San Diego County Orchid Society 2013 Spring Show

Den. Delicatum 'Lise' CCM/AOS 85pts

Den. Little Saigon 'Irvine #6' AM/AOS 81pts

Den. Little Saigon 'Irvine #6' AM/AOS 81pts

Den. Moondaara 'Irvine' AM/AOS 81pts

Epidendrum Pacific Whimsey 'Bright Eyes' AM/AOS 80pts

Lc. Hot Sauce 'Hot Ruben' HCC/AOS 75pts

Lycaste Nagai International 'Spring Bouguet' AM/AOS 82pts

Paph. Macabre Contrast (Bronze CSA?)

Paphiopedilum Ross Otto 'Round as Can Be' FCC/AOS 91pts

Phalaenopsis San Jacinto King 'Ryan' AM/AOS 80pts

(Potinara Little Toshi x Potinara Mem. Jim Nickou) 'Dean's Gold ' AM/AOS 81pts

Albino Iberian Ribbed Newt, Pleurodeles waltl

Albino Iberian Ribbed Newt, Pleurodeles waltl on display at Microcosm.

Easter at Torrey Pines State Preserve

A clear, sunny afternoon at Torrey Pines State Preserve reveals hillsides covered in Sea Dahlias, Correopsis maritima.

A mother and baby (calf) common dolphin as seen from the outlook on the cliffs of Torrey Pines.

The only glimpse of Peter Cottontail all day...
Happy Easter to all. May this Easter find you with good friends and family and in good cheer!

Behr's Metalmark Butterfly

Behr's Metalmark Butterfly, Apodemia mormo virgulti, Sycamore Canyon, Poway.

Heleconius besckei

Heleconius besckei in the butterfly room at the San Diego Safari Park. The reference sheets listed Heliconius melpomene, which, by the white splotches on the wing, this is apparently not. The genus Heliconius is fairly large and widespread through South America. The different species also appear to interbreed, causing some taxonomic confusion. Heliconius species pupate on Passiflora (Passion fruit) vines.

Caterpillar Phacelia

Phacelia cicutaria var hispida, a.k.a. Caterpillar Phacelia, growing on a hot, sunny slope at the Goodan Ranch Sycamore Canyon Preserve. I shot this picture because I really liked the way the bristles glisten like small crystals in the sunlight. A little research on my part revealed that those pretty bristles are a source of contact dermatitis (i.e., a tad toxic). Still pretty but I'm glad I didn't get too close while photographing them.

Butterfly Days

It was butterfly days at the San Diego Safari Park, where children, parents and photographers were wowed by butterflies from around the world.

Adelpha fessonia, Band-celled sister. This butterfly ranges from Panama North through Mexico. It occasionally is found as far North as the lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas.

Orange Julia Butterfly, Dryas julia. The Julia is found throughout South America up through the Southern United States where they are found around woodland edges and in the Florida Everglades. They are also known as the Flambeau!

Wish Upon a Shooting Star (Dodecatheon)

Dodecatheon clevelandii ssp. clevelandii blooming at Mission Trails Park. These lovely little flowers grow in open, moist grassy areas and are in the family Primulaceae (related to Primulinums).

A white clone of Dodecatheon clevelandii ssp. clevelandii, shooting star, also blooming at Mission Trails Park.

Why Did the Snake Cross the Road?

Southern Pacific Rattlesnake, Crotalus oreganus helleri, heading back towards the side of the road it started from. This snake tried to cross the road and was nearly run over by several cars before it changed its mind and headed back towards the bushes from which it originally started. Cars are the leading cause of death for rattlesnakes and rattlesnakes are the leading cause of human death by snakebite in North America. Ironic, isn't it? This snake had about 13 rattles. They add a new segment to the rattle each time they molt. They molt typically two to three times each year. Thus, assuming the rattle remained unbroken, this snake was somewhere around 4 to 6 years old.

Bearded Dragon on Hand

Bearded Dragon, Pogona vitticeps, perched on a hand. They apparently make good pets and become quite tame. In fact, if you hold out your arm, they'll hop right on! Note that those sharp, evil-looking spikes are actually somewhat soft. This is one of the colored, line-bred dragons, sporting a nice orange-brown tone.

Turtle Conclave

Wise and sun-riddled, Red-Eared Slider Turtles in "conclave" on black rocks on a warm, sunny afternoon. Do suppose it means something?

