tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33637300876614674422024-03-07T14:41:56.037-08:00Sitting KnittingGrandma Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01489523959321155220noreply@blogger.comBlogger314125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3363730087661467442.post-69581612859815907722010-12-04T08:22:00.000-08:002010-12-04T08:34:30.219-08:00Fashion Knits<span style="font-family:verdana;">Today's issue of </span><a href="http://www.howtospendit.com/#/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">How to Spend It</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> from the </span><a href="http://www.ft.com/home/us"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Financial Times</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> has </span><a href="http://www.howtospendit.com/#/articles/3279-fashion-shoot-enwraptured"><span style="font-family:verdana;">a great layout of over sized knits</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. While the "luxury lifestyle" is beyond my means, knitting is not. These photos remind me of the </span><a href="http://www.knitrowan.com/patterns/magazine.aspx"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Rowan magazines</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> which I love. I like styles that are innovative, artsy, trendy, and fun to knit. I have finished </span><a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2010/09/can-blocking-save-this-project.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Relax</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> and have picked up </span><a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2009/08/knitting-at-last.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Glade</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> again after a 4-year hiatus. When I left it on holders, I had only knitted 48 rows but I'm a much better knitter now and am finding it much easier to work on than I did originally. I'll post some photos when I get a chance. Check out the photos on the FT site. They are inspiring.</span>Grandma Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01489523959321155220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3363730087661467442.post-76329206205917947262010-10-23T10:19:00.000-07:002010-10-23T10:26:00.266-07:00Negative Tides<span style="font-family:verdana;">It's negative tide season again! Negative tides that happen in the daylight hours, that is. November and December offer some nice afternoon negative tides. Check the <a href="http://www.tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/get_predictions.shtml?year=2010&stn=1455+Los%20Angeles">tide tables</a> and plan your trip to <a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2009/01/abalone-cove.html">the cove</a>. Bring kids and cameras. <a href="http://stoppoachers.blogspot.com/">LEAVE THE WILDLIFE!</a></span>Grandma Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01489523959321155220noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3363730087661467442.post-38091817743543515092010-10-09T09:40:00.000-07:002010-10-09T10:05:54.554-07:00Small Beginnings<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZ0eGClSLdo39PYT9Ur7r8Yvyv3WuVhbtg6TBwBNCDv5ZnL-jVK2g9acj0csQFsoUNjF94ifHRVhnmJSnLyVRsXWDSwR3C8V9NLJ7j6fzg_sOmnQ2CyhwG9JmQuIiJPbkI2h2hBU7c6Wo/s1600/IMG_1004.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZ0eGClSLdo39PYT9Ur7r8Yvyv3WuVhbtg6TBwBNCDv5ZnL-jVK2g9acj0csQFsoUNjF94ifHRVhnmJSnLyVRsXWDSwR3C8V9NLJ7j6fzg_sOmnQ2CyhwG9JmQuIiJPbkI2h2hBU7c6Wo/s400/IMG_1004.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I managed to get some of my <a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2010/10/ready-to-plant.html">new native plants</a> into the ground before the lovely rains came this week. Way in the back is the White Sage, <em>Salvia apiana</em>. Then come the two Black Sages, <em>Salvia mellifera</em>, 'Skylark,' an Ashyleaf Buckwheat, <em>Eriogonum cinereum</em>, and the Coast Buckwheat, <em>Eriogonum parvifolium</em>. The smallest plants are some California Poppies, <em>Eschscholzia californica</em>. (I accidentally stepped on one while I was putting down the mulch, but it doesn't seem to have minded.) The log rounds came from <a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2010/07/tree-therapy.html">my tree that was removed last summer</a>. I wanted to use a non-organic mulch, but there was not much of a selection at the garden centers I went to. The mulch made from old tires looked absolutely ghastly, and smelled awful, too. The Bush Lupine, <em>Lupinus longifolius</em>, is still waiting to be planted. It will go where the <a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2008/10/garden-transformation.html">birch trees used to be</a>. Those overhead sprinklers that you see have been turned off. For now I will hand water the new plants as needed and wait for more rain.</span> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" border="0" alt="Posted by Picasa" align="middle" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" /></a></div>Grandma Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01489523959321155220noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3363730087661467442.post-6976446047438595822010-10-03T09:01:00.001-07:002010-10-03T13:23:21.806-07:00Ready to Plant<span style="font-family:verdana;">I made it to the </span><a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2010/09/native-plant-society-meeting.