Surprise in my Flower Pot.

Some time in August we had an organizational zeal: re-planted flowers, added fertilizers, cleaned a few boxes of dried moss, lichen, sticks and rocks and added seeds into our bird feeder. Some spilled soil was scooped back into my hanging flower pot and new things started to grow... first it looked like tall grass, later we recognized millet :), some things grew and were gone before we were able to identify them but my favorites are tiny sunflowers! They came out in early December and are still hanging in there - even though we had some below freezing nights and I stopped watering anything for a while...
Life finds a way :)

May 2012 - Yellow Bush Notes

May 2012 - Yellow Bush Notes, a photo by apple-pine on Flickr.

After a little research I think this bush is Fremontodendron
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fremontodendron

Here is a photo of my sketching process:

March 2012: Treasures

March 2012: Treasures, a photo by apple-pine on Flickr.

Drawing Mosses and Lichens is something I can do for hours... but trail and companions cannot wait that long - so I grab my book and jump ahead. Sometimes it means colors running all over :)

January 2012: Squirrel's Nest

January 2012: Squirrel's Nest, a photo by apple-pine on Flickr.

A few days ago I noticed a rather serious squirrel on my way through the park. It was early morning and all other squirrels were running like crazy. This one though was gathering some dry leaves from under a tree (and that required some digging under frost-covered top layer (yes, we had some frost here is California). Then it would put a good dozen or so leaves in it's mouth and run up the willow tree. And disappear. Then appear again. After I made a few circles around this tree (squirrel kept running back and forth all this time) I found a hollow part of a big brunch which probably will be a home to a new family soon :)

November 2011: Meeting a Ring-Necked Pheasant

November 2011: Meeting a Ring-Necked Pheasant, a photo by apple-pine on Flickr.

I was in the middle of my jog - in a quiet, calm state of mind on a little foggy and wintery colored piece of road by the wetlands. And suddenly this large splash of color walked out of the bush! It had all the looks of someone who owns this whole place and I was allowed to look at him for a while - to be able to identify him later and draw this from photos :)

Point Lobos: Cormorant Carcas, Black Oyster Catcher and Southern Sea Otters

November 2011: Point Lobos, a photo by apple-pine on Flickr.

Our visit started with a blast: a couple of southern sea otters (enhydra lutris nereis) were soaking by the rocky shore in whaler cove. One of them looked very content and calm. Another (a little smaller) was incredibly playful and moving extremely fast: washing his face, scrubbing his back, checking out armpits, splashing water onto paws and chest, wiggling his tail, swimming around and jumping over his calm buddy. I think it was mother and son - based on my personal experience :)

Nearby a very bright-beaked oyster catcher was working on a clam: sliding it between rocks, then hitting it hard and eating his prize piece-by-piece.

I am partial to cormorants since I saw one under water. We saw many that day - but this one was, sadly, dead and dry.

Counting Turkey Vultures

Counting Turkey Vultures, a photo by apple-pine on Flickr.

At dusk a very active shuffling was happening at this tree. We counted 40 birds!

September 2011: Spiders

September 2011: Spiders, a photo by apple-pine on Flickr.

Lots of spider activity around me lately: beginning with early morning visitors and breakfast friends and ending with these - rather extensive nets in the neighborhood. Spider on the photo of the process has a belly length of about 1 inch... I witnessed it at dinner time and I think based on what I saw it will get larger soon :)

September 2011: Great Egret at Lunch

September 2011: Great Egret, a photo by apple-pine on Flickr.

I had a wonderful lunch time - watching great egret hunt for his lunch :) Very patiently, very slowly, then one quick dab and gulping the catch... another wait...

A rather large cormorant popped up a few times but quickly disappeared so all I got of him was a quick note :) 

Here is my phone shot in the process.

Great Book

I recently discovered this wonderful book: Field Notes on Science and Nature
Pictures will tell you much more than words - so I am uploading a few screenshots - but this book is full of both - pictures and words. About insights on taking notes, techniques, reasoning, working in the field and working with notes after field work is done etc. I would recommend at least flipping through it to any sketchbook keeper, note maker, nature observer or anyone who reads and writes. It shows how many people think, look and note. It is also a book that is nice to hold in your hands :)

Counting Bees

August 2011: Hill, a photo by apple-pine on Flickr.

I spent some time next to giant bush which smelled like licorice and had tons of insects. First I was concentrating on the landscape behind it - and then I tried to count all the bees and lady bugs :) Pardon my thick lines and blurry ink - this is a new sketchbook which is full of surprises...

July 2011: Nigella Damascena Seed Pods

July 2011: Morning Walk, a photo by apple-pine on Flickr.

Well, beautiful blue flowers I enjoyed in May are gone - but look at these seed pods!

June 2011: Herons and Egrets Tree

June 2011: Herons and Egrets Tree, a photo by apple-pine on Flickr.

I recently found this amazing alley of trees with dozens of birds nesting. Surprisingly very loudly! I was able to identify egrets and black crowned night herons and enjoyed listening to the conversation for a little while trying to make out where nests were.

June 2011: What I Saw in the Sky Today

June 2011: What I Saw in the Sky Today, a photo by apple-pine on Flickr.

I had a bit of time in the park and decided to keep my head up :) And only man-made things were slow ;)

Tree full of Stag Beetles

Tree full of Stag Beetles, a photo by apple-pine on Flickr.

While taking a stroll in the memorial park (in the middle of the city) I found another female stag beetle and started sketching ;) but in a minute kids were screaming "here! It's bigger, it has horns!" and I saw this oak tree - full of stag beetles of all sizes!

While taking a stroll in the memorial park (in the middle of the city) I found another female stag beetle and started sketching ;) but in a minute kids were screaming "here! It's bigger, it has horns!" and I saw this oak tree - full of stag beetles of all sizes! They were not too happy and I learned that squirt distance is pretty big - but it was worth it ;)

Drawing female Stag Beetle

Drawing female Stag Beetle, a photo by apple-pine on Flickr.

Lucanus cervus - female. We found one and after quick drawing session decided to deposit this wonderful subject far away from the road. On the way back we found a few more - marching towards the road ;)

May 2011: Cornflower

When I first saw this mystery flower:

my first thought was that it's a version of cornflower - and a few days later I found this one to compare :)

May 2011: Cornflower, a photo by apple-pine on Flickr.

May 2011: New Flower Identification Challenge

May 2011: New Flower Identification Challenge, a photo by apple-pine on Flickr.

Another flower I cannot identify.
It has fuzzy stem, leaves and bud that looks as it's inflated and has a pointy end - that's where flower it sticking out. But when flower is gone this little bud-box stays - just becomes a little redder I think. This plant was climbing a tree with just a little help and otherwise occupied quite a territory by spreading vines all over other flowers.

May 2011: What is this flower?

May 2011: What is this flower?, a photo by apple-pine on Flickr.

Another identification challenge!

May 2011: what is this flower?

May 2011: what is this flower?, a photo by apple-pine on Flickr.

I need some help identifying this flower :)

Update: