Scary Things Lurking in the Grass

                                  Pacific Poison Oak, Rhus Toxicodendron diversilobum 

                                            Photo credit: Las Pilitas Nursery

It’s HALLOWEEN, and all things SCARY take center stage. Here in California’s Santa Monica Mountains I ponder what could be scary as I go about my day~

Starting out the day with a hike, following a trail through tall grass, it would be SCARY to run into a thicket of Pacific Poison Oak (Rhus Toxicondendron).

In the autumn, the red leaves-of-three add colorful interest among the tan-colored grass. At least in autumn, then, it is easier to spy the Rhus Toxicondendron in the grass than at other times of the year. Worse yet, you could run into Pacific Poison Oak hiding in your own backyard! If you do, try to save some of it for the deer, as  it is an important food source for them. The berries are also important food source to the birds in wintertime. Few native gardeners would plant Pacific Poison Oak, but some are brave enough to leave it alone to take its necessary place in the ecosystem.

Prickly Pear Cactus with Cochineal Insects, Topanga, 

Photo by Kathy Vilim

Another SCARY plant of the California chaparral is the Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia littoralis).  There are a number of different types of cactus that cover the hills here, and many long spines to look out for.  The prickly pear that dominates my yard at times becomes covered in this white mold-like stuff.  But it is far from it. Take a hose to that mold one day, as I did, and you will find the mold MOVES!  It is ALIVE!  

In fact, it is actually a type of scale insect called  Cochineal that burrows into the flesh  of the cactus and sucks the cactus’ juice.  If you manage to remove the Cochineal with the spray of water, what you get is a red ink that looks like BLOOD!  Indians used it to dye clothes, and in some places, farmers still grow cactus for this red dye.  Still, it is SCARY to get too close to the cactus. Some of their pricklers are so tiny as to be practically invisible, while others are downright long and SCARY, and they may be lurking in the tall grass!

Young Pacific Rattlesnake, 

Photo by: Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area

So you’ve gotten past the Pacific Poison Oak without a scratch, and you’ve passed through the tall grass without getting poked by a cactus.  That’s just a little red cactus juice on your pants, not BLOOD. Surely, there is nothing else Lurking in the Grass.. Nothing like say, Mr. Rattlesnake? 

Yes, the rattlesnake  is a resident of the California chaparral, as well. There are 7 different species of Rattlesnake in Southern California alone incl: Western Diamondback, Sidewinder, Speckled rattlesnake, Red Diamond rattlesnake, Southern Pacific, Great Basin rattlesnake and the Mojave rattlesnake. It is very SCARY to walk through the tall grass thinking about SNAKES!  Some people will carry a staff or walking stick with them for this reason.  But not to worry, for most of the rattlesnakes have begun their hibernation by this time.

Little Brown Bat, photo by BLM.gov (Myotis-lucifugus)

Halloween is coming, and it is time to walk down the hill, down to the creek to watch the bats emerge!  Topanga has several different types of resident bats that live under the bridges.  The Mexican free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis) are the most common species living under the bridge.  

They are attracted to the many insects that live by the creek. As darkness settles in, BATS will appear, all at once, startling you as they take flight!  SCARY BATS take to the sky, wings darker than the darkening Halloween night sky.  Leaving their alcoves, BATS claim the night time, which is theirs to share with coyote and owl.

Listen to Bat Calls Courtesy of Cornell University

Coyote (Canis latrans) Photo Credit: Demented Pixie

On your way home, you might listen to owls hooting from up high up in tall pine trees serenading you, and you might wish you could see them.  Then, if you feel like you are being followed, you might just be, as that curious trickster,  COYOTE may be escorting you home! SCARY!

What SCARY things are waiting in your neighborhood this Halloween?

