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

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

Happy Easter from Topanga Canyon

Penguins on Quail Egg (left)  Ukrainian Easter Egg- Pysanky (right)

Easter is here: time for me to enjoy these hand painted treasures. Thought I should share them with you.

The Pysanky is an ancient form of Ukrainian folk art. Sometimes the eggs are decorated in lines & geometric designs in which the colors have meanings.  Other times eggs are painted with pictures such as animals, birds, or in the case of the one above: plants.  The eggs are painted using a wax-resistant method or batik.  It requires the use of a special tool called a kistka which is used to design in the wax. Artists are still making the Pysankys today. I have tried my hand and can tell you it is quite an intricate process, involving many layers of wax.

The Quail egg hand-painted with a trio of penguins is another folksy expression of egg art by an artist who exclusively paints animals. Visiting her tiny shop (It is amazing how many eggs you can get into a tiny place) , you are treated to every size egg, from quail to ostrich, painted with any number of animal portraits. She will even custom paint an animal portrait just for you from a photograph, if you like.  

Thanks for enjoying my treasures. Hope you will have a wonderful weekend!

For more on the Pysankys, visit the Ukrainian Museum

Observation in the Wildlife Garden

       Quail Crossing, Topanga, California, Photo by Kathy Vilim

It is morning in Topanga, California.  I go out to my garden, coffee mug in hand.  As I push the wooden screen door open, I am welcomed by the sound of dozens of wings flapping all at once!  A flock of California Quail has taken flight, startled by my arrival.  Wonderful!

I sit and reflect on when I first moved here, when my garden was new.  I had watched the Quail families travel along a path in the back of the garden.. story continues