American Orchid Society San Diego Awards - March 3, 2012

Cattleya mossiae 'Kimberly Burzell' HCC/AOS 75pts

(Bllra. Tahoma Glacier x (Oda. Toroma x Oda. Ingera))'Smile Eri' AM/AOS 80pts

Cym Moondog Memory 'Makes Me Happy' HCC/AOS 75pts

Cyr. Shirley Dunkelberger AM/AOS 80pts

Lc (Tokyo Magic x Culminant) AM/AOS 81pts

Masd ignea AM/AOS 81pts

Sarcoglottis sceptrodes 'Loren' AM/AOS 81 pts

Slc. (Fire Fantasy X Bright Circle) AM/AOS 80pts

There were eight awards granted at Balboa Park at the March 3, 2012, Pacific South Region, American Orchid Society Judging Session. That's a pretty uncommon occurance. Perhaps it was a small tribute to our friend and fellow judge, Loren Batchman, who for so many years tirelessly chaired the region and could reliably be counted on to share a carton of donuts and some fresh produce from his yard. May he rest in peace.

** Note: not all of the exhibitors had given their plants clonal names at the time the photos were taken.

How Do They Propagate Those Brightly Colored Cacti?

Cactus sports or monsters are mutations that, in this case, contain no chlorophyll. They are propagated by cutting, which is grafted onto a green, photosynthesizing base.

In Bloom: Nemsia fruticans

Nemsia fruticans is a small, perennial shrub native to South Africa where it's erstwhile mauve flowered ancestors grow among rocks in the high central grassland plateaus, one of the most threatened of the South African Biomes. Through extensive hybridization, it is now found in a myriad of colors.

In Bloom: Bulb. amplebracteatum

Bulbophyllum amplebracteatum blooming in the greenhouse. I compared the lip to the yellow amplebracteatum and it is totally different. So what is it really? Is it an unnamed member of section Lepidorhiza? No idea. It's pretty in any case.

New Bird: Snow Goose

Snow Goose, Chen caerulescens, Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge, Salton Sea, California. Snow geese nest and breed way up North up past the timberline in Greenland, Canada, Alaska, and Siberia. They Winter all the way down to Northern Mexico. Given that it is late March, these geese have all of April to cross the North American continent South to North, before they nest. Snow geese reportedly pair for life.

American Avocet, Breeding Pair

A breeding pair of American Avocet, Recurvirostra americana at the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge where, for conservation purposes, fresh water and food was introduced into ponds separated from the salty, polluted waters of the Salton Sea by dirt berms. To mate, the male flies up into the air in a short hop and wing flap and attempts to land on top of the female bird, similar to ducks, but with a bit of aerial acrobatics involved. These two have full red-brown breeding plumage. Their normal Winter colors are grey, black and white. I will note, however, that some of the breeding pairs retained their Winter colors so the color change did not appear to be a prerequisite for Spring activity.

Greater Roadrunner, Geococcyx californianus

Greater Roadrunner, Geococcyx californianus, Salton Sea, California. These sleek, swift little birds can run at speeds up to 25 mph and earned their moniker for running on the road in front of cars, darting off to safety at the last minute. They have a varied diet including seeds, fruit, insects, small birds, rodents, snakes, lizards, spiders, scorpions, centipedes and millipedes. The have been known to bludgeon large prey against a rock to kill them or to hit the base of a rodent's neck with their significant beak. They will also occasionally hunt cooperatively.

Notably, there was something about these little birds that reminded me of the velociraptors in Jurassic Park. I don't know if they modeled the velociraptors in the movie after roadrunners or if it was the other way around (i.e., roadrunners being long lost relatives of the velociraptors). Either way, they are smart, lively birds to watch.

Power from the Desert

Huge powerlines, possibly carrying wind power from the Snoran desert windfarms to San Diego. Speaking of wind, you can see the dust of a large windstorm brewing as low white clouds in the distance and a large rainstorm up in the hills. Ironic to have both at the same time, separated by only a matter of a few minutes drive time.

