Deer at Willow, Western Toads at Barbara's Lake (+ important Petition to sign re: Closing of 200 CA State parks)

On Wednesday 27 May 2009 I was briefly at the Willow Staging Area's parking lot and encountered a doe (see above photograph; there was another small deer about 500 feet behind her, however I did not photograph it). Here is a short video that I was able to take once I realized I had my camera on me, and after the doe moved quite a bit away from me. CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO.

I then went with a friend to the Dilley Preserve and walked to Barbara's Lake, taking Canyon Trail to Edison down to the Lake. The California Dodder was very dominant in the lower parts of the trail. No more Mariposa Lilies were in sight. The California Manroot / Cucumber plant has shriveled up and must have released its seeds a while ago - everything about that plant is yellow and dry. There are some lemonade berry shrubs along Edison that are simply not producing berries this year, juxtaposed with some that are, but whose berries are not ripe yet.


Halfway down the lake path there is a table where one can sit underneath the shade of Coast Live oaks. A few woodrat nests could be seen there:


And then continuing down The Lake Trail, the ground seemed to come alive, as Western Toads were hopping across the path towards the lake. Click on the photos below to see their larger versions and to check out the detail of this cool toad! CLICK HERE FOR A SHORT VIDEO WE TOOK OF A WESTERN TOAD on the trail.


More reports to follow shortly!

On a final note, to all of you who follow this blog, please take the time to read the following message and to sign the urgent petition as mentioned below. YOUR PARTICIPATION IS CRUCIAL!!! Thanks!

Hello all ~

California's in crisis, and budget cuts are being made everywhere. Among the drastic cuts being proposed right now is the closure of 200 of our state parks.

I cannot even begin to tell you how devastating the closure of our parks would be, not only to the public, but to the natural parks themselves. When you don't have enforcement (presence of staff, rangers, etc) trails and structures are degraded, people become frustrated and start sneaking in to the parks without proper equipment or knowledge of what the area requires, and everyone is put at risk.

Please sign the petition RIGHT NOW and forward the link to your friends and family. Our link and access to nature are vitally important. Making sure that our parks stay protected and respected is one of the biggest responsibilities we have right now.

LINK: http://ga3.org/campaign/budget_may09

Thanks, and take care!

Tarantula Hawk & Tarantula on Laurel Canyon Trail in Laguna Canyon, Laguna Coast Wilderness Park

Yesterday with a friend I filmed a tarantula hawk dragging a stunned tarantula back into its burrow. Check out the video HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRlZS1El8WI

Tarantula Hawk & Tarantula on Laurel Canyon Trail in Laguna Canyon, Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. Taken just a few hundred feet south of signpost 10 on 26 May 2009. When we first stumbled upon the scene of the crime, the T Hawk seemed to have just stunned its victim, and went into its hole as we approached the tarantula. One of us poked the tarantula with a short stick to see if it was still alive - and then flipped the tarantula back onto its feet... and was going to place it off to the side of the trail so that it wouldn't get stepped on, if it was still alive and just stunned... but the T Hawk came back and wanted to finish its business, which we allowed.

Learn more about Tarantula Hawks here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantula_hawk

Lower Laurel Trail, Monday 18 May 2009

Today from 9 to 12:30, Len and I checked out the latest developments on Lower Laurel Trail. Here's my report:

Right above the exposed fault line, as we began our trek on Lower Laurel, some really beautiful Sticky Monkey flowers in reddish hues were putting on a show for us. They beautifully contrasted with orange colored Monkey flowers to their right (not shown in photograph - click HERE for the Sticky Monkey Flower Photo Album).


The curly dock also was displaying more color today:


The black sage has been doing phenomenally well in pleasing the busy bees of the canyon with its countless blooms. Below is a photo of Lower Laurel Trail leading to the oak woodlands habitat.


Right around the area shown in the above photograph, we noticed a wonderful display of this rosemary flat top buckwheat, shown below. Not in full bloom yet.

One of the biggest highlights of today was the opportunity to photograph the California False Indigo's flowers that Len had mentioned in his last report.


Hiking up Lower Laurel, the view today was breathtaking. It was pretty hot, though, as we walked up - was in the 80s.


The bedstraw was nearing the end of its blooming period and ready to disperse into the wind with its seed.


The English plantain that Len had been reporting was a pleasure to photograph, although it is a non-native to the canyon.

And how fun is a Cheese plant? Very fun! :) (named after the fruit that looks like a wheel of cheese)



Some cinquefoil in bloom, with a happy visitor.



Juncus.
Chinese Houses:


Hedge Nettle:
The lemonade berries along Lower Laurel are not ripe yet - they remain their greyish-greenish-yellowish color, in contrast to the berries on Little Sycamore trail that are delightful! To each plant its own timing & its own reasoning, I guess...

