garden snack
Category: Uncategorized
Perceval
John de Burgh Perceval (1 February 1923 – 15 October 2000) was a well-known Australian artist. He was the last surviving member of a group known as the Angry Penguins who redefined Australian art in the 1940s. This sketch is inspired by his self-portrait from 1946.
little den
phantom trail
We hiked a new-to-us trail in Malibu Creek State Park, steep and almost overgrown in parts. It’s unclear why it’s called Phantom, except perhaps that hardly anyone goes there? We didn’t encounter any ghosts, but we did see some out-of-season wildflowers in the wetter areas to the north of the ridge.
Actias luna
This honking big moth is found in eastern North America, from Florida to Maine in the U.S., and from Saskatchewan eastward through central Quebec to Nova Scotia in Canada. It is also found across Mexico; it is considered threatened there, due to habitat loss.
The moth has lime-green wings and a white body. Its typical wingspan is roughly 114 mm (4.5″), but wingspans can exceed 178 mm (7″), ranking the species as one of the larger moths in North America. I’d love to see one in the wild!
libations
Draw With Me this week was all about the holiday drinks. I think mulled wine, egg nog and cocoa are the only ones of these I’ve ever tried. A nice mug of licorice tea is more my speed these days.
ultimate survivor
In honour of World Soil Day, I did some digging into the subject of my favourite micro-animals. Who doesn’t love a moss piglet? They can survive in extreme environments that would kill almost any other animal, and they are undeniably cute.
Pellaea stictica
Acinonyx jubatus
In celebration of International Cheetah Day, I attended an interesting session with John Muir Laws and the Cheetah Conservation Fund.
Charadrius vociferus
Killdeer get their name from one of their most common calls, a shrill, wailing “kill-deer”. They are shorebirds that nest away from water. Like most (all?) plovers, they lay their eggs in a shallow scrape in somewhat exposed areas, even on gravel rooftops. They will deploy a broken-wing display to lead predators away from their nests. However, this doesn’t stop horses or cows from stepping on their eggs. To deter these large hoofed animals, a killdeer will try an “ungulate display”, fluffing itself up, splaying its tail over its head, and running at the beast to attempt to make it change its path. Sadly, this tactic is often fatal for the bird.
hashiworks 