Cattleya Hawaiian Variable

Cattleya Hawaiian Variable, (C. Penny Kuroda x C. guttata), decorating the living room. This is a tall plant with a hefty spray of large, fragrant flowers. I believe the original cross was made by Ben Kodama who used Penny Kuroda 'Spots', a peloric, and C. guttata alba (green/white). The offspring came out all over the map including greens, pinks, pelorics and brighly colored guttata-like offspring, like the one shown.

The Colorful Caiman Lizard

Caiman Lizard, Dracaena guianensis, relaxing in some shallow water. These lizards are at home at in the water, hailing from the Amazon basin, where they feast on snails and other crustaceans. These are a photographic favorite, due to their vibrant, glossy colors; this one was even sporting a reflection in the water! What more could you ask for?

Blue-Necked Tanager

The Eastern Blue-necked Tanager, Tangara cyanicollis, ranges from Peru through Brazil where it lives in subtropical and tropical lowland forests. It lives primarily on fruit and insects.

Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake

Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake, Crotalus adamanteus. This venomous rattler, the biggest of the rattlesnake species, is native to the Southeastern United States. Specimens have been reported at over 30 pounds and 7 feet in length. They are known to eat full size rabbits as well as various rodents, lizards and birds.

Death With Dignity

I share my photography, so that you might glimpse the wonder in the abundance and diversity of life and the profoundness of nature. However, I have consciously left most deeper thoughts about life out of the blog and kept the content pretty cheery and light. Tonight, however, I figured I'd take a dive into real life and see how it goes. I'm not sure why I chose tonight, other than that I post process things and perhaps, in my odd sort of way, I was ready to talk about it.

One of my favorite Aunts passed away. Actually, she chose to die. Admittedly, choosing to die is still a very foreign thought to me and, I suspect, to most of us. At first, it really did not compute in that engineering brain of mine. I'm not entirely sure if it really needs to make sense in that logical sort of way or if it is just about acceptance. Perhaps it is just a matter of my being comfortable with her decision. Let me introduce her to you.

Aunty was the spunkiest and youngest of eleven children. She was the one that rounded up volunteers, in her very "managerial" manner, to wrap inexpensive presents during Christmas to make certain that everyone had something to open. She was the one that did a spiritual pilgramage to India and went, at least for a while, vegetarian. She's the one that remained single in spite of my best efforts to fix her up with my high school science teacher (whatever was I thinking? She did humor me, in any case). Take this in the context of a family that grew up with a hardworking grandma and all the aunts sewing for a living and where a single chicken for a family of eleven children was an extravagance. [Note: mom made great shirts when I was a kid!]

Indeed, Aunty was the wild hare of the bunch; the round peg in the matrix of square holes. She was also the care taker, in her very managerial sort of way. Aunty was known for pushing (sometimes less than delicately) her sisters, many of whom could no longer drive, to visit their oldest sister, who is bedridden and still resides deep in the mists of Parkinson's and dementia. Aunty basically showed up at her sisters' doorsteps and foisted them away to visit their eldest! She would not take no for an answer. She knew that they would likely not be recognized by the eldest nor receive any response to their greetings and inquiries. Each visit was a hear wrenching reminder of the ravages of aging that approached all too incessantly for them all. Still Aunty persisted in rounding up her sisters for regular visits. Perhaps, it is that very stubborness at which she demanded every last bit from life, that refusal to take no for an answer, that made it so shocking to us when she decided to let herself die.

Having retired as a nurse, Aunty volunteered to help the elderly clean and maintain their apartments, often scrubbing their bathrooms with much needed Clorox bleach. Aunty cleaned out the brooding bacteria and stubborn and lingering odors, sometimes associated with the neglected homes of the elderly, usually spending hours wiping the floors, tub and toilets with bleach. Unfortunately, that same bleach that cleaned even the most stubborn and odiferous apartment and kiled the meanest of bacteria also proved to be her downfall.

When Aunty came down with a life threatening lung infection, she was rushed to the hospital where she was also diagnosed with major long term lung damage. While the IV antibiotics turned back the infection and whisked her off of death's doorstep, her ability to exchange oxygen was severly compromised due to years of damage attributed to bleach inhalation in poorly ventilated, confined environments. This stubbornly independent woman was reduced to weakly walking through life pulling an oxygen tank on a tether.