(reprinted- original post by Kathy Vilim on beautifulwildifegarden.com October, 2013)

Linkwithin

A Butterfly Kind of Day~

                   Mourning Cloak Butterfly, Photo Courtesy of LasPilitasNursery

Today was a day for butterflies.  I saw (3) Monarchs at Las Leones Park today (in the Santa Monica Mtns near the Beach), or maybe it was the same one (3) times!  Anyway, it felt nice to watch them in the 70dg day of mid-February.  Next, I moved on to Warner Park in Woodland Hills (the Valley).    I didn’t expect to see any butterflies but, what to my wondering eyes DID I see but a yellow swallowtail, swooping from high up in the pine trees, and then a brown butterfly.  I started to photograph the swallowtail, but it was too fast! Then the brown started to chase the swallowtail, also too fast for me. 

Then the brown decided my head was of interest – so he flew directly AT me!  I moved to get a shot, and he backed off and tried again just moments later, and yet again.  I figured out that he was interested in the sweat on my brow (80dgs here). He most likely had just hatched due to the warm temps, (he was very fresh and perky) and the swallowtail, too.  I finally gave up on the shot. Then, the brown butterfly came to me. 

First, I felt the soft drag of his feet in my hair. I held still while a squirrel on a nearby tree trunk looked on in good humor, I suppose.   “Lady, do you know you have a butterfly in your hair?” Then the butterfly moved to my hand, and I could watch him close up, see a bit of blue along his brown body. We regarded each other for a long time.  Then, up and away. I put down my camera and watched while ANOTHER brown butterfly met up with him! Together they whirled and  twirled until I lost sight of the pair. 

While most of the country was cold and full of snow and ice, here it was an amazing butterfly kind of day~

California's White Sage of the Chaparral

White Sage (Salvia apiana) is found in the Chaparral and Coastal Sage Scrub areas of California. Though the Santa Monica Mountains boast at least six species of Native Salvia (some of which are not found anywhere outside of California), the White Sage is becoming harder to find.  In part, this is due to the interest in White Sage Smudge Sticks from all over the country.  Poachers are not so kind to our local stands, sometimes stripping whole hillsides of the plants, roots and all.  I made Marcie promise not to reveal the secret location of the wild White Sage I had shown her. Her next smudge stick will have to come from her very own plants, which are available at our local native plant nurseries.. “Shh… let’s keep your secret quiet.  The Hummingbirds will thank you.”  Continue Reading..

Stand Up and Be Counted

  It was a cool, misty morning and I was up a bit earlier than usual taking my morning walk with my dog.  A “click, click, whir” caught my attention from far up above.  I knew it to be the sound of Anna’s Hummingbirds  (Calypte anna).   I looked for them and discovered they… [Continue Reading]

Pitter Patter.. First Rain for Topanga this Season

I woke at 4:30AM to the sound of wind chimes, low and compelling, singing out in perfect harmonic tones, in a song the wind was writing as it went.. I heard an owl hoot and then a baby owl, with only 2 notes in his call.  Then, I didn't hear them anymore.  I felt warmth fill me as I realized all 4 of my pets (2 black cats & 2 dogs) were sleeping in the bedroom with me.  The wind chimes continued; the song had turned to low notes when I heard the unmistakable patter of what could only be .. rain! Rain, tapping on the roof.  Rain, pitter patter against my wooden house. I took a deep breath, smelling the moisture through the open window.  The wind began to pick up; the song became more vigorous. 

One cat decided to leave us, jumping off the bed and running to the living room door.  She meowed relentlessly until hubby gave in and let her out on the deck.. in the pouring rain.. in the blackness! When she did not come right back, I wrapped myself in my pink robe and went out to try to call her, very aware there are coyotes out there and that she would not be able to escape to the roof in this rain!  Luckily, she came back, all wet and done exploring.  I think she must have felt like I did:  so excited with the first rain we've had since June, that she just had to go investigate.

I will be out there as soon as it is light, with my dog and my yellow umbrella.  But for now, I am enjoying the pitter patter of rain on my wooden house.  It is as if I am in a wooden box afloat, separate and safe from the elements, with my warm cup of coffee and the warm light from the bedside lamp.

In the News: Backbone Trail may soon be linked..

A popular hiking trail that crosses through a trio of state parks and boasts panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean is inching closer to completion, thanks to a recent land acquisition.