Barn Owl - Tyto alba

Barn Owl, Tyto alba, snoozing the day away deep within the fronds of a large palm tree at the Salton Sea, California. Barn owls are the most widespread and successful owls worldwide and indeed, one of the most widespread of all birds in general. In fact, they are even found in Hawaii! Barn owls prefer open grassy hunting grounds on the edge of forested areas where they hunt for rodents and other small vertebrates. A nesting pair of barn owls may consume as much as 1000 rodents in a year.

Burrowing Owl - Athene cunicularia

Burrowing Owl, Athene cunicularia, near the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge. This little owl has taken up residence in an old bit of drainage pipe. It's probably drier and cleaner than an old ground squirrel hole anyhow.

Burrowing owls can typically be found hanging outside the burrow during the day. They will forage for bugs during the day and for rodents at night; thus, their hours tend to depend on the food available at that time of year.

Hear a burrowing owl

Crotalus oreganus helleri - Southern Pacific Rattlesnake

Southern Pacific Rattlesnake, Crotalus oreganus helleri, Mission Trails Park, San Diego, California. This rattle snake was scooting across the road and barely even slowed as I shot this picture. He did, interestingly enough, pause to shake his rattle and coil just before he entered the tall grass as he appeared to scan the grass for a potential meal. Rattlesnakes will actively hunt on the move and I suspect this one was attempting to flush out any rodent or lizard that might have been hiding in the grass. They are also known to wait in ambush outside of critter burrows. People, however, are largely ignored unless you threaten or surprise them.

The Southern Pacific Rattlesnake is found along the Pacific Coast from Morro Bay, CA to the North, down to the middle of the Baja Peninsula on the South and as far East as Antelope Valley and Barstow, CA. Their diet consists of rodents and lizards as well as occasional birds, lizards, snakes, frogs, & insects. They will typically bite their prey and wait for the venom to take effect as they follow the weakened prey. Once the prey has succumbed to the venom, it is eaten whole.

Note, you can get some gauge of a rattlesnake's age by counting its rattles. The snake adds one rattle per molt. This one had five rattles and was, thus, fairly young.

Photographer's note: I would have loved to get a shot of this snake head on so you could get the effect of his whole body while still keeping good visibility and size on his head. However, he was moving across the road fast and woe be to the photographer who steps out in front of a moving rattlesnake. Needless to say, discretion won out over photographic valor.

New Bird: Nuttall's Woodpecker

Nuttall's Woodpecker, Picoides nuttallii, Mission Trails Park. It's always fun to see a new bird. Woodpeckers are especially enchanting because you can hear the pock pock pock pock pock of their beaks pounding on the tree bark to ferret out grubs and beetles. This one was way up on the back side of a tree. Every now and then he would come around to my side of the tree and I would snap a few pictures before he would move off to the other side again.

How, you say, do they get away with pounding a tree with their heads without going totally bonkers? Sang-Hee Yoon and Sungmin Park of the University of California-Berkeley found that the woodpeckers had somewhat elastic beaks, spongy skully bones and a structure called the hyloid layer, attached to their tongues that, in combination, cushioned against the repetitive shock.

In addition to cushioned head structures, woodpeckers also have a different toe arrangement, with two toes forward and two back as opposed to three forward and one back as with most birds. This toe arrangement and bracing with stiff tail feathers helps woodpeckers cling vertically to trees for long periods of time while they peck for food.

It's Springtime in Southern California: Brandt's Cormorant with Chicks

Brandt's Cormorant, Phalacrocorax penicillatus, feeding her chicks; La Jolla, California. It's Springtime in Southern California and there are babies everywhere. Baby birds, baby seals, baby sea lions! This mother cormorant certainly has a handful (beakful?)! Shown here, the mother cormorant is regurgitating food for her chicks. Many of the neighboring bird's chicks had not hatched yet so this bird had a substantial head start on the flock. Perhaps having chicks well ahead of the rest of the flock will help those chicks compete for food. In any case, it's truly a fun time of year.

Brandt's Cormorants are found along the Pacific coast of North America from Alaska down through the Gulf of California. They were named after Johann Friedrich von Brandt, who originally described the type species from preserved birds brought back to St. Petersburg. In California, they feed on rockfish which they pursue with great speed and agility, enabled by their broad, webbed feet and sleek bodies. The blue throat patch is only present during the breeding season.