Thus, I saw her when I came home to visit my Mother. Aunty appeared chatty, holding court in the lobby of the hostel with my Mom, myself and one of my other Aunts and her husband. As I understood it, she had decided that, should another infection take hold, she would refuse medication. If she survived over a year in the hostel, she would assume it was just meant to be and would resume independent living. If she did not survive the year, she had already carefully planned out her estate and her last months of life, had said her good byes, and would leave on her own terms.

There we sat, in the lobby of the hostel, trying to convince her, in our presumptuous, selfish sort of way, that she should stick it out because we were not yet ready to lose her. She seemed spunky enough, if a little tired. We thought we might just get our way if only we persisted in asking her to reconsider. She was the youngest of the Aunts and we were just not ready. That was that. I suppose stubborness runs throughout the bloodline.

Of course, Aunty was polite, in that older generation nurse kind of way, but was having none of it. She had thought it through and figured out all the details, down to the tiniest threads in the tapestry of her life. She was just humoring us I suppose. After about 30 minutes of this, she informed us that she had a lunch appointment with some old friends, and summarily sent us on our way.

Aunty caught another lung infection and passed about a month after I left for home. I find myself wishing I had chosen to have a real conversation with her, a conversation about life and meaning, a conversation about making a difference in the world, a conversation about living with dignity and death on one's own terms. I never had that conversation but I suspect that she managed to teach the lesson anyhow and, as always, on her own terms.

Agapanthus 'Queen Mum'

Agapanthus 'Queen Mum'. I saw this gorgeous Agapanthus blooming by the water lily pond at at the San Diego Botanical Gardens. However, the docent in the gift shop didn't know the registered name. A little hunting on the Internet solved that problem and before you could say "I bought the Queen Mum," there were two planted in the back yard! The mature stocks even had seed pods on them! Hmmm... Do you suppose there could be a Queen Mum II?

For those of you needing a Queen Mum of your very own, they have them available at Walter Anderson's nursery in San Diego, at San Marcos Growers (wholesale only) and, yes, at Home Depot (as a catalog item).

Red-Headed River Turtle

Red-headed river turtle, Podocnemis erythrocephala. These are native to swampy areas surrounding the Rio Negro (black river) in Brazil and Venezuela. While once over-collected for the pet trade, they are now rebounding thanks to legal protection. You still see them for sale once in a while at petshops that cater to more exotic pets.

Black-Breasted Leaf Turtle

Black-Breasted Leaf Turtle, Geoemyda spengleri spengleri, lives in leaf littler near water. It's diet consists of earth worms, snails, slugs and other invertebrates. This little Southeast Asian turtle is endangered due to use for food, medicine and the pet trade.

The Amazing Kelp Eating Dog!

The Amazing kelp-eating dog (for the kelp attack video, click here)!

Pacific Mole Crab

Remnants of a Pacific Mole Crab, Emerita analoga, washed up on the beach at the Tijuana Estuary Preserve. Mole crabs live in the splash zone on sandy beaches, using their feathery antennae to filter feed on plankton and small debris.

Juvenile White-Tailed Kite

Juvenile White-tailed Kite, Elanus leucurus, perching on a newly sprouted panicle of Mexican Fan Palm (Washingtonia robusta) flowers. White-tailed kites are found from Oregon down through Chile and Argentina. While similar to falcons, kites can hover in mid-air, often up above a burrow or a bush that is hiding potential prey. Kites also spend much more time gliding on widespread wings, similar to sea gulls, than their more powerful flying falcon cousins.

Beach Primrose Still in Full Bloom

Beach Primrose, Camissoniopsis cheiranthifolia ssp. suffruticosa, grows in the coastal dunes along the California coast, blooming from April through August. Ironically, while the dry Winter resulted in a poor Spring showing for the desert wildflowers out East of San Diego, these lovely coastal wildflowers have been blooming non-stop.

Pictures in the Sand

Pictures in the sand, Tijuana Estuary Preserve. It's like a sand-based rorschach test! What do you see?

Snowy Egret Contemplating Himself

Snowy egret, Egretta thula, contemplating himself in the waters of the Mission River.

Grass Spider or Funnel Spider

Grass Spider or Funnel Spider, Agelenopsis species. I found this fairly large spider resting on the stucco outside the front door last night. Normally, they hide in the grass or in shrubs where they make funnel-like webs that funnel prey in to the spider. This one appears to have strange black rings in his front claws.

Red Torch Ginger

Red Torch Ginger, Etlingera elatior, blooming at the Huntington Botanical Gardens. These are native to Malaysia where they are called bunga kantan, Thailand where they are called daalaa and Indonesia where they are called bunga kecombrang. In North Sumatra, the flower buds and seeds are used to flavor fish and in Thailand this plant is used in salad. The leaves have high levels of antimicrobials and antioxidants.