It's taken more than two decades to forge, clear and maintain the Backbone Trail, which stretches from Will Rogers State Historic Park near Brentwood to Point Mugu in Ventura County. It will be 65 miles long when complete.

With the recent acquisition, only two private pieces of land - roughly 1.4 miles - stand in the way of having an unbroken trail. Mountain bikers and horse riders also use the trails in various spots.

"We are so close to completion," Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Superintendent Woody Smeck said   continue reading...

Washer Woman & the Rattler Snake

    Young Southern Pacific Rattlesnake,  photo courtesy 
    of Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area

Well, it figures. Just as I was bounding out the door to throw a load of delicates into my outdoor washing machine, I happen to look down. There, looking up at me from the other side of the glass door was Rattler! With his tongue out all slitherin-like!  He was looking into the house, and the door was just slightly ajar, enough so that he could slither right in if he liked. My guess is he was thinking about it!

It's funny, most Rattlers are more brown, whereas this one was black, but still the unmistakable diamond markings.  I did what any Washer Woman would do:  I got hubby and handed him a broom!  He started to sweep it on out of there, which caused Rattler to start up hissing loudly. (If you ever hear a sound like water running, when there is water nowhere about, it's Rattler.)  Of course, he was as scared as I was.  Hubby held him off while I got the delicates going.  We shooed him down the hill, but who knows when he will come back.  We saw this same Rattler just the other day, in a standoff with Cat!

As if Washer Woman hasn't got her work cut out already.. I really did want to get you a photo, really..

Wildlife Encounter in the Fog

Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) Topanga Canyon, 

photo by Kathy Vilim

On this morning, the fog has come in from the Ocean, making Topanga Canyon a soft palette of pastel greens, golden brown & blue.. I walk quietly, listening to the sounds around me with my dog.  I feel like someone is behind me, so I turn.... continue reading

Topanga is a Special Place

Topanga is a special place.  It is a respite from urban life.. but not just for people.  The Santa Monica Mountains are a place where animals and native plants can thrive in the ecosystem they were made for.  The mountains support an entire community that goes from basic organisms in the soil, to a variety of insects (some of which are 'specialists' that are attracted to only certain native plants), to birds, reptiles, bats, and larger animals like the Coyote.

                                   Cactus Wren Nest on Pear Cactus Leaf

This community is made more clearly special when you look at it from afar, when you step back, or even check out Satellite Images on Google.  There you will find the green of the Santa Monica Mountains surrounded by urban sprawl.

It is a delicate balance that maintains this community.  As development progresses, animals and plants are pushed back or erased altogether.  Fortunately, zoning ordinances have kept development to a minimum, and most of us that choose to live here know it is a special place.

People need a respite from urban life... not just a park filled with green turf and a few non-native trees.  People need to spend time in nature's communities.. to observe wildlife, to watch baby birds be born, to see what plants butterflies feed on.. We as humans are part of nature.  It is not us or them.  We are all one.  We don't even know how much we need the  natural world, until we spend time in it. Then we realize..

Nature At My Doorstep

                   Wild Mustard, Topanga Canyon, California by Kathy Vilim

A hawk glides silently overhead, above the top of a Eucalyptus tree.  Below, the Canyon is bejeweled with splashes of yellow wildflowers.  The wind is high and the wind chimes sing.  "Bringing Nature Home" by Douglas Tallamy sits on my garden reading bench, and I reflect how lucky I am that I don't have to bring nature home here in the Santa Monica Mountains.  Nature is already at my doorstep.  All I have to do is "get out of the way," let Nature alone, let things grow wild, and watch the story unfold.

One of the most important things for me is keeping chemicals out of the garden.  I never use pesticides.  Instead of chemical fertilizers, I compost.  I purposely did not put in a water-needy lawn.  Instead, I created a small garden next to the house for my Roses, Iris and Herbs.  They get the water that the lawn would have taken.. actually they take less.  The rest of my water goes to the Citrus trees and vegetable garden.

As a result of being pesticide free and letting nature be, I can delight in seeing Quail walk through my vegetable beds, in hearing the endless chatter of new baby wrens that have nested in my utility box (somehow!), and in watching the squirrels chase each other up and down the trees.

