Blow Your Trumpet

Large Trumpet fish, Aulostomus chinensis, gliding eerily over the reef hunting for prey. This Trumpet fish was around 3 ft. long. They are suction feeders kind of like a seahorse or a pipefish, creating a vacuum through the rapid opening of their mouth that will suck in unsuspecting fish or crustaceans. The long snout is likely for getting into crevices where shrimp, crabs and small fish would otherwise hide.

Caterpillar

Caterpillar from the White-lined Sphinx Moth, Hyles lineata, Anza Borrego Desert. It's amazing how similar their little feet are to hands and it holds the stem in its mouth to chew on it. I also like the lazy O it makes with the stems in the background.

Click here to find out more about the White-lined Sphinx Moth.

Just Paddling Along

Green Sea Turtle, Haleiwa, Hawaii. This green sea turtle was paddling along under the old Haleiwa bridge (hence the photo angle), not minding the canoe that was paddling up and down the river.

San Diego County Orchid Society Show

Epidendrum Hybrid, San Diego County Orchid Society Show, Scottish Rites Center, San Diego, California. The San Diego County Orchid Society's annual show is on through Sunday with lots of really cool plants to see and even more for sale.

Ground Pink

Limnanthus dianthiflorus, Ground Pink, Santa Rosa Plateau. Wow. Thousands of flowers covering the hills. It's been a banner year for wildflowers.

Fragrant in Numbers

Dendrobium speciosum variety hillii, San Diego County Orchid Society Show. Gorgeous swarms of flowers with a powerful, perfume-like fragrance. These rather robust orchids will grow outside in San Diego but call Australia their home.

Pom pom

Robiqueta pantherina, San Marino Orchid Show. Orchids are the most diverse plant family in the world! This one is certainly not one you'll find in Vons! These originate from the Philippines where they grow at near sea level (200 ft) in hot, humid conditions.

Groovy Cactus!

Echinofossulocactus lloydii (Syn: Stenocactus multicostataus) blooming on the back deck. I love the grooves in Stenocactus and the flat spines. They're even prettier when they are blooming!

Beavertail Cactus Flower (Opuntia) with yellow and black beetle. Found this Beavertail cactus blooming way back in Coyote Canyon in the Borrego Desert. The Beetle found it too!

Springtime in the Desert

Desert Lily, Hesperocallis undulata, Coyote Canyon, Borrego Desert, California.

There are few things quite as amazing as the incredible burst of life and color in Spring in the Desert. Plants pop out of the sand, seemingly out of nowhere. Butterflies, bees, lizards, caterpillars seemingly everywhere. There is an absolute explosion of life once the rains come down.

Pictured is a large Desert Lily. Most years, they are a little shorter and have perhaps 3 or 4 flowers. As you can see, this Desert Lilly is quite large with 12 flowers in various states of bloom, decay, and bud. The extra growth is at least partly complements of a banner year for rain due to El Nino weather patterns.

The Spanish called the desert lilies Ajo lillies (because they taste like Garlic!). The early Native Americans dug them up for food. The bulbs, however, are way down deep, far from the dessicating desert heat and come up to leaf and bloom in response to the Winter rains and Spring warmth.

Walk on Water!

Runs so fast, he walks on water!

Yes, It Snows in California!

Santa Rosa Plateau. Nice view of the snow-capped mountains from the Santa Rosa Plateau. It makes for quite a contrast of climates from the semi-arid, grassy, cactus-laden plateau with ancient, gnarled oaks to the snowy peaks of nearby mountain tops.

Fro(g)lic...

European Fire-Bellied Toads (Bombina bombina) being social. Do you suppose they want to take the same path out or is it something else?

These little toads are a tad toxic and flash their orange bellies to predators to warn them off!

EFBT tadpoles eat mainly algae and plants but the grown toads will eat crickets, miscellaneous insects, minnows and even small mice (i.e., they are not picky eaters).

Drowned in Pollen

Ant Drowned in Poppy Pollen. A bee's thrill is this ant's nightmare... Trapped by steep, slippery sides and rolling in pollen, this ant is much worse for the wear.

Hypothesis: Poppies appear to be bee-pollinated based on what I've seen so far. Steep, slippery petals would keep out marauding ants while the pollen is fresh and/or until the bees have managed to pollinate the flower.

Wild Peonies in Southern California!

Wild Peony, also called California Peony and Western Peony, Paeonia californica, Santa Rosa Plateau. I had no idea we had wild peonies in Souther California but one look was enough to know that I was looking at a peony (so I snapped a few shots).

While not as stunningly beautiful as its hybrid cousins, the wild peony has been put to use by the native tribes. The powered root has been used for colds and sore throats as well as upset stomachs, stress, depression, and menstrual pain. Others say it causes nausea so, personally, I'll not be eating any of it. Still, it is fascinating that peonies can survive in the arid California landscape. They apparently grow and bloom in Winter and Spring and then go dormant over the summer to avoid the dry season.

Spring Flowers

California Poppies and Lupine blooming alongside Highway 15 in Southern California. The fields and slopes are awash in Spring color and it is just amazing!