The bush mallow is simply beautiful with its pinkish-lavender colored blossoms. The flowers act almost like little flags, indicating where the bush mallow, otherwise rather inconspicuous, is to be found on the slopes. I definitely noticed more bush mallows today than those I was previously familiar with.

The Indian Fringed Pink was also beautiful on Lower Laurel trail. The blue dicks have had their day; most (if not all) are shriveled up and dry. A few poppies line the trail here and there; the white sage, much less abundant in the canyon than the black sage, is showing off its beautiful white and yellow hued flowers. The deerweed continues on, and in many areas is still thriving, contrary to an earlier report (deerweed has been in bloom in the canyon since December!). The sycamore leaves are becoming larger and filling out the trees, taking up more space along the slopes, pushing us towards the outer edges of the trail. Some of the poison oak in the beginning parts of the oak woodland habitat of Lower Laurel is beginning to look very much like coast live oak leaves (although still remain grouped in threes) - I wonder if they are playing copycat - and why. The California Everlasting is becoming more fragrant now, much like it is on Mary's Trail.

That is the report, folks!

Little Sycamore Trail on Monday, May 11th 2009

Today, you have the unique fortune of having two detailed reports on Little Sycamore Trail! Both Len and I were able to take some time to really appreciate Little Sycamore's developments, and while we did this separately, we both came out of our hikes with the same level of appreciation and excitement for what is going on.

Len ventured out onto Little Sycamore this morning. This is what he reports:

I walked Mary's Trail this morning plus Little Sycamore a little ways past the 3rd bridge.

First, a couple of bird observations. I saw what appears to be a mated pair of Phainopeplas in the sycamores by the picnic tables. The male was chasing the female, who didn't appear to be trying very hard to get away. Looked like the kind of fooling around they do (birders quaintly call it "courtship behavior") before mating.

On the LS Tr., on the little knoll at the end of the old road (just before dropping down on the foot trail to the 1st bridge, I studied the Red-Tails' nesting ledge across the canyon. It was empty and quiet. The chicks have fledged. In other words, Elvis has left the building.

Now, for plants. I'm really glad you mentioned [...] the delicious fruit of the Lemonadeberry. They are at their best right now [...] having just turned orange but not yet dried out or covered with trail dust.

In addition to all the wonderful flowers you mentioned and took photos of, there are some new ones. I'll put them in italics. At Mary's Trail and in spots as far as I went on the Little Sycamore Trail, Slender Tarweed (Hemizonia fasciculata) has appeared. Note: in Oscar Clarke and Fred Roberts' latest edition, it is now called Deinandra fasciculata. An unfortunate and unnecessary change, in my view.

Also, between the 1st and 2nd trail bridges, there are some very good examples of Cobweb Thistle. Prime and ready for its portrait. In this stretch between bridges #1 and #2 are some wonderful stands of Fringed Pink and Golden Yarrow. The name "Fringed Pink" tickles me. It is as wackily redundant as Laguna Lake or Loma Ridge. As you know, "pink" started out as a verb. Its primary meaning was to cut into fringes. The color meaning is secondary, stemming from the fact that many of those fringed flowers were a light tone of red. That tone was called "pink" after the color of the pinked flowers.

Between the 2nd and 3rd bridges, Rush Rose, Helianthemum scoparium, appears as a single plant. It is more numerous on the little bare knoll after the 3rd bridge. That's about as far as I went today. Also, there is a good stand of Calif. Plantain, now totally in seed, there, as well as more rosinweed, tarweed, Splendid Mariposa Lily, and a few fading Owls Clover.

Finally, I realized this morning that I forgot to mention some things in yesterday's LC report. Deerweed is rapidly fading out, Calif. Buckwheat is coming on strong (many plants haven't popped their buds yet) and Splendid Mariposa Lily is hanging on.

All in all, a glorious time to visit the park.

Len also mentioned sighting more of the following plants: Golden Star, Bee Plant, Calif. Everlasting, and Mexican Elderberry, adding,

The everlasting and elder provided wonderful fragrances. The everlasting has the advantage of staying with you for hours after you've stroked its leaves and stem. Along with the delicious taste of ripe lemonadeberry, these plants illustrate an important aspect of the park that many visitors miss, the sensory delight.

And he finishes his report with a lesson that we all should take to heart:

Many people experience the park visually, and there is certainly plenty to see. Some are also attuned to bird calls. For most, though, that's it. They perceive nature as beautiful but fundamentally alien and threatening. They worry about falling, about foot or knee problems, about insect bites, ticks, poison oak, thorny plants, nettles, rattlesnakes, mountain lions, coyotes. In brief, they worry about everything, including what they have to do when they leave the park, making it hard to get past those thoughts to the peace and sensory delights that it offers to those who are receptive.