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Native Plant Sale</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> at the South Coast Botanical Garden on Friday evening and was able to find almost all of the plants on my list. Here's what I got:</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Bush Lupine, <em>Lupinus longifolius</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Black Sage, <em>Salvia Mellifera</em></span> <span style="font-family:Verdana;">'Skylark'</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">White Sage, <em>Salvia apiana</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Coast Buckwheat, <em>Eriogonum parvifolium</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Ashy-leaf Buckwheat, <em>Eriogonum cinereum</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Bush Monkeyflower, <em>Mimulus aurantiacus</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">California Poppy, <em>Eschscholzia californica</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">California Wild Rose, <em>Rosa californica</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I'm so thrilled to have my very own bush lupine. It's beautiful! I bought two of the 'Skylark' <em>Melliferas</em>, which have a deeper purple flower, and the <em>apiana</em> for its gray-green foliage and because it is such an interesting plant. The Coast Buckwheat is the plant that the <a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2008/06/el-segundo-blue.html">El Segundo Blue Butterfly</a> lays its eggs on. (I can hope, can't I?) The Monkeyflower was an afterthought to add some yellow color, along with the poppies. I bought the wild rose on a whim and now I don't know where to put it. The roots can be invasive I'm told. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">What I didn't get were:</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Miniature Lupine, <em>Lupinus bicolor</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">California Gooseberry, <em>Ribes Californicum</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">California Everlasting, <em>Gnaphalium californicum</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">They had some gooseberries, but not this one and the ones they had did not suit my purpose. I was really surprised they didn't have the <em>Gnaphalium</em>, I thought it was rather common. But maybe you find it more in drier inland areas. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Along with all these lovely plants, I bought the <a href="http://www.rsabg.org/">Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden</a> book on the <a href="http://cnps.org/store.php?crn=52&rn=365&action=show_detail">Care and Maintenance of Southern California Native Plant Gardens</a> by O'Brien, Landis, and Mackey, a treasure trove of information and well worth the $30 price. The book includes tips on planting, pruning, watering, pest control, just about everything you need to know but geared towards native plants. It's full of information you just can't find elsewhere. Rancho Santa Ana will be having their own <a href="http://www.rsabg.org/component/content/article/47-plant-sales/469-fall-plant-sale">plant sale in November</a> (mostly natives), and their Grow Native Nursery will open November 10.<br /><br />I am hoping that the really hot weather is over because I want to get these plants into the ground. I'll keep you posted on my progress.<br /></span>Grandma Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01489523959321155220noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3363730087661467442.post-32488750687552272442010-09-29T20:29:00.000-07:002010-10-06T09:29:44.687-07:00Can Blocking Save This Project?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcB8pNSu3xahZIPlO1gXAOwKmkw-xfn5ACD4VaOGFW3aREfeAt483XQ0LbgX5eDT5OHsj5-qiRq6WL7bmhZxMVoawBDjX0cQ6F247-6vgwR3EtBQ46sb_70NNBMeqhoyhVBacz1EXqDjWn/s1600/IMG_0834b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522543919292154530" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcB8pNSu3xahZIPlO1gXAOwKmkw-xfn5ACD4VaOGFW3aREfeAt483XQ0LbgX5eDT5OHsj5-qiRq6WL7bmhZxMVoawBDjX0cQ6F247-6vgwR3EtBQ46sb_70NNBMeqhoyhVBacz1EXqDjWn/s400/IMG_0834b.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">What happened? I've never had a knitting project come out so misshapen. I followed the directions carefully and my stitches are usually very even. I have ripped this project back twice already and it looks like I may have to do it again. The pattern is from </span><a href="http://www.knitrowan.com/patterns/Rowan-Knitting-and-Crochet-Magazine-47.aspx"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Rowan Magazine No. 47 </span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">and the yarn is pure silk </span><a href="http://www.calyarn.com/colorcardpages/reynoldsmandalay-cc.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Mandalay by Reynolds</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. The name of the pattern? </span><a href="http://www.kangaroo.uk.com/pattern/2752/2654.php"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Relax</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. Hmmm... Rowan's yarn for this project is only 70% silk and 30% cotton. It's called Summer Tweed. Could the type of yarn have something to do with it? I read on the Internet that silk blocks well, but I think I would rather start again with fresh yarn.<br /></span><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizUCX8tr0TFRxcKjsAU-_j4hTft8jS2oCpLqIGSgExbY7gKMJuB_fOr4zvhHFN-IS9SwypxgsZaasxp4-YdmYfyLK4LHpS4Jxl2WXKxAsoYMWYrpkdA6oNjW65SUzwxPPRuTc11EA5thD5/s1600/IMG_0837b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522543911325092946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizUCX8tr0TFRxcKjsAU-_j4hTft8jS2oCpLqIGSgExbY7gKMJuB_fOr4zvhHFN-IS9SwypxgsZaasxp4-YdmYfyLK4LHpS4Jxl2WXKxAsoYMWYrpkdA6oNjW65SUzwxPPRuTc11EA5thD5/s400/IMG_0837b.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">This little shrug knitted up in a flash. It's made from some hand-painted yarn I bought while on vacation in Northern Pennsylvania this summer. It's a mohair bouclé called Forever Annie. (Love the name.) The company is called </span><a href="http://www.handmadeinthehills.com/deb/Welcome.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Handmade in the Hills</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> and is owned by Deb Schildt. Check out her website. She has some very interesting stuff. The pattern, Shrug This, came from the book, </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/One-Skein-Wonders-Judith-Durant/dp/1580176453/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1286380939&sr=1-1"><span style="font-family:verdana;">One Skein Wonders</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, by Judith Durant.