February 28

Monday, I drove about a mile from our Redondo Beach rental to hike in Hopkins Wilderness Park, an 11-acre camping and study area, established to provide a wilderness experience within an urban environment. Unfortunately, dogs were not allowed so Remi stayed back. The early afternoon weather was cloudy with a temperature 58 degrees and no wind. Leaving the parking lot, I headed north on a ½ mile perimeter trail and paused to observe a pair of large Red-Eared Sliders resting on a rock in a small pond. The surrounding landscape contained a variety of trees including: Eucalyptus, Sycamore and Allepo Pine with clusters of male pollen cones. As the path turned east, I noticed some colorful wildflowers among the meadow grasses including Yellow Wood Sorrel and Wild Radish. All parts of this radish plant are edible including leaves, flowers and of course, the roots which taste similar to a cultivated ones. Turning south, I followed the path down a steep grade to a marshy area where I could see and hear lots of birds including a Black Phoebe and a female Anna’s Hummingbird. Hummingbirds flutter their wings at a remarkable 80 times per second! Further ahead, I gazed high overhead to see a Red-Tailed Hawk perching on top of a telephone pole. Since this natural oasis in the city attracts lots of songbirds, I wasn’t surprised to see a raptor such as this one searching for prey. As the trail turned west, I noticed some of the Lemonade Berry bushes were beginning to bloom. Near the end of the trail, I spotted the white blossoms of a Wild Plum tree and paused to enjoy their sweet scent. Finally, I found the car and headed back to our rental.

…For a brief moment I held my breath

Hoping time could stand still as it was right then

A moment in time filled with peace, comfort, and warmth

As I walked, I felt the gentle breeze following me along the shore

As I bent to pick up grains of sand

I felt the breeze whisking them from my hand

Just as quickly as the sifting sand fell

And was carried back to the ocean floor

My time here at the ocean was coming to an end

And I would leave, leaving behind a part of me

That would forever remain a part of the mighty sea.

Carlotta McKnight

February 21

Tuesday, my wife and I along with my sister, Bev hiked in the Lake Poway Recreation Area, 28 miles northeast of San Diego. The mid morning weather was mostly sunny with a temperature of 64 degrees and no wind. Leaving the parking area, we started to follow an earthen trail where we paused to scan Lake Poway. Constructed in 1971, this 60-acre reservoir is a source of drinking water for people in the area as well as habitat for wildlife. Speaking of wildlife, we soon spotted a solitary White Pelican swimming near the shore. Unlike the smaller Brown Pelicans that are year around residents along the ocean, these large birds are migrants that spend most of the year living inland in freshwater habitats. Shortly thereafter, I paused to watch one of several American Coots (Mud Hens) diving for food. Continuing counterclockwise on the trail around the lake, we noticed a foot-long, basking Red-eared Slider turtle. These reptiles are quite common, as immature ones are often sold in pet stores. After a few more steps, I looked out on the lake to see a male Gadwall duck swimming and diving for food. Further around the lake, I paused to look at and listen to a waterfall where recent heavy rainwater from the surrounding hills was spilling over Granodiorite rock and draining into the reservoir. As we continued our hike, I spotted a family of Ring-necked ducks swimming offshore. While turning around to head back, I saw two colorful wildflowers. The first one was California poppy, the official state flower and the second, Purple Nightshade. Winding our way on hilly terrain, I got an eye full of color watching a small, Pacific orange tip butterfly resting on a wild pea blossom. Finally, we made it back to the car and headed to Bev’s house in San Diego for lunch.

Surface of white

Reflecting snow

Blanket of blue

Ripples show

Shrouded by ice

Muskrats sleep

Fluid and clear

Ducks dive deep

Waters of earth

Nature’s flair

Lakes of winter

Here and there

D. DeGraaf

February 15

Wednesday, Remi, my wife and I returned to the Palos Verdes Peninsula to hike in the 123-acre, Deane Dana Friendship Park and Nature Center, near the town of San Pedro. The late morning weather was sunny with a temperature of 61 degrees and no wind. Leaving the parking lot, we began a steep climb north on an asphalt trail where I noticed a few blossoms and seed heads of the ubiquitous Dandelion. Nearby, I also saw blossoms of Sow Thistle. These familiar yellow flowers are often misidentified as Dandelions. We continued on the trail as it changed from asphalt to dirt while circling through fields of lush vegetation, including Cape Ivy which is California’s most invasive plant species. Looking more closely at some Ivy leaves, I spotted dozens of tiny Milk Snails feeding on them. Other leaves revealed 7-spotted Lady Bugs as well as some of their eggs. Continuing to the summit, we paused to enjoy the western vista of blue skies and Santa Catalina Island, nestled in the Pacific Ocean, 30 miles to the west. Starting our descent, I noticed what I thought was a familiar Milkweed Bug. However, after a closer look at its dorsal pattern, it turned out to be a Red Bug, a recent invasive insect spreading rapidly through southern California. Further down the hill, I spotted a newly planted clump of Milk Vetch, one of several native plants being reintroduced to the area. Just ahead, I glanced up into a conifer tree where a male, Lesser Goldfinch was perched. Near the trail end, I gazed afar at the 10,000 ft., snow capped, Mount Baldy, located 70 miles to the east in the San Gabriel Mountain Range. Finally, we found the car and headed back to Redondo Beach.

