Wintertime Homes for Monarchs

As the month of January comes to a close and folks out on the East Coast are digging themselves out of their first blizzard of the 2015/2016 winter season, I can't help but think how lucky we are to be able to provide winter homes for the west coast Monarch butterflies.

There are many things to do and places to see in So Cal in the winter months -- the Rose Parade in Pasadena comes to mind immediately -- but there are also many surprises awaiting visitors, such as the arrival of orange winged beauties at California Monarch Butterfly Sanctuaries.

Unlike the long journey of East Coast Monarchs, who famously fly thousands of miles across the border into Mexico to overwinter each autumn, there is a lesser-told story of the Monarch butterflies living west of the Rockies who would rather hibernate (overwinter) here on California’s coast than fly all the way to Mexico as their East Coast cousins do.

                    

In late autumn, West Coast Monarch butterflies can be found congregating in any one of California’s Coastal Groves, where they will remain throughout the winter months. There are over 200 different overwintering sites on California’s long coastline, and thousands of western monarchs spend their winters there.

The So Cal Coastal Groves must have the tall Eucalyptus trees, Monterey Pine trees, or Monterey Cypress that the Monarchs prefer for roosting. (Originally, the native Sycamore trees were the favorites of Monarchs; however, most of the old-growth stands of Sycamores gave way to loggers and development, long ago.)

During the months of overwintering (which can be thought of as a sort of hibernating), the Monarchs will not need food.  In fact, they will eat as much as they can during August, Sept & early October, just gorging themselves to stock up for the winter.  It is not food they need in the winter so much as water to drink, and the ocean mist from a well-chosen coastal grove assures them of that.

The west coast monarchs will find each other at the same overwintering groves once selected by previous generations. Somehow they will know where to go, even though they have never been there before. They will hunker down together in the Eucalyptus trees, huddle close together for warmth, and close their wings tight to ward off any chill in the night air as they sleep.

The undersides of Monarch wings are not flashy in color, and this makes their roosts more difficult to spot. Visitors to California’s Monarch Groves will have to crane their heads way up to find the “nests/roosts” of the monarchs in the tall trees. The Monarchs’ familiar bright orange color will be seen again mid-day when they open their wings, leave the roost and fly across the sky, swooping and gliding in warm sunshine. In some Groves, Park Docents have trained telescopes at strategic points, so you can see a cluster of monarchs high up in the trees.  (I found Pismo’s Monarch Grove to be one of the finest for viewing.)

Trained volunteers conduct annual monarch counts around Thanksgiving Day.  Some sites, such as the Pacific Grove Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary (PGMBS), monitor the monarch population more frequently. PGMBS is a wonderful place to learn about the monarchs, as the docents there are very well-informed and happy to share information.  You can also learn more from the exhibits at the Natural History Museum, and stroll through the native plant garden with its butterfly-friendly blooms.

If you visit in January, the monarchs will be readying themselves to leave the roost. There will be fine acrobatics to watch, as the males & females have their last big mating fling. When the monarchs to do leave, they do not leave all at once.  Unlike a migrating flock of birds, Monarchs act as individuals. They decide on their own “where and when” to go, though they will all be gone within days or weeks of each other.  The females will fly off to find Milkweed plants on which to lay her new egg larvae; they will die soon, and the larvae will be the next gen of monarchs left to carry on.  The new generation will know of the Grove and how to find it, even though they have never seen it themselves.  

I remember fondly the sight of orange-winged beauties taking to flight in the cloudless, blue January sky, from my time spent in Central California's overwintering groves a few years back while was traveling. I wish I was there right now. I can just feel them moving on, each on their own journey. And I miss them, like one misses an old friend. If only they could share their stories with me today~

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

California Event: Pismo Beach Monarch Overwintering Site Opens Nov. 1st

California Event: The Pismo Beach Monarch Overwintering Site is opening soon! Check out the event on Nov 1st. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article41318493.html

Easter Sunrise Over the Pacific

                      Easter Sunrise over the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Grove, CA

This picture was taken last Easter, 2013, when I was traveling through the Monterey, CA area.  It was very early on Easter morning, and my honey & I headed to the beach, to a park at Lover's Point.  We didn't expect anyone to be there so early.. it was barely sunrise. 

Surprise! Not only were there people there, but there was a Sunrise Service on the lawn there for Easter! People brought chairs; donuts & coffee was set up; various speakers & musicians were gathered.

What made this all the more of a surprise than even the early congregation, was the fact that I had no idea the sun ever rose over the Pacific! I mean, I have only seen sunsets over the Pacific, as it is always to the west, more or less. At the Monterey Bay, however, it seemed the town of Pacific Grove was located at the south end of the bay, so that facing the Pacific actually meant facing East!  Santa Cruz was directly opposite, on the north side of the bay, so that it would get all the sunsets.

It was a magical sunrise then, as clouds parted to let in the new sun on Easter Sunday~ A magical memory worth revisiting for us.  Wishing you a beautiful Easter, where you live!