<br /></span><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfd_YBWs8wq-2WCQ82zl4IR4cQuMlm2RNMheLTDTmy3HMq4SmkbxvpzmKZwMDJSHqo2-htjHFDp4glKIu7llbs83HJUJHhd7wzkXwsGIULiG5yMaCdFio9M7dlkwGPsyZnfrXsGdSV26yv/s1600/IMG_0838b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522543906794794834" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfd_YBWs8wq-2WCQ82zl4IR4cQuMlm2RNMheLTDTmy3HMq4SmkbxvpzmKZwMDJSHqo2-htjHFDp4glKIu7llbs83HJUJHhd7wzkXwsGIULiG5yMaCdFio9M7dlkwGPsyZnfrXsGdSV26yv/s400/IMG_0838b.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> Last but not least, here is the finished <a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2009/08/knitting-at-last.html">Bam Boo Tank</a> from CEY's Make it Modern. It was done in a hand-painted yarn also called </span><a href="https://www.shopatron.com/products/productdetail/part_number=YRNHA-1122/703.0"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Ambrosia by Knit One Crochet Too</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. And the name suits it perfectly. At 70% baby alpaca, 20% silk, and 10% cashmere, it is heavenly soft—one of the nicest yarns I have worked with. I have one hank left so I will have to search for a pattern for it. Maybe something for Baby M.<br /></span><br /><div></div></div></div>Grandma Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01489523959321155220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3363730087661467442.post-44715708762465507992010-09-19T13:48:00.000-07:002010-09-19T20:29:11.044-07:00Fall Butterflies and Other Insects<span style="font-family:verdana;">On a walk through Oak Canyon last week I found so many new plants and new butterflies to identify, that it has kept me busy for several days. The frustrating thing is that for several of the butterflies, there were two, sometimes three species so similar that only dissection would be able to tell them apart. And we don't do that. We just take photos.<br /></span><br /><em></em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVk_V2MfIAjvbF61zLokmTHSb06LZ0zb_0ESX8ILkvFIY2iJSorR5iw_jNFqt2d2kfcPWaM4lIhyFP2p1-eMg1O5ZKp-SbWBCnwZz_7aidS3KaFE5o3E3iBvphi96R-Fq9bBFNH2cwlyqC/s1600/IMG_0523b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518729983427643362" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVk_V2MfIAjvbF61zLokmTHSb06LZ0zb_0ESX8ILkvFIY2iJSorR5iw_jNFqt2d2kfcPWaM4lIhyFP2p1-eMg1O5ZKp-SbWBCnwZz_7aidS3KaFE5o3E3iBvphi96R-Fq9bBFNH2cwlyqC/s400/IMG_0523b.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Mournful Duskywing, </span><a href="http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/lepidopt/hesper/mourn.htm"><em><span style="font-family:verdana;">Erynnis tristis</span></em></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, likes oaks and there are plenty of oaks at Oak Canyon. After careful examination of this one, I eliminated <a href="http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/lepidopt/hesper/funereal.htm">Funereal Duskywing</a> because mine doesn't have any pale patches above the white fringe.<br /></span><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89PaZQYAYT2BXihjjVQdiovx2CuUTIA9Svj8cxL5CUrlpYum2AYAtHFLJlLdo9Mjz-HQhyphenhyphenmiVFS9Awy90cLwQXSCiy-aNrvd97CIlG2_LF836pvEfB9Jpj-K3MAPxw8BSJSF0COARR1Gu/s1600/IMG_0549b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518729982510663874" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89PaZQYAYT2BXihjjVQdiovx2CuUTIA9Svj8cxL5CUrlpYum2AYAtHFLJlLdo9Mjz-HQhyphenhyphenmiVFS9Awy90cLwQXSCiy-aNrvd97CIlG2_LF836pvEfB9Jpj-K3MAPxw8BSJSF0COARR1Gu/s400/IMG_0549b.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">This is a Mormon Metalmark, but whether it's <em><a href="http://mamba.bio.uci.edu/~pjbryant/biodiv/lepidopt/Riodinidae/Apodemia%20mormo%20mormo.htm">Apodemia mormo mormo</a></em> or <em><a href="http://mamba.bio.uci.edu/~pjbryant/biodiv/lepidopt/Riodinidae/Apodemia%20virgulti.htm">Apodemia mormo virgulti</a></em> I can't tell. This butterfly lays its eggs on Buckwheat but the one in the photo is nectaring on a Sweet Bush, <em>Bebbia juncea</em>. You can see his proboscis going down into the flower. </span></div><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC4iBRuGuV89bA51_fQO_EopgfZxS5p7CLFa-hKjL9X3sn6qpUTPDXkY4PSJDjKv-hU7Oy2BLCpgzgdL31BSD0rtJ3sojnP0hxl4tOIOl-NSrahRZMnWq8r2q99exdH2HHOCOH_L31R9lX/s1600/IMG_0621b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518729737046494178" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC4iBRuGuV89bA51_fQO_EopgfZxS5p7CLFa-hKjL9X3sn6qpUTPDXkY4PSJDjKv-hU7Oy2BLCpgzgdL31BSD0rtJ3sojnP0hxl4tOIOl-NSrahRZMnWq8r2q99exdH2HHOCOH_L31R9lX/s400/IMG_0621b.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Vivid Dancer, </span><a href="http://mamba.bio.uci.edu/~pjbryant/biodiv/odonata/Argia.htm"><em><span style="font-family:verdana;">Argia vivida</span></em></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, (</span><a href="http://southwestdragonflies.net/damsels/2_Zygoptera.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">California? Aztec?</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">) mating. Anyway, the male is the pretty blue one. You have to look closely to see the female. Getting this shot was tough because the wind was blowing and I didn't want to disturb them. As it is, they flew off still hooked together (like </span><a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2010/01/amazing-monarchs.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Monarchs</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">?) before I could really get a good focus on them. Interestingly, the nymphs of these damselflies will </span><a href="http://creagrus.home.montereybay.com/VividDancer.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">live through the winter</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> in the muck at the bottom of the year-round running stream at the canyon.