I think one fundamental difference between our view of nature and that of the Indians is that we no longer see it as a something that sustains us with its nutritious bounty. Granted that is a bit of a stretch in our food-poor, parched natural environment. But, with the right know-how, it could be a sustaining mother to its native peoples. That aspect has been almost totally lost for most visitors.

(Thank you, Len, for taking the time to share!)

My report is as follows:

This afternoon, for about two hours, I hung out on Little Sycamore trail, but did not go very far - I always stayed within viewing range of the Nix Nature Center (limiting thus my distance to the steep beginning sections of the trail). I did this for two reasons: first, I was exhausted from my 6.5 mile hike that I had done this morning (see post below), and secondly, I wanted to spend some time sitting down in one area, so that I might really "get to know it."

So, sitting in the middle of the trail, in the cool shade of a squeaky Laurel Sumac (the light wind blowing through the canyon pushed the wood branches of the laurel sumac against each other, creating a squeaking sound), and surrounded by black sage, California buckwheat, golden stars, and California sage brush, I focused on what was going on in my immediate surroundings. By immediate surroundings, I mean everything happening within a 20 foot radius or less, including up to the sky and down towards the earth.

Directing my attention to the ground, this is what I saw: There were two kinds of ants busily working on the trail. The first kind is the one I know: it is the harvester ant. I must have watched twenty or so harvester ants while they busily took both dried up Common fiddleneck flowers and nicer looking black sage purple flower petals to any of three entrances, about 25 feet behind my sitting spot. I actually followed one all the way to the entrance hole of his choice. It took him about 2.5 minutes to travel about 30 feet, as he attempted to find the line that would guide him to his destination - he got a little lost, traveled a bit more than he should have, and almost took a detour into some dried grasses, but luckily for him, another harvester ant, stronger and faster, ran into him and told him to turn around and follow his lead to the hole. I can only imagine what kind of stock they must have, of flower petals and other resources, down below the surface of the trail.
---> Which led me to wonder, do the bees and harvester ants ever end up in confrontation over the black sage's flowers, during this season? I saw a few harvester ants taking back to the hole some awfully fresh looking black sage flower petals. I began to imagine the race that must take place between the bees and the ants - who gets to the black sage's flowers first? Who gets to claim their rights first? And how does the black sage respond? Does she intentionally produce more flowers so that both ants and bees can benefit equally, all while ensuring her reproductive survival?
(The other ant had a black last section, and a red rest-of-the-body, and moved in a jolted, interrupted fashion, instead of a smooth, continuous movement. His sudden starts and stops disrupted the sand beneath him, sometimes so much so that entire groups of grains of sand would fall beneath him, creating an unstable walking surface.)

Directing my attention towards the sky: there were many various hummingbirds flittering around, along with a nice group of various sized flies and gnats, all rejoicing in the opportunity to try to annoy me (by the way, they failed).

Directing my attention to behind me, I was happy to see two quail spying on me - when they saw I had spotted them, they started down the trail and out of view.

Directing my attention to my sides: to my left hand side, the golden stars were beautiful. To both sides, bees were humming as they visited each black sage's inflorescence.

Directing my attention to ahead of me, upwards towards the rest of the trail - I noticed the abandon of a Monday afternoon. Not a footstep was to be heard - only tracks - mostly of humans - were left in the somewhat thicker sandy trail.

Coming back down from Little Sycamore, going towards the parking lot, I did see some fun roadrunner tracks... but alas, no roadrunner to be seen. I didn't leave disappointed, however, since two last quail made a final appearance as I made my way to the parking lot, and a squirrel showed off his beautiful tail and running skills as I walked back towards my car. All-in-all, it was another afternoon full of blessings and lessons in the canyon.

Willow - Bommer Ridge - Old Emerald Trail - Emerald Canyon Road - Old Emerald Falls - Moro Ridge - Bommer Ridge - Willow!

This morning with the Park Ranger, I checked out the trails listed above. It was a very exhausting 6.5 mile hike, but the scenery was breathtaking, as usual. The cloud cover in the earlier parts of the morning helped make the hike more manageable, although the sun did start beating down on us as we climbed back up Old Emerald Falls to Moro Canyon and back down towards Willow.

Below are shots of our bush mallow in bloom, as well as a red Sticky Monkey flower, both found on Willow Trail.




Below are shots taken from the Emerald trails.
This first one is taken from Old Emerald Trail, looking north.



Another shot from Old Emerald Trail:



And finally, two shots from Old Emerald Falls:
(I really like the red color - it was a definite change of color from what we are seeing generally in the canyon - that beautiful creamy gold).