Why Not Eat Local AND Eat Native, too?

                                Blue Elderberry (Sambucus caerulea)
                                   Photo courtesy of laspilitas.com

     Reading about the wild, edible native plants of California, got me thinking about the Native Americans of California, how they lived in concert with the land.  They were a part of the land, just like the Bear or the Quail, or the Butterflies.  They took time to look at the skies, to track the movement of the sun, and to observe the gentle changes of the Season—which in So California are so very subtle compared other places in this America.  How different the Native American’s lives were from ours today.. how simple.

     Finding food was obviously a major part of the day, just as it is for all creatures.  They therefore must have used their powers of observation to learn what the land offered, what was possible to eat, and what was not.  Some things turned out to be nutritious or filling and satisfying; others turned out to just be yummy, like the sweet “tuna” fruit that grows on the end of the Prickly Pear Cactus, which is so abundant in the chaparral of So Cal.  Unlike other wild berries, which tended to be sour, tuna would have been a sweet treat!
 

                                                        Golden Currant (Ribes aureum)
                                                        Photo courtesy of laspilitas.com


     It got me to wonder what native berries do we have here in So Cal? I discovered several native berry bushes: Some of the fruit bushes native to Southern California are:
     Blue Elderberry (Sambucus Mexicana)
     Golden Currant (Ribes aureum)
     California blackberry (Rubus ursinus).
These berries would have been an essential part of the native people’s diet.  In my post for BeautifulWildlifeGarden.com, Autumn Harvest, Thankful for the Bounty, I focused on nutritious acorns, nopales (cactus pads) and wild spinach. Foods of sustenance!  But fruit is a vital part of diet, too, both now and then.
 

     You can find these berry bushes right now in a So Cal Native Plant Nursery, and you can add them to your yard, giving you a delectable wild food source.  It is so enjoyable going out and packing fresh fruit from your own garden.  Why not eat local AND eat native?

     I for one have great fun picking nopales pads and cooking them.  For one thing: They are Free.. which stretches the grocery budget.  But also, it is nice to watch the plant grow more fleshy, edible pads than I could possibly eat, and know I am not harming the plant or taking it away from the wildlife that also depend on it for nectar or shelter~

 

Desert Wildflowers of Joshua Tree

A recent trip to Joshua Tree National Park provided me with some wonderful wildflower photo opportunities. I wanted to share some with you. Hope you enjoy! (Click to enlarge photos) 

                  Flowering Cactus, Joshua Tree National Park, CA, Photo by Kathy Vilim

                                 Flowering Creosote Bush, Larrea tridentata, 
                                 Joshua National Park, CA, Photo by Kathy Vilim

                                 Bumblebee on Ocotillo Plant, Fauquieria splendens
                                 Joshua Tree National Park, CA, photo by Kathy Vilim

For more about Joshua National Park, check out my newest post for the Beautiful Wildlife Garden.

For an update on where you can find California wildflowers: http://www.theodorepayne.org/hotline.html

May your Spring be filled with Wildflowers! ~Gypsy Gardener

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..

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..

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

Before Summer Takes the Wildflowers Away

Before Summer takes them all away, I wanted to share with you some Topanga Canyon wildflowers that I photographed in April and  May.

Living in the Santa Monica Mountains, I am able to see these flowers every day on walks with my dog, or hikes on the many trails of the California State Parks, even in my own backyard.

Topanga Canyon, situated in the Santa Monica Mountains just outside Los Angeles, is so magical: you can forget you are outside a large urban sprawl.  I invite my friends up a lot this time of year to hike.  They are always amazed at the flowers they see here that they don't get to see "in town."  While annuals like petunias and begonias and such are cheery and colorful, they are no match for the wildflowers, so alive and free!

Matilija Poppies Romneya coulteri with Purple Showy Penstemon Penstemon spectabilis (above), California Buckwheat Eriogonum fasciculatum (right), Monkey Flowers Mimulus Diplacus aurantiacus (below), Daisies (below), Mustard, Sage, Milkweed, Lupines, CA Poppies .. all cover the hillsides with color in the Spring, delighting us with meadows full of bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and of course blooms!

Gardeners Pick Their “Gold Medal” Favorites

Want to add beauty and wildlife value to your yard? Consider planting natives.

“Perfectly suited to the canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains, orange bush monkeyflower is a pretty, drought-tolerant native that always makes me smile when I run across it. A shy, unassuming plant with yellow-orange blossoms, it is a magnet for hummingbirds. In Southern California, monkeyflower's most common visitors are Anna’s hummingbirds and Allen’s hummingbirds. Also, it is a forage source for common checkerspot and buckeye butterflies. Monkeyflowers do well planted alongside buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), which brings in bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects to the yard or hillside. Monkeyflowers grow naturally on rocky cliffs, hillsides and borders of chaparral.”—Kathy Vilim of Topanga Canyon, California

Original story at NationalWildlifeFederationMagazine