<br /></span><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoRbf-yhkMU0fo40OgNLgwzKmKOYp0A37i33LxTXFXQ5TFiBPt4geO6nvk5e4hd-Hg6El3MNZ-YGUlPOy4NzjW9RRekjl9rfQ0kZSQYt1CTyq81NKXByC-JTS60x9b28NJrY2eSy_qIewZ/s1600/IMG_0639b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518729726810956290" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoRbf-yhkMU0fo40OgNLgwzKmKOYp0A37i33LxTXFXQ5TFiBPt4geO6nvk5e4hd-Hg6El3MNZ-YGUlPOy4NzjW9RRekjl9rfQ0kZSQYt1CTyq81NKXByC-JTS60x9b28NJrY2eSy_qIewZ/s400/IMG_0639b.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Woodland Skipper, </span><a href="http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/lepidopt/hesper/woodland.htm"><em><span style="font-family:verdana;">Ochlodes sylvanoides</span></em></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, nectaring also. Similar species include the </span><a href="http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/lepidopt/hesper/umber.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Umber Skipper</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> and </span><a href="http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/lepidopt/hesper/rural.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Rural Skipper</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. I don't think it is the Rural, so it's either Woodland or Umber. What's a skipper anyway? The name comes from their skipping flight patterns. Skippers generally have larger bodies and are not as colorful as true butterflies, but they do have clubbed antennae, unlike moths. And the club can have a hook at the end. The Duskywing above is also a skipper. Fred Heath in his </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Southern-California-Butterflies-Heath/dp/087842475X/ref=sr_1_1?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1284950792&sr=8-1"><em><span style="font-family:verdana;">Introduction to Southern California Butterflies</span></em></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> says that skippers are very difficult to identify. He likens them to the "empids" in the bird world, all those confusing little flycatchers. Well, that makes me feel a little better. I still have trouble with the empids after 18 years of birdwatching.<br /></span><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXE_0sp69ibRmqRdEbiGvpL4A1hADYUTJ7JV8yDOwqd9PGuwCROE_8E_gbwXyDZHFbp8ErgAP1N7b8WNX0qpmP-SrEzP6o3moU-QhhTAzWcLMhmhCcaQHDgYIcviiO8NoTzyo3njPpqriX/s1600/IMG_0642b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518729718889350450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXE_0sp69ibRmqRdEbiGvpL4A1hADYUTJ7JV8yDOwqd9PGuwCROE_8E_gbwXyDZHFbp8ErgAP1N7b8WNX0qpmP-SrEzP6o3moU-QhhTAzWcLMhmhCcaQHDgYIcviiO8NoTzyo3njPpqriX/s400/IMG_0642b.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Lorquin's Admiral, </span><a href="http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/lepidopt/nymph/lorquin.htm"><em><span style="font-family:verdana;">Limenitis lorquini</span></em></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, likes Willows, although here you see it on an oak. This one I am sure of. The only other butterfly it resembles on top (dorsal) is totally different underneath (ventral). That is the </span><a href="http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/lepidopt/nymph/Adelpha%20californica.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;">California Sister</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. Luckily, I got a good shot of the underneath.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">But I have learned that to get really good photos of butterflies, I will need some more equipment to go with my macro lens. In order to stop the motion and increase the depth of field, I need to use a flash. I'll have to look into it, although I wonder what the Dancers would have done if a flash had suddenly gone off in the middle of things.<br /></span><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div>Grandma Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01489523959321155220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3363730087661467442.post-4167318640375990872010-09-15T13:40:00.000-07:002010-09-15T16:52:07.581-07:00Native Plant Society Meeting<div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2RkZvhR1Bp20UHUuFHQSRvTQt8907yXnsaQfcn7rpLhY8T-wVuJrCPyEf029JGdBlb_srNYOYY6sI0o08ZP-kScV8cjORp7oimIBmYqt1mGLA677J4JhM2HzfZ4nVWJ5-KC3I4xcUkkSH/s1600/IMG_0476b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517243344604839842" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2RkZvhR1Bp20UHUuFHQSRvTQt8907yXnsaQfcn7rpLhY8T-wVuJrCPyEf029JGdBlb_srNYOYY6sI0o08ZP-kScV8cjORp7oimIBmYqt1mGLA677J4JhM2HzfZ4nVWJ5-KC3I4xcUkkSH/s400/IMG_0476b.jpg" /></a> <div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Seaside Daisy, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Erigeron</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Glaucus</span> 'Wayne Roderick'</span></div><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I went to the meeting of the </span><a href="http://www.sccnps.org/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">South Coast Chapter of the California Native Plant Society </span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">on Monday evening. It was held at the </span><a href="http://www.southcoastbotanicgarden.org/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">South Coast Botanical Garden </span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">on <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Palos</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Verdes</span>. The meeting was all about the upcoming native plant sale which will take place on October 2<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">nd</span> at the garden. </span><a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2008/12/mighty-oaks.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Tony Baker </span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">and Ric <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">Dykzeul</span> were on hand with sample cuttings to tell us about the natives that would grow well in our area. The aroma in the room was wonderful! I was pleased to note that I was familiar with about 80% of the plants on display and many of the ones I was not familiar with were <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">cultivars</span> or hybrids. In all, they had about 35 to 40 plants represented.