At the foot of Temescal Canyon, within earshot of the roaring traffic on the Pacific Coast Highway, a littoral ecosystem emerges with the twice daily tides. In the intertidal zone, on a boulder-strewn jetty constructed perpendicular to the shore to slow the beach erosion, limpets are busy growing alongside two species of barnacles and mussels.Continue reading “Littoral Learning”
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Flying with Ed Ruscha
On a recent flight east, I saw this amazing earthly production. Leaving the Los Angeles basin around one p.m., housing quickly cedes to the desert. Mountains erupt, giving way to valleys, some fertile. Then Mother Nature pulls out all her geologic parlor tricks. Majestic escarpments, hued russet, pink, apricot, salmon and wheat, all undulating inContinue reading “Flying with Ed Ruscha”
Lesser Goldfinches
California sycamore trees are frequently seen in gardens and on public property around Southern California. The seed pods of the trees that dangle in winter are brown orbs, about one inch in diameter. But to lesser goldfinches, these seeds are lunch! Malibu Lagoon has sycamores growing between the Pacific Coast Highway and the estuary. OnContinue reading “Lesser Goldfinches”
Sea Stars
King Tides arrived this weekend in Southern California, and with them, a rare opportunity to see marine life that’s typically underwater. On Broad Beach, in western LA County, this constellation of five sea stars was spotted at low tide on a large boulder. Considered a keystone species in intertidal zones, sea stars keep mussels inContinue reading “Sea Stars”
Sharp-Shinned Hawk or Cooper’s Hawk?
We have two bird feeders in the pergola and enjoy the daily chittering and alarm calls of lesser goldfinches, juncos, house and purple finches, and the dedicated mourning doves who pick up any spillage. But in the last few months, we’ve noticed these birds are being eaten by neighborhood hawks. Just last week, the hawkContinue reading “Sharp-Shinned Hawk or Cooper’s Hawk?”
Mashabu 