If you look closely at the picture, you will also see tiny drosophila attracted to the nectar although the true pollinator is more likely some sort of long beaked bird that can access the deep, tubular flowers.

The Jesus Flower

The Jesus Flower, Passiflora caerulea, is the national flower of Paraguay, each part of the flower representing a different part of the crucifixion. Passiflora caerulea has a yellow-orange fruit that is somewhat insipid when eaten raw. It's tastier cousin, Passiflora edulis has a large, purple fruit that is commonly eaten or used for juice or flavoring.

Echinofossulocactus tegelbergii

Echinofossulocactus tegelbergii, blooming in the cactus greenhouse at the Huntington Botanical Garden. Once established, these require very little water, particularly in times of extreme heat or drought.

One Huge Yucca!

Yucca filifera, Tree Yucca, at the Huntington Botanical Gardens.

Closeup of Yucca Filifera flowers.

Yucca filifera, the largest of the Yucca, is native to Northeastern Mexico and grows to around 30 feet tall. The above pictured plant is a large specimen at the Huntington Botanical Gardens.

Stuck and Slipping Fast

Nepenthes x Mixta with guest at the Huntington Botanical Gardens. Nepenthes are carnivorous pitcher vines native to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. They make up for the poor nitrogen content of the local soil by trapping and digesting insects. When I shot this photo, I was initially a little annoyed by the stray rubbish that distracted from the beautiful colors of the pitcher rim. However, on closer inspection, I realized that the litter was really what appears to be a roach wing. On even closer inspection, I realized that the roach was still there, clinging for dear life wedged underneath the rim of the pitcher while attempting to avoid the slippery interior surface and the ensuing digestive death. Ironically, sometimes the imperfect pictures are the really interesting ones.

Totally Flourescent! Echinopsis Sorceress Blooming on the Back Deck

Echinopsis Sorceress. This is appropriately named and totally bewitching! This little cacti has been growing under a teak coffee table on the back deck and is blooming for the very first time for me. This has been a banner year for Echinopsis flowers. Some of my Echinopsis have been in bloom for several months in a row. It is totally amazing with some producing set after set of flowers! As for Echinopsis Sorceress, I had no idea Echinopsis could be so brilliant (although rumor has it I saw a picture before I bought it)!

Photo trick: I started off taking the picture against the deck, fussing with depth of field to blur it out. The deck lines were too distracting, no matter how shallow the depth of field (and it was a deep flower so you couldn't go too shallow or you would lose all the "interesting stuff"). Then I tried taking it against the white canvas cloth of the patio furniture. Too bright... Ahah! The light bulb goes off... I realized that it was still a little dark out (about 6am) and thought that, maybe, just maybe, if I put it on the deck railing and shot down against the canyon (which is quite far away), I could get a dark background. Voila! It is simply amazing what lengths I will go through to avoid taking out the black velvet! This cute little trick works whenever the background is a lot darker than the subject which, in this case was lit with a flash.

Snowy Egret

Snowy Egret, Egretta thula, hunting in the shallows of Tijuana Slough. These very adaptable birds are found from the Northern United States clear down to Argentina. I've seen them eat a wide variety of foods including fish, shellfish, and crabs as well as the occasional insect, lizard or small mammal.

Purple Honey Creeper

Purple Honey Creeper, Cyanerpes caeruleus, is native to Trinidad, Columbia, Venezuela and Brazil. It uses its long, curved beak to feed on nectar from bromeliad flowers. This one is the latest resident of the hummingbird house at the San Diego Zoo.

It is amazing how similar the purple honey creepers, members of the tanager family, Thraupidae, are in form and diet when compared to the Hawaiian honey creepers who are members of the finch family, Fringilidae. Both have evolved long, curved beaks for accessing nectar from long curved flowers. In the case of the purple honey creeper, the primary food is nectar from bromeliad flowers. In the case of the hawaiian honey creepers, it was nectar from members of the lobelia family. Fascinating how birds from different families located thousands of miles apart, relying on different totally different plants, with, ironically enough, similarly shaped flowers, could evolve in a parallel manner.

Stanhopea inodora 'Pt. Loma' HCC/AOS

Stanhopea inodora 'Pt. Loma' HCC/AOS. This outrageous looking orchid is pollinated by large bees and hails from Mexico, Belize and Nicaragua at around 2000-5000 feet. While most Stanhopea are known for their powerful fragrances, Stanhopea inodora has very little fragrance, hence, the name. It also tends to last a little longer than most, probably because it is not under the stress of pumping out massive amounts of fragrance.