<br /><br />After the meeting, Tony told us we could take any of the samples we wanted <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">because</span> they were just going to toss them. So I helped myself to a few, stuck them in water when I got home and took photos.<br /></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQvkggohfu812vuSEfhu9oxo09ypLY0UpvEQ2_AQDoFvL2TKWeuWktHLI7Fy1lE797bRjbEP55Sszm4K94gA3v8IosxNpCFaOBl1V97I-MLzQ7QPACo2wRlw85WwidL9yG0lkJC5FXBn1G/s1600/IMG_0452b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517243339311321154" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQvkggohfu812vuSEfhu9oxo09ypLY0UpvEQ2_AQDoFvL2TKWeuWktHLI7Fy1lE797bRjbEP55Sszm4K94gA3v8IosxNpCFaOBl1V97I-MLzQ7QPACo2wRlw85WwidL9yG0lkJC5FXBn1G/s400/IMG_0452b.jpg" /></a> <div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Red Flowering Currant, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">Ribes</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">sanguineum</span> var. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">sanguineum</span><br /></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilKWVQWAWCkmEXRNmbY8DI44zS1hio8Xasf3varVv5gsXre1RR3BReH_YvCoyj2Wt3yHh-UK6mjopxgOBHA1Pf00oGxE1OrJjMqqG_o1yRoe4uiDvOnP9-SCAJvfhI1hBBfW6I31pegsB0/s1600/IMG_0458b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517243328418971922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilKWVQWAWCkmEXRNmbY8DI44zS1hio8Xasf3varVv5gsXre1RR3BReH_YvCoyj2Wt3yHh-UK6mjopxgOBHA1Pf00oGxE1OrJjMqqG_o1yRoe4uiDvOnP9-SCAJvfhI1hBBfW6I31pegsB0/s400/IMG_0458b.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Black Sage, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">Salvia</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">melifera</span> 'Skylark'<br /></span></div></div><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I hope to get one of these Black Sages called 'Skylark' for my </span><a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2010/07/tree-therapy.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">new native plant garden</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. There will be a preview for members of the Botanical Garden and/or the Native Plant Society on Friday evening October 1st. If I couldn't make the Friday preview, I was told to come early on the 2<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error">nd</span> because the plants go fast.</span>Grandma Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01489523959321155220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3363730087661467442.post-63695473926908395792010-08-02T11:33:00.000-07:002010-08-02T14:07:27.988-07:00Butterflies, Bumble Bees, Bugs, and Spiders<span style="font-family:verdana;">My new macro lens has opened up a whole new world for me. While out taking photos of native plants, I have come upon all sorts of insects, many that I would normally pass by without a thought. With all my new lenses, I'll take a photo of a bug and then when I get home, I'll marvel at the detail in the photo. Then I'll search the web for information on the insect and in doing so, I have discovered all kinds of new things.</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt2u2Ze-bbUUyKoPgdZE5J9HscFO_fCa1nHcxIz7RmFTjVZh4zikQHRtxaAD12PaNznffP-r9kNXoQI4U8e0UFk6zsP53CbEiD_-bXN0HgcuOjN2JDNWixnSRudSeKlzdvaJ5pR0vVITA4/s1600/IMG_7695b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500884080695706690" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt2u2Ze-bbUUyKoPgdZE5J9HscFO_fCa1nHcxIz7RmFTjVZh4zikQHRtxaAD12PaNznffP-r9kNXoQI4U8e0UFk6zsP53CbEiD_-bXN0HgcuOjN2JDNWixnSRudSeKlzdvaJ5pR0vVITA4/s400/IMG_7695b.jpg" /> </a><p align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Gray Hairstreak, <em><a href="http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/lepidopt/lycaenid/hair.htm">Strymon melinus</a></em></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"></p></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">Butterflies are only slightly easier than birds to catch in a photo, but this fellow obliged by sitting still for the longest time. I actually took this shot with the macro and not a telephoto, he let me get that close to him. He was rubbing his hindwings back and forth, a sign he was "nectaring."</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguu8yMjK6RVm7Tpj3zdnAqD9cg1jaNzOtpmwjh9E6efAwCmrETA7WGRKeWehdNxWsxX68lNLJNXT9y6y8F2KuPnvZMnkIUQONvfOlMT6jIBStVgBAbxQGujFFoWBWfIvlYR04Olzw1sHga/s1600/IMG_7667b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500884078717657906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguu8yMjK6RVm7Tpj3zdnAqD9cg1jaNzOtpmwjh9E6efAwCmrETA7WGRKeWehdNxWsxX68lNLJNXT9y6y8F2KuPnvZMnkIUQONvfOlMT6jIBStVgBAbxQGujFFoWBWfIvlYR04Olzw1sHga/s400/IMG_7667b.jpg" /></a> <p align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">West Coast Lady, <em><a href="http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/lepidopt/nymph/wclady.htm">Vanessa annabella</a></em></span><a href="http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/lepidopt/nymph/wclady.htm"> </p></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFMOq_5A8KV5UYA5TsnHb5vS9paZTVZHsvoB7-19XiSUzDTUQ1BdBPnibJzAHgUu5_eKguBoOlxfEUDqpV-JHzlRJUlwzD6uFHiGF6bR4TOWpX8xTJ6kaMDek0TyhfDhVk5yByOIlaNxk8/s1600/IMG_7933b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500883020991798786" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFMOq_5A8KV5UYA5TsnHb5vS9paZTVZHsvoB7-19XiSUzDTUQ1BdBPnibJzAHgUu5_eKguBoOlxfEUDqpV-JHzlRJUlwzD6uFHiGF6bR4TOWpX8xTJ6kaMDek0TyhfDhVk5yByOIlaNxk8/s400/IMG_7933b.jpg" /></a> <p align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">White Checkered-Skipper, <em><a href="http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/lepidopt/hesper/checker.htm">Pyrgus albescens</a></em></span><a href="http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/lepidopt/hesper/checker.htm"> </a></p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHrB1NHGl-SodNnlE9nInmC651fTNOJkySlnvFd7v_CJ71tglqkT8PRKwS2IddcSo7-ESH7lddYKadPtGoaX2j3B-LxnnJ2Yw9hPw5U1I-00fjwb4TD2kwKZ3EbG5uMHDw7JlAs1ugWSGg/s1600/IMG_7946b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500883382316536242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHrB1NHGl-SodNnlE9nInmC651fTNOJkySlnvFd7v_CJ71tglqkT8PRKwS2IddcSo7-ESH7lddYKadPtGoaX2j3B-LxnnJ2Yw9hPw5U1I-00fjwb4TD2kwKZ3EbG5uMHDw7JlAs1ugWSGg/s400/IMG_7946b.jpg" /></a> <p align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Western Pygmy-Blue, <em><a href="http://www.nearctica.com/butter/plate10/Bexile.htm">Brephidium exile</a></em></span></p><span style="font-family:verdana;">This butterfly is tiny! Yvetta alerted me to its presence or else I never would have seen it.