Ida fragrans

Ida fragrans, a native of Ecuador and Columbia where it grows at around 5000 ft., blooming in the greenhouse.  True to Oakeley's description, it has the fragrance of hyacinths at night (yes, I had to go out into the greenhouse at night to smell it to see if it was really true!).  Much thanks to Dr. Henry Oakeley for the very helpful description (and the autograph on my copy of Lycaste, Ida and Anguloa).  Notably, the picture of Ida fragrans in Orchidencyclopedia.com appears to be of something else (which ultimately forced me to look things up in Oakely, which I should have done in the first place).

A close-up of the lip detail here, showing the 5 keeled callus (which is mainly visible if you view it from above).

Paphiopedilum lowii

Paphiopedilum lowii, a native of Malaya, Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi and Borneo, blooming in the greenhouse.

Gongora galeottiana

Gongora galeottiana, blooming in the greenhouse.  This lovely species hails from the Pacific Coast of Mexico.

Paphiopedilum haynaldianum

Paphiopedilum haynaldianum.  These are native to the Philippines where they typically grown on limestone hills.  When happy, they quickly grow into specimen plants.

Red-Winged Blackbird

Red-Winged Blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus, at the  Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve, perching on barbed wire overlooking the cattails.

Paphiopedilum gratrixianum

Paphiopedilum gratrixianum, blooming in the greenhouse.  This species is a native of Laos and Northern Vietnam.  I've had this plant for some 20 years.

Brassavola revoluta

Brassavola revoluta.  A delightful miniature growing up near the peak of the greenhouse on an old twig.  Sadly, it is not seen in cultivation very often as it is an easy grower, compact and has the most wonderful flowers.

Dendrochilum yuccaefolium?

One of the myriad, wonderful Dendrochilum species.  This was was labeled as Dendrochilum yuccaefolium (although I have not keyed it out).  It's growing high up in the sunny ridge area of the greenhouse in a plastic basket.  In nature, yuccaefolium grows at about 1500ft in the Philippines and is so named for it's thin, rigid, yucca-like leaves.

Dendrobium speciosum

Dendrobuim speciosum (variety curvicaule) blooming outside in the yard,  San Diego, CA.  These Australian natives grow great outside here and turn into huge, fragrant plants (a real beast!).  In fact, one plant grown in Santa Barbara was so big, they had to bring it to the orchid show with a fork lift!

Laelia Zip X Lc. Trick or Treat

Laelia Zip X Lc. Trick or Treat.  This shows the gloss, substance and color of Cattleya aurantiaca (ironically, only about 1/8th of the parentage), Laelia milleri and Laelia cinnabarina!

A Rare Sight: The California Clapper Rail

A California Clapper Rail, Rallus longirostris obsoletus (longirostris referring to its long beak), coming out of the water after a brief splash bath.  I have been hoping to see one of these for some years; however, they are elusive little birds.  Basically, the drill works like this.  The bird runs out of the dense, tall grass and into the open water; splashes about and thoroughly cleans itself off; gets up; runs out of the water and back into the dense grass.  No wonder I've never seen one before.  You have to be waiting there for it to pop out into the open at just the right moment.  Although they live on crustaceans, aquatic insects and small fish, there appears to be plenty enough of these within the cover of the tall grass.  At any rate, due to habitat loss (read that as multimillion dollar houses along the ocean), there are now only around 1000-1500 California Clapper rails left.  I consider myself pretty lucky to have seen one.

Bufflehead: What's in a name?

Bufflehead, Bucephala albeola, one of the smaller diving ducks, pausing for breath between dives for food.  I've seen them eating eel grass; however, their diet varies quite a bit including insects, crustaceans, mollusks, plants and fish eggs.  They're fun to watch as they arch down into the water for food, often popping up with a mouthful.

I'd always wondered about the name, Bufflehead, as duck names are typically descriptive.  the word Buffle can mean "to puzzle" or it can refer to a "buffalo," both uses being obsolete.  The derivation is French: buffle m (plural buffles, feminine bufflonne), for buffalo.  While this bird is a little enigmatic, as it dives up and down in the water, it seems like buffalo is the likely intent.  So I hunted down a link to a Buffalo picture and, yes, I suppose, there is a ever so slight resemblance in that over-sized, squarish head but, perhaps, it would not have been my first choice of names.

Perhaps the scientific name will give us a clue.  The Bufflehead is in the genus Bucephala!  Aha, you word lovers say, it's a clincher.  "cephala" or "cephalus" normally refers to a head!  What about the "Bu," you say?  That apparently came from Greek, "bous" for cow or bull.  Here's what I found on Websters: fr. Gk boukephalē, fem. of boukephalos bullheaded, fr.bous bull, ox, head of cattle + kephalē head — more at cow,cephalic. 