Holy Rootbeer Batman! Stanhopea gibbosa

Stanhopea gibbosa, blooming in the greenhouse. I had this one identified by Rudolf Jenny. These are native to Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama and have a strong fragrance of rootbeer!

Are You Out of Formation? Pelicans on Thermals

California Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, flying in lazy formation over the thermals along the cliffs of Laguna.

Hummingbirds in Laguna Beach

Anna's Hummingbird sipping on the copious nectar from an Agave in full bloom along the cliffside in Laguna Beach.

Romance on a Paddleboard

Couple sharing a romantic afternoon on a paddleboard, complete with rose and rowing service!

What's in Your Tide Pool?

A glimpse of the life in one of the tide pools in Laguna Beach.

The Striped Shore Crab (Pachygrapsus crassipes) is locally abundant in the tide pools and lives at the edge of the tidal zone. It lives off of the film of algae and diatoms on the rocks as well as various detritus and carion.

Black Turban Snail (Tegula funebralis) (shown on the lower left) also lives in the tidal zone and is found all up and down the Pacific coast of North America. This snail is an algae eater.

Nassarius species (lower right, upper left). I'm not sure of the ID of this species. I suspect it is a Nassarius of some sort and is a carnivore, boring into the shells of other shoreline gastropods for a quick meal.

Green Surf Anemone (Anthopleura xantogrammica) (center). The green color arises from symbiotic photosynthetic algae that provide nutrients to the anemone. The anemone also uses stinging cells called nematocysts to paralyze larger prey such as snall crabs or fish. The anemones are themselves preyed upon by sea stars and nudibranchs.

Keyhole limpet (Fissurella species?): Upper left. These little molluscs rasp the rock for algae.

There were many other things in that little pool, some in view, some cropped out. The amazing thing is that most people will walk by and never notice any of the tremendous diversity in these tiny little pools. A few will stop and see some of it. A very few will stare long enough to notice that there are more things in those pools than you and I can ID in a quick blog. Fun or just a little nerdy? You could, after all, lie on the sand with the other 95% of the people with much less effort! Hmmm...?

Laguna Beach

Laguna Beach, California, panorama shot from the seaside cliffs. It was a hot and sunny day for most of the day. As you would expect, the beach was packed. However, around 4pm or 5pm, the clouds came in and the weather cooled dramatically. Ironically, the huge crowds started to leave in droves when the temperature dropped.

San Diego Pride Parade 2012

The Cheer Squad was doing summersaults and twirls in the air!

Dachshund enjoying the good weather and a free ride.

Seamen watching setup in the early morning.

One of the many parade celebrants. This year's parade was bigger than ever.

San Diego Derby Dolls!

Stanhopea tigrina var. nigroviolacea 'Predator' FCC/AOS: Nearly Black!

Stanhopea tigrina var nigroviolacea 'Predator' FCC/AOS blooming in the back yard under shade cloth. Stanhopeas are generally pollinated by bees, the bee being species-specific (i.e., each Stanhopea species has a different bee that pollinates it!). As you would thus expect, each Stanhopea has a different fragrance, likely tailored to be irresistable to it's bee pollinator. Stanhopea tigrina var nigroviolacea has a powerful, sweet fragrance that can be detected some 10 or 20 feet away. Variety predator is a particularly dark (nearly black) clone of nigroviolacea, many others being a beautiful red-brown.

Psychedelic Black Swallowtail Caterpillar!

The Black Swallowtail, Papilio polyxenes, in the 5th instar, is just about done eating and will soon head off to find a safe place to form a chrysalis. This little caterpillar is soon to be a gorgeous velvety black butterfly! It was on display at the San Diego Botanical Gardens on Saturday.

Three-toed box turtle, Terrapene carolina triunguis

The Three-toed box turtle, Terrapene carolina triunguis, is one of the easier turtles to keep as pets. It ranges throughout the South Central United States where it is also the official state reptile of Missouri.

Going Batty? How About a Painted Bat?

Painted Bat, Kerivoula picta. These little bats are found in Southern China and throughout Southeast Asia where they live in little family units of a father bat, a mother bat and yes, some "kiddy" bats. If that isn't enough to drive you batty, someone, perhaps in China or Vietnam, is catching them and mounting them into little glass cases for sale over the Internet. Talk about home breakers...

