I blogged about the castor oil plant in our neighbourhood a few months ago; it’s all now flowering and setting seed, preparing for even further invasion.
Ricinus communis
Tag: malibu
Butorides virescens
Green Herons are short and stocky (for a heron) with a thick neck that is often drawn down into the body. It’s only when they strike at food that you can see the length of the neck.
Although Green Herons are fairly common across the U.S., their population has suffered a decline of approximately 1.3% per year between 1966 to 2019, resulting in a cumulative decline of about 51%, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. In the past, people hunted Green Herons for food and controlled their numbers near fish hatcheries. Today they, like so many creatures, are negatively impacted by habitat loss from the destruction of wetlands.
Lampropeltis californiae
Spotted this handsome striped reptile out on the trail. The California kingsnake (Lampropeltis californiae) is endemic to the western United States and northern Mexico, and is found in a variety of habitats, including woodland chaparral, grassland, deserts, marshes, and even suburban areas. It is non-venomous, and kills its prey by constriction.
Wild California kingsnakes are typically encountered at a length of 2.5-3.5 feet (76 – 107cm), though they can grow larger. This one was smaller, maybe 18 inches / 45cm long.
Lavandula
About eleven years ago, I bought two small lavender plants from Trader Joe’s and planted them on our hill. With minimal attention (except from bees), they’ve grown into thick, sturdy bushes about 1.5 meters tall and wide, that flower for months. Sixteen bucks, well spent.
Ardea alba
windfall
A gift for my sister.
Dr Earth
I haven’t used commercial fertiliser in the veggie garden so far, instead relying on our home made compost. But some of the beds aren’t performing as well as I would like, so I’ve decided to try this booster, on the recommendation of San Diego Seed Company.
role reversal
Seems the wildlife is capturing the camera, instead of vice versa. We might need to reconsider this location.
Zonotrichia leucophrys
We are in the winter range of the white-crowned sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys. At various times of the year it is found over nearly all of the North American continent. This deep-bellied, deep-chested, broad-necked sparrow is a very rare vagrant to western Europe. In 2008, one was spotted in Cley next the Sea in Norfolk, England. To commemorate the event, an image of the bird was included in a window at St Margaret’s Church.
SMC
This week’s Buildings assignment was to sketch a fancy local building that we could sit directly in front of. I was on my way to the historic Adamson House when I realised that the new Santa Monica College satellite (opened earlier this year) fit the bill.
It seems there was not really a need for this campus, but the money was available, so they built it anyway. The parking lot is always empty. Are there any students inside? In the meantime, the park opposite is populated by people experiencing homelessness. Were resources allocated rationally?
hashiworks 