Bramble Hairstreak

Bramble Hairstreak, Callorphrys perplexa, Hellhole Canyon, Escondido, California. These lovely little Southern California natives are a pearlescent green in the sun and really catch your eye. They are sometimes seen perching on the ground or on low shrubs near open pathways or other openings in the chaparral. Both the larvae/caterpillars and the adults are fond of Wild Buckwheat(Eriogonum fasciculatum).

Tulip Tree 'Alexandrina'

Tulip Tree 'Alexandrina', Magnolia x soulangiana, in full bloom. I remember sizeable trees in full bloom around the Vietnam Monument in Washington D.C. in the Springtime. It was quite a sight! I love Spring! Don't you?

Kaiser's Spotted Newt

Kaiser's Spotted Newt, Neurergus kaiseri, is a native of the southern Zagros Mountains in Iran. However, habitat loss and collecting for the pet trade have apparently eliminated this newt from the wild. This one was being shown by one of the booths at Microcosm, a show highlighting small animals and plants.

Late Afternoon at Torrey Pines Beach

People strolling along Torrey Pines Beach in the late afternoon as the rays of the setting sun turn the cliffs orange.

Ghost Buster Clouds?

Couple enjoying the scenery on top of the mesa at Torrey Pines Reserve State Park as some heavy clouds come rolling in and the sun dips low towards the ocean.

Torrey Pines Sunset

I spent a few moments watching the Sunset over the beach below Torrey Pines State Reserve after spending the afternoon hiking and taking photos of plants at Torrey Pines State Park. I had only intended a quick hike, perhaps two hours. However, I went to Torrey Pines State Reserve to take pictures of one of the endemic orchids. The lady at the admissions booth said she had no idea and suggested I try the people in the visitor's center, who would surely know. The lady at the visitor's center said she had no idea there were orchids but that they had a library of books I could peruse and these cool videos. Now, wild orchids are a pretty specialized topic and Southern California terrestrial orchids are mostly grassy looking affairs with spindly stalks of tiny white or green flowers. Most people would as soon step on them (accidentally as they are headed towards something more memorable such as a big orange poppy...) as take their picture.
I mentioned that I had researched, in my personal plant library, the orchids of San Diego County and, indeed, unless it had gone extinct in the interim, there was an orchid species (at least one) in Torrey Pines Reserve. The very nice lady at the visitor's center noted that there was a guided tour at 2pm and that, lo and behold, the guide was none other than Margaret Fillius, the author of Native Plants, Torrey Pines State Reserve and Nearby San Diego County Locations!! It was my very lucky day indeed. It turns out, Margaret (a very knowledgeable and gracious host) knew of some three or four plants of Piperia cooperi that were just starting to grow for the season and she agreed to show one to me. Sadly, it was not in bloom yet, however, at least I can say I've seen one and I have some motivation to go back again in the hopes of getting there when it really is in bloom. Had it been in bloom, it would have looked like:

In any case, I had a wonderful time hiking through the park with Margaret, learning all about the myriad cool plants and critters in the park. I hope to do it again at some point. I also shared a picture, with Margaret, of this cheeky little ground squirrel that was eating one of the wild flowers, petals first, on the side of the trail, and who was not at all averse to posing for pictures!

Finally, note that the park is named after, and was created to protect the Torrey Pine, are one of the rarest pine trees in the world, its distribution being limited to Torrey Pines Reserve State Park and to Santa Catalina Island. The two populations have been genetically analyzed and have apparently been isolated for a considerable length of time as they are genetically distinct. The Torrey Pines State Park population is all pretty close to genetically identical. That lack of genetic diversity may not bode well for its future survival. Distinguishing features, if you see one, include five needles per cluster, and, as opposed to may other pines which have round needles, the Torrey pines have round needles with one flat side (think of a half cylinder). Shown here, a Torrey Pine branch with a passing Western Scrub Jay, Aphelocoma californica. The scrub jays will peck into the cones to extract the oily pine nuts.

Anacamptis pyramidalis

Anacamptis pyramidalis in Cabrieres D'Aigues. I saw a whole colony of these cheery, brightly colored wild orchids growing in the grassy limestone cut along the roadside! They made an awesome display.

Anna's Hummingbird

Anna's Hummingbird, Calypte anna. The hummingbird feeder is full of hummingbirds feeding on sugar around dusk, as they stock up on energy to survive our cool February nights. While there may only be one or two hummingbirds at the feeder during the Summer, during the Winter there may be four or even as many as six hummingbirds sitting at or hovering around the feeder at any given time.

The Last Thing a Mud Goby Sees...

