionfruit which has grown through the chicken wire and is now trapped, bulging above and below as it continues to expand. It’s too late to release it from its bind without harm to either fruit or wire.
au jour le jour
I’m super happy with my new handmade sketchbook, constructed with covers from an old French textbook. I plan to use it as a perpetual journal à la Lara Gastinger, with one spread per week, added to over the next four or five years.
Au jour le jour means “day by day”, which seems perfect for a sketchbook. Though perhaps it could really be titled de semaine en semaine (“from week to week”) or tout au long de l’année (“throughout the year”). Regardless, I’m excited to start recording my nature observations in this book.
aloe arborescens
The Aloe aborescens is going off like fireworks!
hashiworks 