Every year, the Malibu Creek and Topanga Canyon Docents gather for a weekend of camping, outdoor education, and camaraderie, known as Field Ecology Weekend. I’m just home from the 38th Annual FEW. Speaking as one of the organisers, it was everything we hoped it would be.
I created this page a few weeks ago for our Park docents’ newsletter. Now that it’s been published, I can post it here. A rattlesnake and a mountain lion on the same hike, that was pretty exciting!
I spent all day indoors at the Park, in a first aid class. It was so nice to emerge into the late afternoon sunshine, and notice the new leaves on the valley oaks.
Superfast (maybe 2 minutes) paint-only sketch.
There’s so much water flowing in our mountains at the moment. It’s such a joy to poke around in it and get a little (or a lot!) wet.
Notes from a presentation by the Cougar Conservancy, part of our continuing education as docents at Malibu Creek State Park.
Some quick sketches done while tagging along on a hike with the latest docent class at Malibu Creek State Park.
We have saffron milkcaps galore! Are they edible? Yes, but … it’s complicated. Our local ones may or may not be delicious. Please don’t eat foraged mushrooms unless you‘ve received expert instruction!
Easy section this time, in one of my favourite parts of Malibu Creek State Park. It was fun to see thousands of acorns sprouting on the forest floor, even knowing that only the slimmest fraction of them will grow into trees.
The widespread Schizophyllum genus contains six wood-rotting species. Schizophyllum mycelium only needs to generate one set of fruiting bodies per year. Unlike some mushroom species, split gill fungi have the ability to dry out and rehydrate, allowing them to open and close numerous times throughout a growing season. This is an excellent adaptation for climates with sporadic rainfall, and surely contributes to their success.
Did you hear about the fossil they just found in South America?
It’s like a Brazilian years old.
hashiworks 