El Niño must have a publicist. Though the name suggests something small, global forecasts are calling for an exceptionally powerful slate of storms in the eastern Pacific, coastal erosion along the California shoreline and major meteorological ripples across the planet.
Hurricane Marie, now downgraded to a Tropical Storm, gifted us 2.8 inches of rain in 24 hours. Apparently, this was just the right message for estivating slugs and snails. This morning, the garden is teeming with them! And a double rainbow appeared in the sky just before 7 a.m.
Our patio has hosted several notable guests recently.
This adult Gray Bird grasshopper appeared on the stucco wall. It’s the color of dried wheat, and shaped like a curled-up leaf. The serrated hind legs drew my eye to this adult.
A few days before, we had our first lime green katydid, a member of the cricket family. I think this is a Mexican Bush Katydid; iNaturalist suggested it might also be a Scudder’s Bush Katydid. The antennae on this creature are extravagantly thin and elegant. I like the reflection of the anatomy in the table’s white surface.
A couple of juvenile Western Fence Lizards have scampered across the patio in recent days. They are no more than 2 ½ inches from nose to tail. For comparison, the adults are around 8 inches. This one was catching some shade on a hot day by wiggling into the space beneath the birdbath. It seemed surprised to have been found and quickly found a quieter place to relax.
Our neighborhood Baja California Tree Frogs are quiet now. Since the hot weather began in July, there’s been no audible chorus at dusk in the Santa Ynez Canyon. Occasionally, a solitary member of the troupe will appear in the flower vase with the alstroemeria lilies, or tuck in alongside the brush used for scrubbing the birdbaths.
At the shore, things have been quite active. This summer, erosion has wiped out the road to Malibu’s Westward Beach on Point Dume for the second time since I moved to LA County in July of 2019. Driving the Malibu segment of the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in recent weeks, I’ve seen a handful of the 23 red tagged homes on the ocean side of the highway which the City of Malibu has determined are in danger.
The parcels are all burned remains from the January 7, 2025 Palisades Fire. Since the fire destroyed dozens of homes in Eastern Malibu, it is now believed that the dwellings slowed the erosion of the roadbed under PCH. Now that the houses, their sea walls and septic systems are absent, the water has taken charge and is redesigning the coastline.
Here’s a truck viewed from Castle Rock Beach. The blacktop is curled off the edge of PCH and sand beneath shows how vulnerable the highway is. The cement foundation of a home is visible in the top left.
Known for its placid demeanor, the Pacific Ocean gets cantankerous on occasion. Malibu locals know that king tides, hurricanes, high surf and heavy rains are part of life in this idyllic locale. The rains move debris, mud and boulders down the canyons and slopes, onto the highway and ultimately into the sea — even more so on burn scar areas.
Mashabu 