</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQyPi_A4iJUb_uHr1syS4AF_bQ_6QN3IaRsOFZdOf3eK-F_OBIyRns2prHYK-sKDofn7VRw-2sOJ57in3aPsQTQ0id5qe-NMXaEeBZviegjUjZu24Um3g0Amr32EP4TgWiKqvwXo1BGW8T/s1600/IMG_7261b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500884085598013874" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQyPi_A4iJUb_uHr1syS4AF_bQ_6QN3IaRsOFZdOf3eK-F_OBIyRns2prHYK-sKDofn7VRw-2sOJ57in3aPsQTQ0id5qe-NMXaEeBZviegjUjZu24Um3g0Amr32EP4TgWiKqvwXo1BGW8T/s400/IMG_7261b.jpg" /></a> <p align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Purple Sage, <em>Salvia leucophylla</em> with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bumblebee">Bumble Bee</a></span></p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTF1WoTFoQ_02-AI3ZA_FMLtiSWiM8E3a6Jt0Go__DmOAKg1r4fPNi_Vzc-yTa3Y02R-RPpHWv-vlErduOiUxQTxcPGNyreXv8MkK3KtkzmLNsmsw3LxJwCltHhkEm6CguSWJLxjilSEjW/s1600/IMG_7635b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500883391319775346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTF1WoTFoQ_02-AI3ZA_FMLtiSWiM8E3a6Jt0Go__DmOAKg1r4fPNi_Vzc-yTa3Y02R-RPpHWv-vlErduOiUxQTxcPGNyreXv8MkK3KtkzmLNsmsw3LxJwCltHhkEm6CguSWJLxjilSEjW/s400/IMG_7635b.jpg" /></a> <p align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Bladderpod, <em>Isomeris arborea</em> with Harlequin Bugs, <em><a href="http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/hemipt/Murgantia.htm">Murgantia histrionica</a></em></span><a href="http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/hemipt/Murgantia.htm"> </p></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">The one on the right is a later nymph (young bug). These are true bugs.</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinpQ4JgKbJzJShDf_5Q2fhAVPR88XkEe01uigUOQUk5NfWlgLt78MALemw5394XVorLkA6faxJqKnYKiZg7KVDlkJIdQw5B8JOiGOSTrbCOfwy9QoGTMskKC33yLHAqUkEd6Zm8_By3JBt/s1600/IMG_7636b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500883394264320082" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinpQ4JgKbJzJShDf_5Q2fhAVPR88XkEe01uigUOQUk5NfWlgLt78MALemw5394XVorLkA6faxJqKnYKiZg7KVDlkJIdQw5B8JOiGOSTrbCOfwy9QoGTMskKC33yLHAqUkEd6Zm8_By3JBt/s400/IMG_7636b.jpg" /></a> <p align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Bladderpod, <em>Isomeris arborea</em> with Harlequin Bug eggs</span></p><span style="font-family:verdana;">The little white barrels with two black hoops around (or in this case, one black and one brown) are the eggs. You can see a row of these barrels in the previous photo to the lower left of the bugs.</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8AiVft7V0CKJMTwbt2xF8FynPXwMEUEI06B9ehTCo1ruGLU4Qz9rNCIdb_NeZMnYIke7kDmzUvYM-Ntx2cdP8iPYRW2FhNT-TGFmjl-sZ6M75KWVotVieOUYR0DKMkgwr4och9ZFt4chS/s1600/IMG_8105b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500883007127317922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8AiVft7V0CKJMTwbt2xF8FynPXwMEUEI06B9ehTCo1ruGLU4Qz9rNCIdb_NeZMnYIke7kDmzUvYM-Ntx2cdP8iPYRW2FhNT-TGFmjl-sZ6M75KWVotVieOUYR0DKMkgwr4och9ZFt4chS/s400/IMG_8105b.jpg" /></a> <p align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Silver Argiope, <em><a href="http://nature.berkeley.edu/~stevelew/cbcstuff/common_spiders/big_spi_quilt.html">Argiope argentata</a></em>, with meal</span></p><span style="font-family:verdana;">This spider makes an orb web with shiny, radiating "stabilimenta" (sing. </span><a href="http://www.bugsinthenews.com/stabilimentum_and_some_notions_on%20function.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;">stabilimentum</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">). It was the stabilimenta that caught my eye.</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKt-FsXCdaDFhacQClf50Ubopa8R3PbolPC-9c1mZwrws_jHbjUjVlc7VfnsHxsl7p4MOJOuskM4PgY2BrA2Hoa7oy_jnCsExgKdqzNpGg_nzo9Gl_fQ3hYDqBGwDRQRiRkzje1cM5__Ps/s1600/IMG_8164b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500883018381976786" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKt-FsXCdaDFhacQClf50Ubopa8R3PbolPC-9c1mZwrws_jHbjUjVlc7VfnsHxsl7p4MOJOuskM4PgY2BrA2Hoa7oy_jnCsExgKdqzNpGg_nzo9Gl_fQ3hYDqBGwDRQRiRkzje1cM5__Ps/s400/IMG_8164b.jpg" /></a> <p align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.backyardnature.net/spidsilk.htm">Funnel Web</a> made by a Funnel Weaver Spider (family: <em><a href="http://www.spiderzrule.com/grass.htm">Agelenidae</a></em>) </span></p><span style="font-family:verdana;">I took this photo just because I thought it was unusual (and pretty). It wasn't until my son asked me about it that I discovered that the funnel was created on purpose. The funnel was about two inches in diameter.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#66cccc;">It's a <a href="http://www.backyardnature.net/spidsilk.htm">funnel web</a>, and as you see consists of a flat, horizontal sheet of web that "funnels" into a tunnel-like hole. That hole is where the spider stays. An insect blunders onto the web, inside the hole the spider feels vibrations of the hapless critter on his web, the spider rushes out, bites the insect, and carries it back into the funnel. As the spider grows it adds new layers to the flat web, so you can look at the web and judge how large the spider is. </span><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I'd say this one was pretty large!