Echinopsis Nancy Scott

Echinopsis Nancy Scott, blooming in the back yard. Most times, you see the white or pink Echinopsis species in the Nursery and not much else. However, there are all sorts of Echinopsis hybrids out there in a host of different colors. In fact, I just caved in and bought a yellow one a few days ago. The Echinopsis have been blooming over and over all Summer long and I am feeling thoroughly spoiled by them. It's like having a small botanical garden in the back yard!

10-lined June Beetle

Ten-lined June Beetle or Watermelon Beetle, Polyphylla decemlineata. This member of the scarab beetle family feeds on plant leaves and roots. When threatened, it forces air between its wings and back, making a hissing sound.

Least Tern Nests Washed Away

There is smooth sand and washed out nests and shelters where a thriving nesting colony of endangered Least Terns existed just a week ago along the shifting sands of the Tiuana National Estuarine Research Reserve. The water is gone, but the smooth sand is a sure sign that that the ocean washed up and over the entire nesting area. The terns were gone, parents and all. There will be no second try. Where just two weeks ago, there were a whole string of least tern nests being aggressively guarded from predating seagulls, now there is just sand. Smooth, water washed sand.

I had been timing my return, hoping to see lots of least tern chicks, the eggs having been in the nests for about 2-3 weeks. They should have hatched in the last week. In three more weeks, the fledgling terns would have been able to fly.

It is truly sad seeing a whole generation of terns wiped out, even if by natural causes. In a discussion after the fact, I asked a conservationist staffer on the beach when it happened. She noted that there was a particularly high tide a few days ago which was probably the culprit. She also noted that they are not set up or funded to rescue the eggs from the tides into the safety of incubators. There was simply nothing they could do. Thus, those weeks of erecting protective signs to keep people and pets out from the nesting area, of carefully labelling each nest with popsicle sticks and of building little wood shelters to protect the chicks from marauding gulls ultimately were for naught.

It is tempting to point to global warming and increasingly fickle, tempermental weather and tides or to all those condominiums on the beach that have relegated the least terns to the shifting, somewhat polluted sands of the Tijuana Estuary, a last bastion that developers simply do not want to build upon. Perhaps, it is just nature giving and taking away as it has always done. There is, I suppose, always next year.

Sea Lavender

Sea Lavender, probably Limonium californicum, Ocean Beach, California. The genus Limonium is found worldwide. However, Limonium californicum is found largely in California coastal marsh areas. This is also sometimes called Marsh Rosemary although it is in the family plumbaginaceae

Drooping Prickly Pear

Drooping Prickly Pear, Opuntia monocantha, blooming along the path at Dog Beach - Ocean Beach, California. This robust and beautiful cacti is native to South America where its range extends from Brazil to Argentina. It has been naturalized in the Southeastern U.S., Australia and Southern and Eastern Africa where it prefers savanna and coastal sage scrub habitats.

Rusty But Elegant Fountain Fish

The rusty base of an old, but elegant, metal fountain at the Hungtington Gardens in Pasadena was cast in the form of four opposing fish, each spewing water in a graceful arch into the fountain.

Echinopsis Syncopation

Echinopsis Syncopation, a beautiful, pink Echinopsis hybrid blooming on the back patio. This is the first time it's bloomed for me so this is quite the occasion for both me and the bees as well.

Anguloa cliftonii 'Huntington' AM/AOS

Anguloa cliftonii 'Huntington' AM/AOS was awarded on July 7, 2012 at the Orchid Digest Corp. Speakers' Day. This is a huge plant, seemingly the size of a small palm tree, with seven or so large, tulip-like flowers with extraordinary wine-colored markings. This orchid is a native of Columbia where it is found at around 3000-5000 feet blooming in the Spring and Summer. The flowers are powerfully fragrant.

Epi Beppy Gouda

Epidendrum Beppy Gouda HCC/AOS, i.e., Epi. cristatum (a.k.a. rainiferum)x Epi. cnemidophorum (a.k.a. pfavii), was awarded at the Huntington on July 7, 2012.

Mystacidium braebonae

Mystacidium braebonae or Braebon's Mystacidium. This tiny, floriferous orchid is a native of Northern South Africa where it grows in deciduous forest on thorn bushes and ficus trees.

Umber Skipper

Umber Skipper (Poanes melane) taking a sip of nectar on Ice Plant (Gasoul crystallinum). The caterpillars feed on grasses and sedge. The adults on nectar. Dog Beach/Ocean Beach, California.