Portugese Squill or Scilla peruviana

Portugese Squill, Scilla peruviana, blooming at Walter Andersen's Nursery. Despite the name, these are not native to Peru. In fact, they are natives of the Mediteranean region of Iberia, Italy and North Africa. The flowers bloom sequentially, allowing one flower stem to bloom for an extended period of time. While stunningly beautiful, they are not recommended as cut flowers as the bruised foliage reputedly smells of cat urine. If you're thinking of putting one of these beauties in a corner of your yard, they grow best in zones 8, 9 and 10.

Wisteria sinensis

Wisteria sinensis is one of the most widely grown members of the genus Wisteria. These beautiful vines are members of the pea family, fabaceae, and are tall growing, hardy, woody shrubs. The genus Wisteria contains 10 species that are native to the Eastern United States, China, Japan and Korea.

Sea Lions Looking On

California sea lions, Zalophus californianus, looking longingly back at the rock they were sunning on in La Jolla, California. Somebody walked out into the water near the rock they were sunning on and there was a mass exodus into the water. After the fact, the sea lions realized they could not get back onto their favorite rock until high tide, and so they sat, staring longingly at their rock.

The Sea Lion Snuggle

California sea lion pups,Zalophus californianus,La Jolla, California. California sea lions sure like to snuggle! While seals normally keep a respectful distance from each other, you will find sea lions piled all over each other as they sun on a rock. In case you're wondering, the three easiest ways to tell a sea lion from a seal (no offense to any purists out there) are:

1) Sea lions have little floppy ears that look like floppy chihuahua ears; Seals have ear holes without the large flaps;
2) Sea lion's flippers angle downward and can be walked upon. This is particularly noticeable when comparing the rear flippers of sea lions to those of seals. A seal's rear flippers go straight back from the body while a sea lions go downwards; and
3) Because of the flipper differences, sea lions can, more or less, walk on their flippers. Seals undulate their body kind of like a big inch worm, using their flippers for traction.

Harbor Seal Tete a Tete

Mother and Baby Harbor Seal, Phoca vitulina v. richardsi, La Jolla, California. The seals were out on the beach in strength today, complete with many newborn pups, some with their umbilical cords still attached. This pup is greeting his mom with a little nose rub.

Five Spot or Buffalo Eyes

Five Spot or Buffalo Eyes, Nemophila maculata, blooming in the canyon in back of the house. These little California annuals re-seed every year and appear to be getting more profuse and a little bigger each year. They are a welcome sight each Spring.

Microcoelia stolzii

Microcoelia stolzii at the San Diego County Orchid Society Spring Show. These are leafless orchids that photosynthesize through their roots. These tiny, beautiful, Spring flowering orchids are native to the medium altitude rainforests of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

San Diego American Orchid Society Judging Results for March 2012

Cattleya lueddemanniana 'Kimberly Burzell' HCC/AOS, 78 pts.

Rth. Topaz Love 'Feuerbach' AM/AOS, 80pts

New Bird: Costa's Hummingbird

Costa's Hummingbird (male), Calypte costae, Anza Borrego State Park, California. It's always fun to see a new hummingbird. These beautiful hummingbirds are typically found in arid scrub, deserts and washes from the Southwest U.S. through N.W. Mexico. The males can be identified by the brilliant violet-purple gorget (mask under the throat) which projects out to either side like a fu manchu mustache. As with Anna's the color is only apparent when the sun is reflecting off of the gorget.

Ironically, we went to the Anza Borrego Desert looking for wildflowers and found only a few tiny wild flowers. The more fragile ones had already bloomed out with the multiple waves of hot and cold weather. On the other hand, the cacti were just starting. In spite of the disappointing dearth of wildflowers, there were a wealth of Costa's hummingbirds at the gently irrigated, bountiful wildflower garden at the Anza Borrego State Park Visitor's Center. There was even reputedly a hummingbird nest; however, it was well hidden and managed to elude us.

African Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus)

The African Sacred Ibis, Threskiornis aethiopicus, was revered and often mummified by the ancient Egyptians. In legend, the sacred ibis was invoked upon the migration and invasion of "winged serpents," which it killed.

