Swatches rubbed from the plant material itself. Love all those tones!
one plant, many colours
Tag: wildtober
Sturnella neglecta
The small and large feathers were so different in colouring and size, that I didn’t suspect they came from the same bird. I was trying to come up with a scenario as to why both birds might have lost so many feathers in the same place. My reference book, and iNaturalist, led me to the much more likely explanation.
I wonder who ate the meadowlark?
nocturnal
I’m an early-to-bed kinda girl, so I’m usually fast asleep by the time the creatures of the night come out to explore and hunt. I’d really love to see a ringtail, but the last live observation recorded in iNaturalist in my area was in 2014. (There was a roadkill recorded in 2022.) So I’m thinking my chances are slim, even if I become nocturnal myself.
It was a quiet day at the MCSP Visitor Center on Sunday, so I sketched these taxidermied specimens in between chatting with visitors.
fungi
Found in the fruit bowl. Mm mmm, mouldy lemon 🥴
comparison study
The tropical/subtropical fruit that Australians call pawpaw (Carica papaya) is known as papaya in the US. Americans have their own pawpaw (or papaw)—Asimina triloba—a completely different species, native to the eastern United States and southern Ontario, Canada.
Interestingly, though we’re Australian, the traditional folk song my mother taught me as a child—“Pick ‘em up pawpaws, put ‘em in your pocket, way down yonder in the pawpaw patch”—is of American origin. The ‘patch’ refers to Asimina triloba‘s characteristic patch-forming clonal growth habit. And presumably the fruit that one picks up has fallen to the ground, and one’s apron pocket is roomy.
I’d like to try American pawpaw. I think custard apples are delicious, so I’m sure I’d like them.
crawling
Horned lizards’ first line of defence is to stay very still; this, along with their excellent camouflage, makes them difficult to spot on the trail. But I know where they hang out along the Musch Trail, so if we look very carefully, and if they crawl just a little bit, we may be rewarded with a sighting.
seed
I was curious about cumin plants, as all I know of them is their seeds. An essential ingredient in many mixed spices, chutneys, and chili and curry powders, cumin is especially popular in Asian, North African, and Latin American cuisines. The seeds’ distinctive taste is warm and aromatic.
The cumin plant, I learned, is small, slender, herbaceous annual with finely dissected leaves. The flowers are borne in characteristic flat-topped umbel clusters and are white or rose-coloured. Cumin is in the same family as other popular edibles such as caraway, parsley, dill, carrot, celery, cilantro, fennel, and parsnip. I wonder if the greens are good to eat? Why do we only consume the seeds? I need to try growing it. I wonder if my culinary seeds will sprout?
through the trees
The dark-eyed junco, a small New World sparrow, is found through most of the US, Canada, and northern Mexico. There are a bunch of sub-species classified into different groups; we have the Oregon or brown-backed group here in Southern California. They mainly eat seeds, and the occasional insect. This one flitted away through the branches then turned back to look at me. I see you, Mr Junco!
sky
We rarely get spectacular cloud formations here, but I am fond of the fluffy rolls that sit on the ocean’s surface some mornings. According to Wikipedia, roll clouds are a type of arcus cloud, usually associated with thunderstorms. However they can also arise along the shallow cold air currents of sea breeze boundaries, which I assume is what we are seeing here.
soil
It’s that time of year!
hashiworks 