I had my first ocean swim of the year today, preceded by litter pickup and followed by bird-sketching. All in all, a lovely morning.
numenius phaeopus
Tag: malibu
narrowleaf milkweed
The native milkweed hosts lots of critters, some beneficial to it, some harmful. The most famous is the monarch butterfly (both larval and adult stages) but it’s a bit late in the year for them now.
brush clearing
‘Tis the season.
pandion haliaetus
I often see this raptor at the lagoon, always solo.
The osprey (Pandion haliaetus), also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It’s large, reaching more than 60 cm (24 in) in length and 180 cm (71 in) across the wings.
The osprey is unusual in that it is a single living species that occurs nearly worldwide. Another oddity: osprey and owls are the only raptors whose outer toe is reversible, allowing them to grasp their prey with two toes in front and two behind. This is particularly helpful when they grab slippery fish.
erinnyis ello
It’s National Moth Week! I haven’t yet seen any awesome moths lately, so here’s one from last August … but I did see a tarantula hawk today, so that was pretty cool!
dragonfruit
I’ve had these dragonfruit cuttings jammed in a pot for years. They periodically flower, but never set fruit. I should get them in the ground; they might do better if they could spread out.
leaning
morning tipple
Have a little tipple, make a little ripple
little dume
measure twice cut once
Next stage in the Squirrel Battle is in progress. Bird netting does NOT deter them from the veggie seedlings — they bite right through it. It’s time for a full frame, chicken wire enclosure.
hashiworks 