January 29

The mid-morning temperatures are in the low 60’s, under mostly cloudy skies as Caroline and I revisit Madrona Marsh, a 43-acre urban oasis in Torrance, California. It is a type of wetland called a vernal marsh. "Vernal" means spring or green. Madrona Preserve’s wetlands does not have a built-in water source. When the winter and spring rains fall, enough water accumulates to sustain the marsh and provides a resting spot for migrating birds. Soon, I come upon a gathering of crows called a “murder.” The origin of this term is based on old folk tales and superstitions about this bird being an omen of death. Just ahead, I watch some Redwing blackbirds land in a clump of tall reeds. Looking more closely, I see one of the males has a white head. This abnormal plumage, called leucism, is due to a genetic mutation, resulting in a lack of melanin pigment. Sometimes a bird like this is driven away, but this one seems to be part of the flock. Thus, it should be able to mate and the genetic mutation may be passed on to progeny. After walking next to a busy street, I pause to scan the marsh, teeming with a variety of waterfowl. Near the earthen path, I spot yellow blossoms of Telegraph weed and Bush sunflowers with a ring of tiny yellow florets within their central discs. Moving closer to the water’s edge, I notice a floating green plant with a duckweed-like appearance. Upon closer inspection, it turns out to be an aquatic liverwort, called Fringed Heartwort. On shore, I watch dozens of tiny, Thin-legged Wolf Spiders dart over the leaf litter. These arachnids hunt by waiting for prey to appear, then rushing out to capture it. Small prey are bitten immediately. Larger prey may be enclosed in a basket made by the spider’s legs and then bitten. Their diet consists mainly of insects and other, smaller wolf spiders. Continuing on a perimeter path around the wetlands, I spot a perching Hummingbird. The best I can tell, it’s a male hybrid of Anna’s and Rufous hummingbirds. On the ground, nearby, I observe a Common Inkcap mushroom. After several days these fungi decay and form a blackish slimy mass due to auto digestion (stock photo). Up ahead, I pause to examine the mottled trunk of a Tasmanian Blue Gum tree, the most common Eucalyptus tree in this area. Circling back toward the trailhead, I come upon blossoms of White Buckwheat and Wild Radish. My final stop is at a birdfeeder behind the nature center, where I catch a glimpse of a perching male House Finch. 

Surface of white

Reflecting snow

Floating duckweed

Ripples show

Shrouded by ice

Muskrats sleep

Fluid and murky

Ducks dive deep

Waters of earth

Nature’s flair

Wetlands of winter

Here and there

 

D. DeGraaf

January 22

The early morning temperatures are in the mid 50’s, skies are overcast as we begin our hike at the Three Sisters Reserve, 99 acres of grassland along the rugged California coast. Named after three distinct ridges divided by steep ravines, this hilly terrain provides habitat for a variety of wildlife. Descending a steep, earthen trail, I recognize some tumbleweeds which are Russian thistle plants that break off at the stem when they die and blow around with the wind. Passing through a dense patch of dead, Wild Mustard stalks, I come upon one of many Milk Snails. This one-inch, non-native snail is a terrestrial and air-breathing gastropod that feeds on plant greens and fruit. In California, which has a Mediterranean climate similar to its homeland, it can overrun native snails, displacing them and endangering the population’s survival. Milk snails are only active at night. During the day they close their shell aperture with a membrane and reduce their breathing rate to a fraction of the active value. Archeologists in their native Morocco have shown this snail was a staple of diets to prehistoric humans and in modern times it is considered a favorite from Spain to Italy. Further down the steep slope, I barely spot a Spotted Towhee, perched in the Mustard stalks. Some scientists suggest that the bold white spots on their backs help them blend in to the sun-dappled undergrowth. Their song sounds similar to the well-known "drink-your-tea" song of its eastern cousin. This is why a group of towhees is referred to as a "teapot." Another nickname for a group of towhees, a "tangle," is a nod to the bird's preferred habitat of thick shrubbery. Nearby, I spot Cholla Cacti and one-of-a-few visible blossom, that of Coastal Sunflower. Turning around, we begin a steep and arduous ascent, a real challenge for us Michigan flatlanders. Near the top, I pause to observe a ½ inch Pill bug or Roly-Poly. Even though their name is Pill bug and they have a bug like appearance, they’re not insects at all, but actually terrestrial crustaceans. For one small bug, they go by a lot of different names, including doodle bugs, wood shrimp, and woodlice. People in the United Kingdom refer to them as chiggypigs, penny sows, and cheesybugs..The reason they are called roly-polies is also one of their most notable qualities. When they are disturbed or frightened, they roll into a tight little ball. It’s a defense mechanism that is hypothesized to have evolved to protect the pill bugs' soft underparts from predators and to allow them to retain moisture on their gills.