Handsome Mug

Osprey, Mission River. Now is that a handsome mug or what? Just hamming for the camera while he/she? waits for the next fish to swim by (Ospreys eat fish...).

Faster than a Speeding Bullet...

Cardinal jumping off of a branch! Kind of a fun picture. She jumped just as I snapped the picture.

Just Another Really Cool, Hairy Leucospermum

Leucospermum blooming at the Armstrong Garden Center in Mission Valley. They are totally cool up close.

Great Egret Doing O's

Great Egret, Mission River Preserve. A Great Egret flying low over the water making lazy O's with his reflection.

Turtles Napping

Green Sea Turtles, Haleiwa, Oahu, Hawaii. These two Green Sea Turtles were napping on the beach in Haleiwa. Now that they are protected, Green Sea Turtles have come roaring back and are actually reasonably common to see swimming in the shallows at the beaches.

Lichen on Lava with Guest

Lichen on Lava with Guest, Makapu, Hawaii. For you lovers of the odd and the arcane, here's fun photo for you that I shot in Hawaii. Each little lichen is about the size of a pin head.

Busted So Bad!

The Darling Dog has been at it again! He jumps from the floor to the chair to the table to the glass stove top, squeeks around the dish rack without falling, goes through two sinks and over the the counter under the microwave, taking out the trusty scrub sponge in the process. He is shown here with the last bit of the scrub sponge, having hid it for later retrieval. Sneaky thing...

Hot Pink

Cymbidium Plum Passion 'Etsuko', Torrance Orchid Show. It's the season for orchid shows. There were lots of huge, well grown Cymbidiums at the Torrance Orchid Show. This one was a bright pink that jumps out and grabs you.

Dendrobium speciosum

Dendrobium speciosum var. curvicaule 'Bee Creek' X Dendrobium speciosum var. grandiflorum 'Kroombit Gold'. This is blooming in my living room right now.

If you know Dendrobium speciosum, you know that they get really large (a.k.a. washing machine large) and put up an amazing display of white to yellow flowers that are uber-fragrant. Simply amazing. This species originally hails from southeastern Queensland Australia where it grows both as an epiphyte on trees in rainforests or as a lithophyte on rocks at elevations of 300 to 1800 feet. Notably, both of the parent varieties have been moved to specific status by some taxonomists. They would, in some circles, be referred to as Den. curvicaule and Den. rex, respectively.

Best in Show!

Dendrobium Nagasaki [=Den. moniliforme x Den. Sagimusume], Torrance Orchid Show. This won best in show at the Torrance Orchid Show. It also won an HCC/AOS (highly commendable certificate) and an award of cultural excellence.

Nemo

Amphiprion percula, a.k.a. Clownfish. Nice dark color varieties are being line bred instead of wild caught.

Apparently, Amphiprion percula larvae are drawn to specific anemones, Heteractis magnifica and Stichodactyla gigantea, through chemical cues released from the anemones which will act as protection for the fish as the fish acts to feed and clean the anemone. Cool huh?

Twisty, Curvy Fun

Mormodes hyb. Yes, these are orchids. They come from South and Central America and come in all sorts of lurid colors, stripes and spots.

Banded Pipefish

Banded Pipefish, Doryrhamphus dactyliophorus. These little guys live on live copepods and can be finicky eaters in the aquarium. However, they are otherwise unassuming and will breed regularly.

Packed Like Sardines in a Can

School of Sardines, San Diego, California. Note that the name Sardine is actually a common name that applies to a rather large number of smallish schooling fish including the:
Rainbow sardine - Dussumieria acuta
Slender rainbow sardine - Dussumieria elopsoides
Slender white sardine - Escualosa elongata
White sardine - Escualosa thoracata
European pilchard (true sardine) Sardina pilchardus
Round sardinella (gilt sardine, Spanish sardine) Sardinella aurita Sardinella longiceps, Sardinella gibbosa (Indian sardines)
South American pilchard (Pacific sardine, California sardine, Chilean sardine, South African sardine) Sardinops sagax (Jenyns, 1842)
Dare I say I haven't bother to ID which one this is...

Duck Tails

Northern Pintail, Anas acuta. The Northern Pintails come South, some to San Diego, to Winter in warmer climates. Some ducks/geese dive for food (e.g., Scoters and Ruddy Ducks), some dip their heads into the water (Brant)...Pintails go bottoms up (okole maluna!) while they browse for water plants, seeds, snails and crustaceans in the muddy bottom. It's pretty fun to watch. Clearly not worried about being eaten...

Colored Dragons

Bearded Dragon, colored hybrids. Another beautiful line-bred bearded dragon! This one's on sale at Reptile World of San Diego. He could be yours if you hurry!

Protea Biology

Red Protea Hybrid, Leucospermum. A photo in indoor lighting of the latest addition to my back yard menagerie. Leucospermum flowers appear to actually be an aggregation of a cluster of tiny flowers.