So, imagine that you're an early American, perhaps from France, and you see this duck for the first time.  Perhaps you even realize that it reminds you of other ducks in the genus of, yes, bull heads (Bucephala).  This one has a bit of an over-sized, squarish head.  Not to mention that it is an American duck and yes, there are bison roaming the plains of early America, why not name it Buffle-head!  Hahah!  It turns out that it was also called the buffalo-headed duck prior to being called a bufflehead.  So that's that.

What about albeola?  Where did that come from?  Albeola is a diminutive of Latin albus, referring to that big white spot on the head!  It makes it easy to remember the name now, doesn't it?  Think of a Buffalo with a white spot on his head and poof, Bucephalus albeola.

Okay, so if you really want to get esoteric, why do you suppose this little duck has that great big white spot on his head?  My guess is that it is an eye spot misleading potential predators into thinking that a) the duck is far bigger than he really is (i.e., there be more underwater than meets the eye); and/or b) that the duck is looking backwards so you can't sneak up on him from behind.  Of course, your guess is as good as mine.  Happy Blogging. 

Tillandsia in Bloom

Tillandsia species, in bloom.  The genus Tillandsia consists of over 500 species, mostly growing up in trees as "air plants."  They have tiny scales that catch water from mist and rainfall and some of them have the most adorable blue blossoms.  These grow outside just fine in San Diego.

Lcn. (Upstart x Star Rocket)

Lcn. (Upstart x Star Rocket).  Lcn Upstart = Lc. Rocket Sprite x Ctt. Chocolate Drop.  Lcn. Star Rocket = L. (Schomburkia) schultzei x Ctt. Golden Wax.  Really awesome, waxy, red flowers on a tall, sturdy spike.

Stanhopea saccata

Stanhopea saccata blooming in the greenhouse.  Every now and then I threaten to get rid of all those huge Stanhopea specimens I have to let some light into the greenhouse; at least until something blooms and then I remember why I grow these magnificent, fragrant orchids.  Stanhopea saccata hails from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama in mixed oak/pine forest from around 1,000-5,000 ft.  This one has been growing for a while but never bloomed until I ran it dry in the Winter and poof, big beautiful flowers.  Go figure.

Castles at the Hotel Del Coronado

Yours truly posing in front of a large sand castle along the Hotel Del Coronado beach.  Everyone was taking pictures so I figured I'd join in the festivities.  The Hotel Del Coronado has had eleven presidents stay within it's wooden walls including Harrison, Taft, Roosevelt, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush Sr., Bush Jr., and Clinton.

San Diego Bay Skyline

San Diego Bay skyline with a bit of Coronado showing on the left and downtown San Diego in the center.

Bulbophyllum Wilbur Chang

Bulbophyllum Wilbur Chang.  Bulbophyllums are often fly-pollinated and, like other fly-pollinated plants (such as Amorphophallus), tend to smell like things that attract flies such as rotten meat.  Meanwhile, the greenhouse is sealed up for Winter so smells tend to concentrate a bit.  I walk in and I'm thinking that some rat decided to die in the greenhouse.  I look and I look and no rat!  Finally, I give the Bulbophyllum a sniff and lo and behold, I find the source of the smell.  Hmmm...  This one is pretty but definitely not something I'm using to decorate the house.  Nope.  No way.

It's Pupping Season for the Harbor Seals!

Smiling Seal Pup! Harbor Seal or Pacific Common Seal, Phoca vitulina v. richardsi. They are soooo cute. We are in the midst of pupping season. Note, no floppy ears so this is a seal; if you see floppy ears, it's a sea lion. You can also tell by the back flippers which go straight back on a seal but are down-turned like feet on a sea lion.

February 2014 American Orchid Society Awards for the Pacific South San Diego Judging Center

Cattleya Mini Song 'Donald Halliday' AM/AOS 81 pts.

What's All the Stink About?

Sea Lion Pup, Zalophus californianus, La Jolla, California  The residents of those gorgeous homes and luxury condominiums and the patrons at the restaurants off the cliffs of La Jolla have been complaining about the stink caused by the sea lion and bird poop.  Notably, the birds had been there, nesting on the cliffs, for years.  However, in the last few years, the sea lions moved up onto the rocks, claiming it as a prime basking spot.  Well, sea lions and birds do what sea lions and birds do, and the rocks became a bit pungent.  The city tried spraying the rocks with bacteria to digest some of the smelly left overs; however, short of on ongoing spraying program, that was just temporary relief.  Soooo....the city opened up the fence to the cliff area, by installing a gate, for the tourists, photographers and others to walk down to take a closer look.  That seems to have cleared out most of the sea lions and, sadly, almost all of the nesting cormorants as well, greatly reducing the smell.  In fact, there were only two cormorant nests on the cliff where there used to be dozens of them.  This little sea lion pup, however, was still there posing for the camera and, gosh, isn't he cute?