Snowy Egret, Egretta thula, San Elijo Preserve. This is the last thing a mud goby ever sees in his sad, mud skipping, invert eating existence. The egrets wade in the shallow water, waving their feet in little semi-circles above the mud. The moment one of those little gobies so much as twitches, bam. Bird food. This egret would catch the gobies in the tip of its beak and then toss them up like little peanuts, catching them in its gullet (a photo for another post).

My Trusty Ukulele

This post is for Hanny. I bought this hand made tenor a long, long time ago in Hawaii. It was apparently made by Joseph N. Souza III, rather than his quite famous luthier dad, under the Kau Wela brand name. It sounds better than any other tenor I've had a chance to play, including the Martin tenor...not that I would necessarily know. Joe Souza III is apparently a fireman with Ladder 17 for the Honolulu Fire Department; however, he appears to have also learned to make a real nice Uke from his Dad.

Why Did the Turkey Cross the Street?

Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo variety intermieda (Rio Grande Subspecies), Santa Ysabel, California. As we were driving back from Santa Ysabel where we had partaken in some warm slices of apple pie and hot cocoa, we saw a huge flock of wild turkeys just to the right of the road. We pulled over and I walked back to try to get a shot of the flock. However, they were rather camera shy, choosing to fly across the street instead. I was a little worried that one would fly up just as a car was going by but they seemed to be keeping an eye on both me and the cars at the same time! Multi-tasking turkeys indeed!

Black Phoebe

Black Phoebe, Sayornis nigricans var. semiatra, taking a close look at me at the San Diego Botanical Gardens. The Black Phoebe is the only predominantly black flycatcher in North American and generally lives near water or in otherwise wet areas where there is mud available to build its nests with.

Striped Blowpipe Bamboo

Striped Blowpipe Bamboo, Bambusa dolichoclada, in the late afternoon sun at the San Diego Botanical Gardens. This species is native to Taiwan and the variegated variety makes a great yard accent although it will spread fairly quickly.

Spooning Turtle Style

Red-Eared Slider Turtles, Trachemys scripta elegans, out enjoying the sun. It is native to the Southern U.S. and Northern Mexico but has since naturalized in many other areas where it outcompetes the native turtle species becoming, in some instances, an invasive species.

Mirror, Mirror

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest cat of all? The cat was dipping his paws into the pond, in the vain hope that he might catch one of the turtles way out in the middle of the pond without getting wet.

Roxburg Fig

Roxburg Fig, Ficus auriculatus, San Diego Botanic Gardens. These figs are native to Southeast Asia. They are used for jams, jellies and curries in India and in salads in Vietnam. The figs start off reddish purple and then turn greenish as they mature.

A Great Day for Hummers

Anna's Hummingbird, Calypte anna, enjoying some geranium nectar on a sunny, 80 degree, San Diego day.

Marbled Godwit with an Itch

Marbled Godwit, Limosa fedoa, with an itch. You ever get that itch that you just can't reach? Imagine if you had to scratch with your feet! This marbled godwit was taking a break from hunting for crustaceans and worms in the sand and was happily resting on one foot until...that itch came about...

Happy Valentines Day to You and That Special Someone

Two California Brown Pelicans, Pelecanus occidentalis, in breeding plummage. These two are looking a little cozy. Wishing you and that special valentine all the best! -A

Endangered Peregrine Falcon Off-Limits

Peregrine Falcon, Falco peregrinus, taking flight off of a National Park Service off-limits sign. It seems somehow appropriate that an endangered bird would be perched on an off-limits sign. The area in back of the sign is a nesting area for snowy plovers and California Least Terns in the Spring.

Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve

Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve. Miles of beach, birds, the wind and the sound of the waves.

Sea Lions Snuggle

California sea lion pup, Zalophus californianus, sprawled out with his buddies and his mom, on flipper touching each one just to be sure they're there. How do you tell the difference between a sea lion and a seal? If you go back to my previous post of a seal, you'll see that seals have little holes for ears but sealions have these cute little flappy ears like a dachshund. Also, sea lion feet still face downward allowing them to walk on them. Seals more or less squirm across the sand or rocks. Thus, you'll see sea lions further up on the rocks than you will normally find a seal. Still, it's amazing where either of them will pop up (on top of buoys for example or quite a distance up rocky shorelines). Finally, if you see them from a distance, sea lions will be sprawled all over on top of each other and are really social. Seals tend to like a bit of space between each other and will actually claw at other seals that get too close. As it turns out, both the seals and the sea lions are pupping right now so you can make quite a photo safari of the whole event!