New Bird: Say's Phoebe

Say's Phoebe, Sayornis saya, Tijuana Estuary Preserve, San Diego, California. These birds Summer up through Alaska and Winter as far South as Mexico while permanently residing in much of the lower half of their range. They are in the tyrant flycatcher family, so named because these birds will rest on a shrub, rock or, in this case, fence where they wait for passing bugs which are snatched up out of mid-air.

Two-striped Garter Snake, Thamnophis hammondii

Two-striped Garter Snake, Thamnophis hammondii, Tijuana Estuary reserve, California. These little non-venomous snakes have toxins in their saliva that will cause an unpleasant reaction in humans but are generally considered not a threat. They are found in Western North America from Salinas, California down through Baja, Mexico, generally near water. While this little snake was sunning in the middle of the path (probably due to the cold Winter air temperature), these snakes are primarily aquatic, preying on tadpoles, small fish, frogs, toads and newts.

Hail in San Diego

Hail on the back deck. I had a nice crop of orchid flowers blooming for an early Spring but, alas, it was not to be. Just when I thought San Diego was too far South for hail of any size, we get pelted with these little pea sized things. Oh, it could be worse. I still remember the baseball sized hail that made huge dents in the cars and roofs in Denver. So, perhaps I should count my blessings.

Buck-horn Cholla

Buck-horn Cholla, Cylindopuntia acanthocarpa, Tijuana Slough. Acanthocarpa was a best guess. Let me know if you believe it is a different species as I believe acanthocarpa may bloom later in some locales. In any case, this particular species (acanthocarpa for lack of a better name) is in full bloom at the Tijuana Slough/Estuary Reserve down in Imperial Beach, California. They're quite beautiful but their little paws detach all too easily and are a nasty, prickly mess if you happen to get one in your shoe or into your clothing. They actually have tiny/microscopic barbs that latch them in good and tight. I accidentally stepped on a small pad and the spikes stabbed me right through the leather of my tennis shoe. The spines in the sole would not come out without pliers so I settled for detaching them from the paw and leaving them there (as they had not poked through the rubber itself). Apparently, some native Americans tribes harvested the unopened flower buds, de-spined them and roasted them for food (kind of like a cactus artichoke).

Amaryllis: Pot versus Ground?

Red and White Amaryllis. I planted this in the front yard in late Summer. A month or two later I bought another Amaryllis in pot and put it about a foot away. The one in pot bloomed repeatedly from late December through early February. The one in the ground just bloomed for the first time a few days ago (shown). The question is why did the one in pot bloom first? Was the ground more consistently cool than the pot? Was it because the one in pot had a head start in a greenhouse somewhere? I'm guessing that the ground was cool enough to delay blooming by about two months but I suppose I'll never know for sure short of buying two more bulbs and starting them from scratch side by side. Any volunteers to run a little science experiment next year?

Gold Veilteil Angelfish

Gold Veilteil Angelfish (g/g - V/+) with Java Fern. Gold veiltail angelfish are homozygous for the recessive gold gene and heterozygous for the Veiltail gene. Homozygous veiltails have excessively long fins, sometimes to the point of appearing broken.

Fish Connoisseur: The Platinum Pearlscale Angelfish

Platinum Pearlscale Angelfish (p/p - pl/pl), Pterophyllum hybrid. This fish is a result of homozygous recessive genes in a loci for pearly/shiny malformed scales and in a loci for lack of color. The platinum line was derived from a gold line where the yellow color was bred out. They may also show a tint of green or blue.

Out of Season Wildflowers: Lupinus formosus (Summer Lupine)

Summer Lupine, Lupinus formosus, is a member of the pea family. This one is blooming really early, typically blooming from April through August. There was only one in bloom and no others in sight (or perhaps one other very young plant). The early blooms are probably due to the somewhat warmer Winter weather this year. Note, identifying Lupines is a little dicey without getting in behind the wings (petals) to get a close look at the keel (lip structure), which I didn't do; hence, if you want to suggest a different species, I'm open to suggestions...

Also note, Lupinus formosus is widespread throughout California. Unfortunately, it is poisonous, containing piperidine alkaloids (as does hemlock). The younger the plant, the more toxic it is. It has been implicated in congenital issues in goats and cows and has therefore been the subject of eradication by some farmers. That being said, it is also one of only three Lupine species that the endangered Mission Blue Butterfly will lay eggs/develop upon.