Dewey Mornings Are Back

Mrs. Spider was up all night spinning that web and it's all foiled by the morning dew.  Visible webs means no food for Mrs. Spider...at least until they dry off!  Yes, the marine layer is back and those unseasonably dry days have eased off a little bit, making way for foggy, overcast mornings and dewy webs.

Happy Lunar New Year! 新年快樂 恭禧發財

Happy Asian/Lunar New year!   新年快樂  Wishing you health, happiness and good fortune in the year of the horse!  Gong Hey Fa Cai! 恭禧發財  (Gung Hee Fat Choy for you Cantonese).

San Diego County Orchid Society Show Awards

American Orchid Society Awards from the San Diego County Orchid Society show today.

 Cattleya (Valentine x di Pozzi Tisiano) 'Feuerbach' HCC/AOS 77pts.

 Lc Purple Plume 'Rainbow Valley' CCM/AOS

Lc Purple Plume 'Rainbow Valley' CCM/AOS

Paphiopedilum rothschildianum

Paphiopedilum rothschildianum, on display at the Huntington Botanical Gardens.  The wild species is from high upon the slopes of Mt. Kinabalu in Borneo.  Select, line-bred specimens of this orchid species may sell for thousands of dollars, and are significantly fuller in shape and larger than the original wild species.  Seed-based propagation generally reduces pressure on wild populations of orchid species, particularly as horticultural varieties are improved through selective breeding to be both easier to grow in cultivation and also typically more attractive, as select traits are reinforced through line breeding.  This particular specimen is already several generations behind current breeding trends, as can be easily seen by web searching for photos of this species.

Finding Tranquility Along The Mission River (A.K.A. Bird Nerd Has Fun)

The weather has been unseasonably warm and dry for January, hitting the 70s and low 80s (F) in the daytime.  It's still been in the 40s and 50s at night, just to remind us that it is really January.  Clearly, however, there is no Polar Vortex here.  Perhaps the Polar Vortex pushed all the hot air over the Southwestern edge of the country.  

Fire danger warnings have been issued and the California Governor has also declared a drought emergency and water rationing for much of the state.  There is a huge fire raging outside of Los Angeles that forced over 3000 people to evacuate their homes.  

Still, the worries of the world seem far away when you walk in some of the many preserves here in San Diego.  These pictures are two of my favorites from today's walk in the Mission River preserve.  I hope they help you imagine the peace and tranquility of the moment.  While we didn't see any new birds (new to me anyhow), most of our favorites were there including northern shovelers, blue-winged teals, American wigeons, green-winged teals, cinnamon teals, ruddy ducks, buffleheads, northern pintails, egrets, little blue herons, great blue herons, avocets, curlews, and many more.  Days like these remind me why we live in San Diego.

 Anna's Hummingbird, Calypte anna, stretching his wings and tail (and looking a bit fierce).  This little guy let me get close enough to get some great shots with the telephoto, occasionally flitting from one branch to another, while I snapped more pictures than I care to admit to.

Northern Shoveler, Anas clypeata, demonstrating that ducks really can walk on water.  The feathers on the head of a Northern shoveler glow an iridescent blue-green when the sun reflects off of them.  However, in the shadows, they look a dark black.  The trick, of course, is getting the sun in just the right angle for a photo.

January American Orchid Society Awards - San Diego Judging Center

The following orchids were awarded at the January meeting of the San Diego Judging Center of the American Orchid Society.

 

 Cahuzacara Dogashima 'Strawberry' HCC 79pts

 

 

Cattleya trianiae 'Kimberly Burzell' HCC 75pts

Balboa Park, San Diego, CA

The Prado by night, Balboa Park, San Diego, California.  It was pretty quiet except for a few of us taking pictures and a pair of ducks gracefully swimming in the lily pond.

Little Blue Heron

Little Blue Heron, Egretta caerulea, out looking for a bite on a cool but sunny new years day.

Happy 2014!

First Anna's Hummingbird of the new year.

Happy New Year!  Hope your 2014 is a Humdinger!

Chamaeleo jacksonii xantholophus - Yellow-crested Jackson's Chameleon

Female Chamaeleo jacksonii xantholophus - Yellow-crested Jackson's Chameleon on Mom's Eucalyptus tree.  This one's a female; however, the males have horns like a triceratops!  It doesn't get much cooler than that!