Plants in Bloom Update

Out at the Willow Staging Area this morning, California Wild Rose was in full bloom. Right as you're heading towards Willow Trail from the sign-in table, behind the left large Mexican Elderberry, there is a giant bush of California Wild Rose. Check the roses out before it's too late! (Click here for a short little video clip taken today)



On Little Sycamore Trail this afternoon, the bees were joyfully collecting pollen in every flower they could find - they especially were loving the black sage flowers and the Prickly Pear Cactus flowers.




One of the most delightful surprises was the heart-leaved penstamon in bloom on Little Sycamore Trail today:



Of course, for someone who hasn't seen Lance-Leaved Dudleya in bloom before, this is a special treat! Also found on Little Sycamore trail this afternoon:



The harvester ants were hard at work on Little Sycamore trail today. Here's one carrying a dried-up common fiddleneck flower:


Special Thanks go to Len Gardner for identifying these flowers for me, also found on Little Sycamore Trail:

First, Sapphire Woolly Star (Eriastrum sapphirinum):



And then, Southern Rosinweed (aka "three spot") - Osmadenia tenella:


To wrap it up, here is Len's report of what he found today at Laurel Canyon:

I walked the LC Trail up to SP (signpost) 10 and then returned the same way.

Lance-leaf Dudleya is prime right now. Don't miss it! I looked at the plant that grows on the uphill side of the trail about 15 feet before you get to interpretive signpost "C." This is very early in the hike, while still close to the road and parking lot and before walking over the little spur ridge with the earthquake fault on its north side. The basal leaves have already dried up. After flowering and setting seed, which it will do in the next couple of weeks, the whole plant will dry up and go dormant until next winter.

At the very upper end of the trail, about 80 feet before you reach SP 10, Hedge Nettle is growing among the non-native grasses. It is obviously a member of the mint family and, at first, I thought it was a Salvia that I didn't know. After consulting Fred Roberts checklist and several other books and plant lists, I'm convinced it's a Hedge Nettle (Stachys sp.). Which one is a little hard to say.

The most likely is Stachys rigida. It could be either of two subspecies, S. rigida ssp. quercetorum (Hillside Hedge Nettle) or S. rigida ssp rigida (Rigid Hedge Nettle). Adding to the confusion, Jepson puts these two under Stachys ajugoides ssp rigida. The modest flowers are white with little purple dots and squiggles on the prominent lower lip. The upper petals have purple-pink on their backsides.

At the lower end of the trail, near the grandmother oak, the non-native Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) is in full blossom. It's copious flowers are hanging down luxuriantly right now.

At the first creek crossing, the California False Indigo is in full bloom with its decidedly underwhelming flowers in lax spikes. More noticeable than the blossoms is the plant's skunky smell, which is strangely pleasant (if you like skunk). Another False Indigo is found growing by the trail a short ways beyond the waterfall.

Other plants in full bloom today include: Common Horehound, Black Sage, Sticky Monkey Flower, Chinese Houses, California Wild Rose, Mexican Elderberry, California Blackberry, Vervain, Golden Yarrow, Blue-eyed Grass, Fringed Indian Pink, Golden Stars and the obnoxious Italian Thistle.

Sticky Cinquefoil is mostly past flowering, but some are still are showing good blossoms. So too for the Narrow-leaved Bedstraw. It's mostly in seed, but some late ones are still in flower.

The Heart-leaved Bush Penstemon is not in flower yet. A few plants were in bud, though. I'd give that one another couple of weeks. The non-native English Plantain (Plantago lanceolata) has its stalks up. Buds only, no flowers yet.

If you have observations that you'd like to share with us here on the blog, please email me at info@natureinorangecounty.com . Thank you!

Laguna Canyon's Insects =)

Well, too much time has gone by without a little post about our awesome insects in the canyon. So here are a few of my favorite shots. To view more of my insect shots, click HERE. Enjoy!

Rattlesnake Crossing Bommer Ridge on 28th of April - cool video!

Robert and Jason at the Nursery at Willow were able to film a rattlesnake crossing Bommer Ridge on the 28th of April, 2009.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE AWESOME VIDEO - WITH SOUND! :)

Read about their adventure HERE.

Laguna Canyon Foundation at Soka University's International Festival, May 2, 2009

The Laguna Canyon Foundation was present at Soka University's International Festival in Aliso Viejo, CA on Saturday, May 2, 2009.
It was a total success! A dedicated team of LCF volunteers, along with LCF's fantastic Executive Director, Karl Warkomski, represented the foundation and its many programs. They also offered to the public an array of native plants, grown from seeds that LCF volunteers harvested and grown in LCF's nursery at Willow Canyon, for modest donations.
Check out the Nursery's blog, written by Nursery guru Robert Lawson, at http://hijoley.blogspot.com.

(Photo above taken before the event began, early in the morning. By 11 AM, the place was PACKED!)