Let me

Dive as a dolphin

In the ocean deep

Swim as a seal

O’er waves I leap

Soar as a tern

In a cloudless sky

Ride the breeze

Where pelicans fly

Float as a wave

On the rolling sea

If only an hour

Wish I could be

D. DeGraaf

February 8

Wednesday, Remi, my wife and I returned to the Palos Verdes Peninsula to hike in the Vicente Bluffs Reserve next to the Interpretive Center. The mid-day weather was mostly foggy with a temperature of 64 degrees and a slight ocean breeze from the west. Leaving the parking lot, we hiked west to the edge of a steep coastal bluff and paused to take in the sights and sounds of the shoreline shrouded in a dense fog called a marine layer. This weather phenomenon develops off shore as the bottom layer of a warm air mass, cooled by the ocean water becomes trapped by the less dense warmer air above it. Fog forms in this layer where the humidity is high enough and cooling sufficient to produce condensation. As air over the warmer land surface rises, the marine layer moves ashore blanketing the coast in foggy, cool air. Fog lingers until the heat of the sun becomes strong enough to evaporate it, often lasting into the afternoon. Turning north, we followed the path along the bluff where I spotted the yellow blossoms of Bush Sunflower and the tiny pink blossoms of the invasive ground cover called Herb-Robert. Further ahead, I paused to observe a pair of Northern Mockingbirds perched on a Lemonade Berry Bush as well as a Say’s Phoebe perched on a leafless shrub. Following the circular trail inland, I stopped to observe the pale pink blossoms of Black Sage and smell the aromatic leaves of this herbal shrub. On the ground near the sandy path’s edge, I noticed a 4-inch long, Western Fence Lizard warming itself. Returning to the trailhead, we paused once more to view the rugged shoreline where the sun was beginning to penetrate the thick Marine Layer. Finally, we found the car and headed back to our winter abode.

Early February

Noon of the day

Land meets sea

Nature’s array

Breaking waves

Rumble and roar

Pounding surf

Hammering shore

Silent seconds

Momentary lull

Concert continues

Shriek of a gull

D. DeGraaf

January 31

Tuesday, my wife, along with my sister, Bev, daughter, Allison and I joined a group of hikers on the 62,000-acre Santa Cruz Island, the largest of 5 islands in Channel Islands National Park, 30 miles off the coast of Los Angeles. The late morning weather was sunny with a temperature of 58 degrees and a stiff ocean breeze from the east. From the parking lot on the mainland, we boarded a ferryboat and headed west toward the island where we observed a few Common Dolphins surfacing close by. Once on the island, it didn’t take long before I spotted an Island Fox. About the size of a housecat, this ancestor of the gray fox exists only in the Channel Islands. Also, unlike the nocturnal gray fox, this species has no natural predators and thus is active as well as visible during the day. Nearby, I paused to watch a Monarch feeding on the flower of Eucalyptus which is the preferred tree for these overwintering butterflies. We ascended the trail up a steep grade where outcrops of whitish Diatomaceous Earth were noted as well as large, exfoliating boulders. Reaching a high bluff, I gazed southwest at a scenic coastline and far below at a group of Pelicans along with Cormorants perched on a guano-covered rock formation. After examining an old lava field of Basaltic rock, we turned east and began out descent where I noticed a colorful field of Mustard blossoms swaying in the cool ocean breeze. Upon further descent, I stopped to examine a Western Fence Lizard basking on a Scoria rock. This small reptile will lighten or darken its skin to blend in with the background. Continuing the steep descent, I spotted 3 immature White-crowned sparrows on a Lemonade Berry Bush. Finally, we reached the end of our hike, hopped on the boat and headed back to the mainland.

Journey continues

Wandering west

Wonders of nature

Remain my quest

Peaks on high

Rocky beach

Cormorants dive

Dolphins breach

Pelicans soar

Higher than most

Pounding surf

Carving coast

D. DeGraaf