Of all the chameleon pictures I shot, I chose that particular picture because it looked like she was Atlas holding up the world.   These little lizards have bifurcate feet that look like human hands in a baking mitt!  They generally move at an incredibly slow pace, painstakingly taking each step.  However, to my viewing amazement, she suddenly lunged half-way off of a branch and with a flick of her tongue, caught a bug that was flying by, seemingly all in a fraction of second!  You would not have thought such speed possible.

Should you find yourself in the position of Atlas, please take a little time out for enjoyment tonight.  From our house to yours, have a happy new year full of good health and prosperity.

Big Waves at Sunset Beach

Surfer at Sunset Beach gives us an idea of the size of the waves this afternoon.  On Sunday, they're predicting 30 footers.  OMG.

Java Finches on the Beach

Java Finch, also know as the Java Sparrow, Padda oryzivora, munching on grass seeds at Ala Moana Beach Park.  These little finches are quite gregarious, gathering in flocks of 10 or 20, as they pick seeds off of the grass stalks.  Their colors remind me of a tuxedo, or some sort of formal attire, with their shaply contrasted grey, black, and white offset by pink beaks and feet.

Where There is Rain, There are Rainbows

Where there is rain, there are rainbows.  In Hawaii, at least during some Winter seasons, it will rain almost every day in the mountains.  Thus, there is the incongruity of having hot, Summer-like, sunny weather at the beach while gazing back towards rainbows over the mountains.  This rainbow was seen looking back at the hills from Ala Moana Beach Park.  This year, we've seen at least one rainbow every single day; that's something that never seems to get old.

Curious Triggerfish

Curious Triggerfish taking a look at the funny clear camera case (looks edible perhaps?).  This is a Rectangular Triggerfish, Balistapus rectangulus, also know as (in Hawaiian) humu humu nuku nuku apua'a.  Merry Christmas to all our gracious readers.

One Last Fish Picture; Have a Merry Christmas!

Uhu (in Hawaiian) or Parrotfish grazing algae off of the coral.  Have a Merry Christmas!  Hope you are all with friends and family and creating happy memories.

Christmas Eve Was Sunny with Scattered Showers...

Here I am, hard at work photographing fish...  Then, back home for a shower and off to the festivities.  Well, with a beach just moments away, why not a quick dip in the morning prior to the Christmas gathering?  I might even have burned a few calories chasing fish around with my camera!

Ulua Just Like on TV!

Huge School of 'Omilu (One species of Ulua, a.k.a. Caranx melampygus) swimming by the camera on shallow reef.  These were around 3 feet long and there must have been a good thirty fish in the school.  They were doing lazy circles around me as if they were curious.  They were perhaps 3 feet away from the camera.  Talk about heart thumping, exciting experiences!  That was fun.  I had thought I would have to fly to Midway to see this but no, right here in Honolulu.  It's nice to see the fish population rebounding after so many years of overfishing.

Surfing Sandy Beach

Surfing just outside the rocky shoreline at Sandy Beach, Oahu, Hawaii.  The surfers would surf within about 20 feet of the rocks before veering off, sometimes closer.  If I tried that, I'd be in the hospital for sure.  The Winter waves at Sandy Beach are pretty sizeable as well (not pipeline sized but big enough for some serious action).  Hats off to these guys.

Chicks Out for a Stroll

Chicks out strolling with Mama chicken among the cats at He'eia State park. The cats (another picture) must be well fed as they leave the chickens alone, preferring to sleep the day away. On another note, I saw ducklings today. Is it Springtime or what?— at He‘eia State Park.

* Moa = Chicken in Hawaiian

On Fifi, On Spot, On Pluto, On Rover....Happy Holidays to All!

Reindog (yes, it is a long way for reindeer to fly so...on Fifi, on Spot, on Pluto, on Rover...).  Here's to wishing you all a happy holiday season full of friends, family and good memories.

Nehu, Stolephorus purpureus, a Hawaiian Anchovy

Nehu, Stolephorus purpureus, a Hawaiian Anchovy, was used for bait in the Hawaiian Tuna Fishery, back when tuna were still caught by pole and hook.  Here, a large school congregates along the shoreline to avoid predation by larger fish.

Waikiki

Waikiki Beach Panorama.  After brief but heavy showers, the clouds cleared off and made way for a steamy, tropical day.  Mele Kalikimaka to one and to all!

Green Sea Turtle

Green Sea Turtle, taking a breath after browsing on seaweed on the bottom at Ala Moana Beach Park.