Beach Primrose: Spring starts early in Southern California

Beach Primrose, Oenothera drummondii, blooming at Ocean Beach, California. Spring along the coast of Southern California starts a little earlier. At Ocean Beach, the Beach Primroses were in full bloom.

Squid Eggs

Squid Eggs at low tide at Ocean Beach. Surprisingly, the birds were not out there eating all of the squid eggs interspersed among the seaweed. My suspicions that these were squid eggs were confirmed when I zoomed in on the digital image. You could see the baby squid, their tiny black eyes, their white little tentacles and bulbous body sac. I wondered if they would survive the low tide to hatch and what kind of squid left them. Fascinating stuff!

How Do Flamingos Eat?

Flamingo head and beak up close. When I looked at this picture, I marveled at the similarities between a flamingo's beak and the mouth of a baleen whale. The little teeth on the sides of the flamingo's beak act as filters to catch tiny shrimp and algae similar to how a whale's baleen filters krill. As a flamingo eats, it uses its tongue as a pump to suck food-filled water in through the front of its beak and then force it out through the sides roughly once every three seconds. Fringed plates on the flamingo's tongue trap crustaceans and algae in the process.

Horned Grebe with Goby for Dinner

Horned Grebe, Podiceps auritus, with goby, Mission River. Little mud Gobies are a favorite food for many of birds in the Mission River Preserve. For some of the smaller birds, like this Horned Grebe, swallowing them can be as tough as catching them.

In San Diego for the Winter: Surf Scoters!

Surf Scoters, Melanitta perspicillata, swimming towards me. With wild ducks, it is sometimes tough to get them to swim in towards you, most wild ducks being a little skittish. However, if you sit still and wait for while near where they were formerly hanging out, they will often come back closer to shore.

Surf Scoters are also known as skunk ducks because of their black and white coloration. These medium sized sea ducks spend Summers up in Alaska and Northern Canada but fly South to the Southern U.S. and parts of Baja California during the Winter. There is a large flock that Winters in San Diego Bay and in surrounding areas.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine Chihuahuas out for a walk along the beach dressed in matching pink jackets. I couldn't tell if the little jackets were actually heart shaped when I snapped the photo but it all seemed rather topical. Happy Valentine's Day!

Victoria Crowned Pigeon

Victoria Crowned Pigeon, Goura victoria, is named after Queen Victoria of England. They are native to New Guinea where they live on figs and other fruit and invertebrates. These sizable birds reach roughly 5 pounds and are occasionally hunted for their meat and feathers. They are one of the largest and most flashy members of the pigeon family.

February American Orchid Society San Diego Judging Center Awards

Laelia anceps 'Sanbar Pink Envy' HCC/AOS

Zygopetalum Fandango 'Royal Basin' AM/AOS

Costa's Hummingbird

Costa's Hummingbird, lounging on the protea plant in the front yard. These are tiny little birds, considerably smaller than the more common Anna's Hummingbird. This one has a beak full of pollen, a hazard of poking your beak up long tubular flowers. Some plants, such as Heliconia, specifically require Hummingbirds as pollinators due to their long, tubular flowers with a tiny opening on the end.

Lorikeets at the Wild Animal Park

The Lorikeets at the Wild Animal Park were very, very friendly... The one on my lens was chewing on the filter. Argh... Still, they are awful cute.

Nature Quiz: Mystery Holes Containing Acorns

Nature Quiz! This old oak tree trunk contained neat rows of holes, each containing an acorn or the remains of an acorn. What critter creates these holes and stores their Winter meal within?

Star Magnolia: Magnolia stellata

Star Magnolia, Magnolia stellata, Huntington Botanical Gardens, California. These beauties are native to Japan. The flowers are known to vary from year to year, depending on the day and night temperatures prior to flowering. The plant forms a large shrub up to around 20 ft. in height and blooms in the late Winter or early Spring.

Bird Sighting: Wild Turkeys at William Heise Park

Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo variety intermedia, William Heise Park, California. You didn't have to hike to see the Turkeys at William Heise Park. They was a large flock of them just hanging out near the camp ground parking lot.