Is it smoke and smog

Or clean fresh air

Paved parking lots

Or a meadow fair

Fast-paced world

Or slow-moving creek

Crowds of people

Or solitude I seek

Retreat from town

Manic malls

To tranquil trails

Mother Nature calls

 

D. DeGraaf

January 15

It’s a chilly morning with temperatures in the mid 40’s as Caroline, Riley and I begin our hike on an earthen trail in the George F. Canyon Nature Preserve, one of several properties owned by the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy. A sign at the trailhead reminds us we are not in Gratiot County, Michigan. Soon, the loud meowing sound of a Peacock, also reminds us we are not back home. Years ago, some of these large, colorful birds, contained as pets by residents, escaped into the wild and formed their own feral colonies. Along the trail, I spot orange blossoms of the invasive, Nasturtium and the yellow blossoms of Spine Flower. Further along, I notice Prickly Pear Cacti with their red pears and an earthen bank with holes made by Ground Squirrels. Other blossoms that catch my eye, include Pearly Everlasting and Green spot Nightshade. Like most nightshades, the leaves are poisonous, but the small, spherical berries are edible (stock photo). Up ahead, I spot a V-shaped web made by a Funnel Weaver Spider. These spiders build their webs between two braces, such as branches or grass blades. These medium-size arachnids are usually grey or brown, with spots on their backs and banded legs (stock photo). Like most species of spiders, funnel weavers are nocturnal. Males spend most of their time searching for a mate, though they usually die after they mate a few times. Females rarely leave their webs. They typically lay several egg sacs and cover them in webbing for protection. Continuing down the path, shared by horses, I come upon some Coyote scat containing berries. Coyotes are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and animals. Though they have a wide-ranging diet, they do prefer meat and hunt for small mammals, birds, mice, and snakes. Other sightings, include the ornate leaves of Milk Thistle and a Lemonade Berry Bush, displaying flower buds. In the distance, my hiking partners wait for me to catch up. Turning around and retracing my steps, I notice sounds of both a Raven and a Wild Turkey. It wasn’t until the California started to populate areas of state with wild turkeys from Texas in 1959 that the introduced species started to gain a foothold. This subspecies, the Rio Grande turkey, is now found throughout the western United States and makes up most of the population of wild turkeys in California. Nearing the car, I pause to observe a 1/3-inch, late instar of a Harlequin Bug. This bug is an insect pest of vegetable crops, including broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, radish and turnips. This pest injures host plants by sucking the fluids from plant tissue. Heavy infestations can cause plants to turn brown and die.

Eyes are open to see

Glimpses of nature here for me

Maybe a flower, maybe a tree

Maybe a raptor flying free

Look around on land and sea

Beauty surrounds, I do agree

Search again on bended knee

Behold a bug! Behold a bee!

Earth’s treasures, found a key

More of this, hope to be

 