The hairs probably have something to do with pollinator specificity. It appears that, when in active bloom, Leucospermum are pollinated by birds, sugarbirds and sunbirds who perch on the flower heads or the stems and probe into the flower head in search of nectar. However, the Leucospermum seeds have an elaiosome that attracts ants who carry the seeds away to their nests to consume the elaiosome while dispersing the seeds which eventually grow, particularly after fires. Thus, the hairs may keep the ants out while the plants are in active bloom but the elaiosome serves as an ant attractant to the withered flowers with mature seed.

On Barbed Wire

Common House Finches on Barbed Wire, Tijuana Slough Estuary Park. Clearly, the finches didn't mind the barbed wire. In fact, it's probably easier than some of those tree branches they squeeze into.

Split Rock

Pleiospilos nelii, Split Rock Plant. These hardly little clumping plants look just like stones until they bloom in glorious yellows and oranges. They are about two inches across and are native to South Africa. They prefer a dry spell during their Winter dormancy although this one is doing just fine on my back deck. They are hardy down to about 23F.

Honolulu

Honolulu from Ala Moana Beach Park. Sometimes you get the lighting just right. In this case, the setting sun had gone below the storm clouds, lighting up the beach and city in radiant light against the stormy backdrop.

The darker colored water is the reef that keeps the waves out of Ala Moana Beach, making it one of the favorite places for locals to swim. The turqoise blue water is the channel where there typically is a turtle or two swimming by. Those buildings are largely new, having been built in the last 10-20 years.

Coaching Crew

Coach and Crew Team, Fiesta Island. Notably the coach gets a motorboat! The crew team was out practicing and wasn't letting a little drizzle get in the way.

Electric Blue Peacock Cichlid

Electric Blue Peacock Cichlid, Sciaenochromis fryeri, Pet Kingdom. A really cool African cichlid from Pet Kingdom. The African cichlids come largely from Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika and are some of the most brightly colored cichlids in the world (and unfortunately largely pretty aggressive).

Some Lake Tanganyika facts from our friends at Wikipedia: Lake Tanganyika is the second or third largest freshwater lake in the world by volume, and the second deepest, after Lake Baikal in Siberia, being divided between Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Tanzania and Zambia. Click on the link to find out more!

Getting Cold Feet

Getting Cold Feet. Hoho, I wasn't putting my feet in there in the middle of Winter.

Getting Wet

Waterskiing, Fiesta Island, San Diego, California. A little drizzle didn't keep this waterskiing enthusiast at home. Why not anyhow, water is water right?

Fiesta

Playing catch at Fiesta Island dog park. It's been raining on and off today but not enough to stop us from getting a little exercise at the Fiesta Island Dog Park.

Handstands in the Sand

Handstand in the sand, Dog Beach. Wow. Real cool. I was feeling inspired so I looked up how to do a handstand. The wiki page makes it sound real easy although I'm not totally convinced. Here's what they said.

Kapok Tree

Kapok Tree, Ceiba Pentandra, Foster Botanical Gardens, Honolulu, Hawaii. These trees date back to the times of the Hawaiian Royalty (1800s) and are totally huge, reminding me of giant columns or perhaps of the California redwoods.

The Beaches Are Empty and Calling Just for You

Magic Island Beach Park, Honolulu, Hawaii. Hawaii has been hit pretty hard by the recession and tourism is way down. Bad news for Hawaii but perhaps good news for you if you're looking for empty beaches and merchants that will bend over backwards for your business! Don't forget to check out my Hawaii page: www.melekohola.com.

Pelican Diving for Food

California Brown Pelican diving for fish in the Mission River, San Diego, California. Most pelicans dive from perhaps 50 feet up, diving at a near vertical incline into the ocean to catch fish. A few California Brown Pelicans have adapted to diving in much shallower rivers. They cruise over the water at about 4-5 feet scanning for fish and, upon spotting one, swoop headfirst into the water after them.

Leopard on the Loose

Leopard Gecko, Eublepharis macularius, Reptile World. Leopard Geckos are native to North India, the deserts of Pakistan, Vietnam, parts of Iran and Afghanistan where they may be nocturnal. They apparently make good pets, living on a diet of crickets, meal worms and even baby mice and are one of the most common pets in the reptile industry. Their scientific/latin name Eublepharis means true (eu) eyelids (blephar), distinguishing this subfamily of geckos from other geckos.

This particular gecko was tracking my finger avidly back and forth as I wagged it across the glass. He did this until the pet shop lady fed him a tiny mouse after which, on a full stomach, he lost all interest in my finger (perhaps thankfully).

What Did You Do for Valentines Day?

Bearded Dragons, Pogona vitticeps, Reptile World. This little bearded dragon is getting a massage from his/her buddy. What did you do on Valentine's day?

Herding Fish

Common Merganser, Mergus merganser, Mission River. There was a group of three Common Mergansers herding small schools of fish through the shallows. From a distance, it looked like three huge fish chasing a school of smaller fish until, at some point, they popped up their heads and it became clear that there were birds underneath those wakes in the water. There was also a small egret flying up in front of the Mergansers, trying to snag a free meal, complements of the merganser's herding efforts. Fascinating.