</span>Grandma Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01489523959321155220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3363730087661467442.post-84395645662066875322010-07-27T18:21:00.000-07:002010-07-27T19:49:07.310-07:00Tree Therapy<span style="font-family:arial;color:#66cccc;">Forests -- and other natural, green settings -- can reduce stress, improve moods, reduce anger and aggressiveness and increase overall happiness. Forest visits may also strengthen our immune system by increasing the activity and number of natural killer cells that destroy cancer cells.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">This quote is from a recent </span><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100723161221.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Science Daily news article</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> about the research done by Dr. Eeva Karjalainen, of the Finnish Forest Research Institute, Metla. But this is not news to a lot of us, especially those trying to live a well-rounded healthy life that includes the right diet and exercise, </span><a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2009/08/vitamin-d-dilemma.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">plenty of sunshine for the vitamin D</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, </span><a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2010/03/standing-tall.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">good posture</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, </span><a href="http://www.marksdailyapple.com/even-if-the-shoe-fits-forget-it/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">going barefoot</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, </span><a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2008/12/hibernation.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">getting to bed soon after dark</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, and other lifestyle changes that mimic the way our paleo ancestors lived. Mark's Daily Apple had an interesting piece on the subject just ten days before this article came out called </span><a href="http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forest-bathing/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Forest Bathing</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">.<br /><br />One wonders if an ocean atmosphere would have the same effect. I've always thought that the salt sea air was the best air you could breathe and "everyone knows" how healthy seafood is. But <a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2008/10/garden-transformation.html">I have always loved trees</a> and have often wondered how I ever found myself living in a desert.<br /><br />Anyway imagine my angst when I recently had to have a 40-year-old tree, a Canariensis pine, removed from my property because it was getting too big, making cracks in the walls between me and my neighbors, not to mention dropping needles in my neighbor's pool and generally making a mess every August. My husband and I had been saying for years that sometime that tree would have to go, I just finally decided that the time was now.<br /><br />It was actually fascinating to watch how the men did it without damaging anything on my property or my neighbors.' Only one guy worked up in the tree, while three others worked on the ground to remove the branches as soon as they fell. After all the side branches were removed, the cutter tied heavy ropes around the remaining trunk in several places with two long ropes extending to the ground at the top and bottom. Then he cut between the ropes. Meanwhile the men on the ground pulled on the top rope to guide the trunk piece down on my side of the wall. The cut piece was caught by the ropes and hit the remaining trunk. From there, they pulled it down to the ground where it could be cut into smaller pieces.<br /></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9ES-KqQIs02o2ZQ94Q0HP8Afzt8ys6Ld9xmfuYZeS1JlVMBQ16ZRH5U22aA4T4hS3_f_VA0k6MBOiS6IzUJVRUPrCE8-ppFFNqfP-yGKuF1xzk3lRK9qmm1stgmr_fBJ0STLHYMA1xrd/s1600/IMG_7370b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498775337381718498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9ES-KqQIs02o2ZQ94Q0HP8Afzt8ys6Ld9xmfuYZeS1JlVMBQ16ZRH5U22aA4T4hS3_f_VA0k6MBOiS6IzUJVRUPrCE8-ppFFNqfP-yGKuF1xzk3lRK9qmm1stgmr_fBJ0STLHYMA1xrd/s400/IMG_7370b.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> I miss the tree, but since it wasn't a California native, it wasn't popular with the birds and local animals although the squirrels did love to eat the cones. But now I will have the opportunity to plant natives that will attract more of the native birds and fauna. </span>Grandma Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01489523959321155220noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3363730087661467442.post-46794468718580276232010-07-18T07:11:00.000-07:002010-07-18T16:01:58.686-07:00Bacteriotherapy<span style="font-family:verdana;">When I casually mentioned "fecal transplants" in </span><a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2010/07/probiotics.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">my post on probiotics</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, I was being slightly facetious. But a recent <em>NY Times</em> article on <em><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/13/science/13micro.html?_r=3&pagewanted=1&ref=science">How microbes Defend and Define Us</a></em> indicates that the concept has been tried in this country and that our </span><a href="http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/hmp/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">body's microbial community</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> is one of the hot topics of the day. According to <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/videoarchive/gutmicrobes/index.