D. DeGraaf

January 8

The mid-morning temperatures are in the upper 50’s, under mostly sunny skies as Caroline, Riley and I hike in Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park, a rare green oasis in the sprawling megalopolis of Los Angeles County, California. After walking on the edge of a large lake where a family of American Coots are swimming, I spot a Snowy Egret standing in the dense vegetation, along the far shore. During the breeding season, adult Snowy Egrets develop long, wispy feathers on their backs, necks, and heads (stock photo). In 1886 these plumes were valued at $32 per ounce, which was twice the price of gold at the time. Plume-hunting for the fashion industry killed many Snowy Egrets and other birds until reforms were passed in the early twentieth century. Out on the open water on a floating log, I see a few California Gulls milling around and a few resting Brandt’s Cormorants. Away from the water, I notice yellow blossoms of Wild Mustard and a pair of tiny, hard-to-see Bushtits perching in a leafless shrub. Following a paved path along the lakeshore, I come upon the olive-size, red fruit of a Toyon shrub and the pea-size, red fruit of a Brazilian Pepper Tree. Meanwhile, out on the water, I watch a raft of Western Grebes swimming and diving for food. These waterbirds often swallow their own feathers as they preen. These feathers wind up lining the stomach, where they may help protect against punctures by sharp fish bones. They periodically regurgitate pellets containing the feathers along with bones and other indigestible material. Continuing around the lake shore, I spot several male, Great-tailed Grackles foraging on the lawn. Although you’ll usually see them feeding on land, these birds may also wade into the water to grab a frog or fish. In a nearby tree, I observe a single perching female, Great-tailed Grackle. Because they’re smaller and require less food, female Grackle chicks are more likely than their brothers to survive.. Likewise, adult females may outlive males, resulting in a “sex-biased” population with greater numbers of females than males. In 1900, the northern edge of the Great-tailed Grackle’s range barely reached southern Texas. Since the 1960’s they’ve followed the spread of irrigated agriculture and urban development into the Great Plains and West. Today, they are one of North America’s fastest-expanding species. Turning around and heading back toward the car, I come across a Bottle Brush tree with its white blossoms and clusters of dried seed capsules. 

Nature in winter

No sign of snow

Different climate

Different show

No leafless trees

Ponds with ice

Shoreline strolls

Weather’s nice

No stark meadow

Sky of drear

Snakes that rattle

Lurking near

 

D. DeGraaf

January 1

Mild temperatures in the mid 50’s and overcast skies greet me as I begin my weekly nature hike in Alma’s Conservation Park. Soon, I pause to watch a pair of White tail deer along with a scampering Fox Squirrel. Following a narrow earthen trail, I spot a woody vine of Oriental Bittersweet coiling its way around a Honeysuckle branch. This invasive plant, native to Japan, China, and Korea was originally introduced to the U.S. as an ornamental and for erosion control. As the vine grows in diameter, it literally chokes or girdles other plants that it is clinging to. Between the girdling growth habit and sheer weight, whole canopies of a forest can tumble down during the growing season. Nearby, I notice a lush patch of American Tree moss growing in decaying layer of Maple leaves. Following a trail along the edge of the native prairie, I see several seed heads of Bergamot and think back a few months ago when they were flowering (stock photo). After hiking along the park’s south end, I turn north, pass the renovated Girl Scout cabin where a couple of curious Whitetails stare at me through the dense underbrush. Up ahead, I pause to observe the bright red, oval-shaped hips of Wild Rose. Rosehips are so loaded with nutrients that they can be considered a superfood. They contain Vitamins A, B complex, C, E, K and minerals including calcium, silica, iron, and phosphorus. They are particularly high in flavonoid-rich antioxidants which strengthen heart and blood vessels and prevent degeneration of tissue. They contain carotenes including lycopene that have been linked with cancer prevention. Natural pectin found in rosehips is beneficial for gut health. Continuing north to the edge of the Pine River Mill Pond, I scan the surface and notice a small floating gathering of Mallards near shore and a large gathering of male Common Mergansers along the far shore. These large diving ducks find their prey by sight, often probing sediments and underwater stones with their slender bills grasping small fish such as sticklebacks, chubs and minnows. The elegant gray-bodied females have rich, cinnamon heads with a short crest (stock photo). These ducks maybe year-round residents or arriving from summer breeding grounds in the north. Moving along the high bank, I circle back to check out the feeders at the Eyer Bird Observation Hut. Sightings, include a Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse and White-breasted Nuthatch 

 

No midnight toast

To start the year

A restless coyote

A resting deer

No ringing bells

Or dropping balls

Dark of night

An owl calls

Mother nature

Obeys her laws

No celebrations

No time to pause

 

D. DeGraaf