Bodie visited the pig again today. I imagine that this is what she sees as her friend approaches the fence.
dog’s eye view
Tag: hiking
Ardea alba
Things I learned on this hike—the Sepulveda Dam wall is 3 miles (5 km) long, and you can climb onto it. When the basin floods, fish are stranded on the trails. Egrets eat other birds!
meadows
Zuma Canyon trail
Thanks to blogging, I know that the last time I hiked this trail was in March 2024, as part of the whole Backbone Trail. I saw a striped racer that day; it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a snake, now I come to think about it. But it’s sure nice to witness the return of the wildflowers.
dog’s head
Apis mellifera
There was a lot to notice on today’s muddy hike—fungi, spikemosses, roaring creeks, first flowers, gorgeous views. Lots to wonder about too, including why the pollen on the bee’s legs was a darker shade of yellow than the pollen it was collecting.
Paeonia californica
This peony is endemic to southwestern California (USA) and northernmost Baja California (Mexico). It grows on dry hillsides in the coastal sage scrub and chaparral communities of the coastal mountains.
The plant dies back in the summer, and tolerates little or no water while dormant. It puts forth its compound leaves after a good winter rain, which this year happened in mid-November. So we’re seeing the flowers already, before the end of the year. Nice!
l’arôme du chaparral
Dryobates nuttallii
I see acorn woodpeckers all the time, but rarely spot a Nuttall’s.
Castilleja affinis