@nativegardener

Matilija Poppies, I Owe You So Much

                  Matilija Poppies (Romneya coulteri), Topanga Canyon, CA 

                                                              Photo by Kathy Vilim

I first saw Matilija (ma-tila-huh) Poppies on a trip to Catalina Island many years ago.  I was visiting the Wrigley Memorial and Botanical Gardens (Catalina Island Conservancy, Avalon, CA) and there they were:  So elegant, tall and wild, their petals like crepe paper. They stood together, a big stand of them, swaying with the breeze at easily 5ft in height!

Sometime later, I ended up at a plant sale at Theodore Payne Foundation.  I don’t know why I was looking at native plants.  Perhaps I wanted plants that could handle my hillside without much care, something drought tolerant.  My hillside gets so much wind & sun and grows wild with native shrubbery & cactus. Or, perhaps I was drawn to search for Matilija... 

Read more.. at BeautifulWildlifeGarden

Container Gardening: Summer in Southern California is all about the Water

In Southern California rain is scarce, especially in the hot Summer months. So my thoughts turn to protecting favorite potted plants from too much hot sun and keeping them from drying out. Luckily for me, part of my Topanga Canyon patio enjoys the shade of a large California Oak tree. Every Summer, I move many of my potted plants under its canopy.

Another way I protect my plants is to use Sphagnum Moss as a mulch in the top of my pots. (Canna lilies w/sphagnum moss pic above) The moss works great at keeping moisture in and the soil cool. Plus, it looks pretty! Once I even had a tiny tree frog living in my moss :-)

Summer is time to think about the critters that need water, too. Birds, bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, squirrels.. everybody is thirsty! Birds need to drink and take baths. In Southern California, putting out water for the birds in Summer months is more important than seeds! Pictured above is a small bird bath that I created. I just used a bowl and smooth stones (making it bee friendly). In the center is a Sea Lion sculpture that I got on a trip to Carmel one Summer. My Mother and I had taken a drive up to that lovely town and found this at an outdoor art gallery/garden shop. It was part of a much larger fountain sculpture of an entire sea lion family... all spouting water!

The hummingbird feeder I keep filled, as there is less food for the hummers now that the wildflowers of Spring have stopped blooming. If you have room to plant Cape Honeysuckle, it will bloom all Summer and hummers love it. They also love Bouganvilla and that makes a wonderful privacy screen, as well.

Bees need food and water in the Summer, too. Did you know: they have to fly much greater distances in Summer than in Spring or Autumn to find blooms. One plant you can keep in a pot for them is: Lavender.

Hope your Summer finds you relaxing on your patio with your beautiful Summertime plants and blooms.

Now it is June, and the yellow daisy faces have gone to seed..

Now June is here.  The yellow daisy faces (Bush Sunflower, Encelia californica) that used to greet me on my walk have gone to seed, replaced by the soft yellow of mustard flowers (Black Mustard, Brassica nigra), naturalized long ago from Spain (that grain weed from the "old world").  Normally, I might overlook them, as I commune with the daisies. Yet, they were here all along, waiting to take their place in my focus.

Soon after that, some efficient landowner came and cut down the daisies, the mustards, and all the tall, yellow waving grass in the meadow.  It's the annual "weed clearance time".  I will miss the cheery yellow faces as June ushers in Summer. 

I walk further.  The man who owns this property is not as efficient!  I enjoy his mustards.  I collect his daisy seeds. And I spread them like Johnny Appleseed on my way back home.

Sedum Brings Color Every September

Every September, I look forward to my Sedum blooming faithfully on my deck. It blooms only once annually and always in September. How does it know? It is a welcome first sign of Autumn at my Topanga home when I see the red blooms, every year.

My Buddy in a field of wild Mustard.

Wild Mustard grows throughout the hills of Topanga Canyon. Originally donated by Europeans after a massive CA wildfire in an effort to stabilize hillsides, the Mustard plant decided to make the Santa Monica Mtns its home!