Tag: nature

Malosma laurina

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Catching up in the PerpJo. Not much is flowering now, but the sumac is!

Malosma laurina is a large, rounded evergreen shrub or small tree growing 3 to 5 meters tall. The fragrant leaves and stems, being full of volatile compounds, contribute to the characteristic fragrance of chaparral. The flowers give off a “woodsy-herbal” smell, reminiscent of green apples and turpentine.

The fruit is a whitish drupe 3 mm in diameter with a smooth, flattish stone inside. The Chumash crushed and ate the dried fruits of Malosma laurina and also used the root bark to make a tea for treating dysentery.

Laurel sumac grows natively along the Southern California coastline in frost-free areas. It’s a very tough plant, hard to eradicate — if a fire burns its above ground parts, a large burl underground will re-sprout. It grows new leaves and stems all year long, even during hot dry summers, when most native plants stop growing.

Heteromeles arbutifolia

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I’ve blogged about toyon before, but here’s something new: The plant has been used as a treatment for Alzheimer’s by indigenous people of California, and 2016 research backs this up. Toyon contains compounds that are known to protect the blood-brain barrier, prevent the infiltration of inflammatory cells into the brain and prevent neuronal damage. This plant medicine may provide new leads for drug therapy in the disease. Cool!

national moth week

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It’s National Moth Week again, so we sketched moths (and their larvae) on Draw With Me.

Halysidota tessellaris, the banded tussock moth, is found in North America from southern Canada south through Texas and central Florida. Adult moths are attracted to decaying plants with pyrrolizidine alkaloids. They regurgitate on them, then drink the fluids, and thus acquire defensive chemicals that offer protection from predators.

Megalopyge crispata, the black-waved flannel moth, is found along the east coast of the United States, and as far inland as Oklahoma. The caterpillars produce a venom, delivered through hollow hairs that penetrate the skin, that can cause pain, headache, inflamed lymph glands and dermatitis. They may look cute and furry, but don’t go petting them!

Dipsacus fullonum

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Teasels are biennial herbaceous plants native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa. They’ve been introduced to the Americas, southern Africa, Australia and New Zealand. They are considered invasive in the United States, but I don’t remember ever observing one until last week on a back road of California’s central coast.

The genus name (Dipsacus) is derived from dipsa, Greek for thirst, and refers to the cup-like formation made where sessile (stem-less) leaves merge at the main stem. Rainwater collects in these receptacles.

The common name teasel is from the verb “to tease”. The fuller’s teasel was once widely used in textile processing. The dried flower heads were attached to spindles, wheels, or cylinders, sometimes called teasel frames, to tease or raise the nap on fabrics, particularly wool. Eventually they were replaced with metal combs.

elfin sunset

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On our last day at Los Osos, the fog finally cleared and we were treated to a sunset over the Elfin Forest, with a view of Morro Rock in the distance.

The three tiny lines to the far right are smoke stacks on a defunct power plant, built in the 1950s and decommissioned in 2014, situated right on Morro Bay. They are scheduled to be demolished, but it turns out that many locals have quite an affection for them, and not everyone is happy to see the demise of this industrial landmark. The town is colloquially referred to as “Three Stacks and a Rock” and there is even a homegrown hand signal — the middle three fingers of the left hand held upright, and the right hand making a fist.

I guess if tourists can no longer visit Three Stacks and a Rock, they will just have to be satisfied with a Rock, which to my eyes is a far more attractive sight.

Phoca vitulina

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Harbor seals at Fiscalini Ranch Preserve, Cambria, CA.

The harbor (or harbour) seal, also known as the common seal, is found in coastal waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans, Baltic and North seas.

Harbor seals are brown, silvery white, tan, or gray, with distinctive V-shaped nostrils. Individual animals possess a unique pattern of spots, either dark on a light background or light on a dark. The body and flippers are short, and the head is rounded. As with other true seals, there is no pinna (ear flap).

Their global population is 400,000 to 500,000. Seal hunting, once a common practice, is now mostly illegal. While the species is no longer under threat as a whole, subspecies in certain habitats are threatened. Many local populations have been reduced or eliminated through disease, conflict with humans, and encounters with ocean litter.

Nycticorax nycticorax

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The Black-crowned Night Heron is a medium sized heron with a long head and a funny way of making its neck disappear when at rest. A juvenile was hanging out at Legacy Park this morning. I loved the lime-green legs.

These birds are among the seven heron species observed to engage in tool use. They lure or distract fish by tossing edible or inedible buoyant objects into water within their striking range. Smart!