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Jeffrey Gordon</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> of Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, "there are ten times more microbial cells in or on our bodies than human cells... and more microbes in our gut than other parts of our bodies." </span>We are all unique, but did you know that our resident bacteria is also unique? </span><span style="font-family:verdana;">People with asthma have a different collection of microbes than healthy people and obese people also have a different set of species in their guts than people of normal weight. Bacteriotherapy, or fecal transplants, takes bacteria from a healthy person and injects them into a sick person's intestines with the intent of curing their disease.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I was introduced to the idea by Dr. Art Ayres at </span><a href="http://coolinginflammation.blogspot.com/2008/11/fecal-transplants.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Cooling Inflammation</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> and the Times article relates many of the things I have already learned on his blog. I found it fascinating that our guts are sterile until birth and that we get many of the bacteria that will be with us for life from our mothers, from our journey through the birth canal and later from her milk.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">And it has been found that bacteria can communicate with each other. Here is a fascinating </span><a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/bonnie_bassler_on_how_bacteria_communicate.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">TED Talk</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> by Bonnie Bassler, the molecular biologist whose team discovered this fact. Her talk is a good introduction to bacteria in general and she also presents an ingenious new approach to antibiotics that gets around the problem of resistance. Using this same technology, scientists eventually hope to promote the good bacteria that make us healthy.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">Everybody wants to find a "cure" for obesity and here is a <em>Nature</em> streaming video by <a href="http://gordonlab.wustl.edu/">Jeffrey Gordon</a> on </span><a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/bonnie_bassler_on_how_bacteria_communicate.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Human Gut Microbes</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> that explores the idea of injecting the intestines of an obese person with bacteria from a slim person, a fecal transplant, to see if that will cause the obese person to lose weight. I don't think the results have been published yet, but it looks promising.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">But fecal transplants are not new science and they are not just for curing obesity. As Konstantin Monastyrsky (I call him the "King of Poop") states on his </span><a href="http://www.gutsense.org/gutsense/flora.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Gut Sense website</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, eastern European countries have been doing this for years.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#66cccc;">The proper way of inoculating the large intestine with fecal flora is called fecal bacteriotherapy. It’s been employed for ages by natural practitioners of Eastern medicine to ward off diarrhea and constipation. Even some allopathic (mainstream) doctors, although not in the United States, aren’t too squeamish about it, because it effectively cures otherwise incurable ulcerative colitis.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Monastyrsky, while not a doctor, has put together an enormous amount of material on matters relating to our digestive system, especially the lower half. I have </span><a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2008/01/causes-of-gerd.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">recommended his book</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fiber-Menace-Constipation-Hemorrhoids-Ulcerative/dp/0970679645/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200243516&sr=1-1"><span style="font-family:verdana;">The Fiber Menace</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, previously.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">So what about probiotics? Can they do any good? After all, they only provide a small amount of the gut flora our bodies need and apparently are short-lived. Ayres says that the probiotics we take settle in the region of the appendix while femented foods foods focus just on bacteria that may act as probiotics for the upper part of the digestive tract. To feed the rest of the gut flora that also influence the immune system (even though that resides in lining of the small intestines) other plant polysaccharides are needed. So Ayres suggests eating a variety of veggies.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#66cccc;">I think that probiotics inhabit the GALT (gut associated lymphatic tissue) region of the intestines, which is a low oxygen region near the appendix. The probiotics are temporary residents that can contribute to shift in the gut flora toward normalcy, but are only a handful of the hundreds of species that are needed for health.</span><br /><br /><a href="http://coolinginflammation.blogspot.com/2010/04/aging-gut-flora.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">He also recommends</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> not being excessively clean and to insure that you come into contact with healthy people and animals. You will benefit from their healthy flora.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#33ccff;"><span style="color:#66cccc;">—you must be optimistic that the bacteria that rub off on you will bring more good than harm. If you are healthy, then pathogens don't matter. If you are immunocompromised, then isolation is needed for survival.</span><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">If you can't get a fecal transplant then be prepared to take months to alter your gut flora for the better using probiotics, prebiotics, and other methods. "Gut flora development takes time and persistence."</span>Grandma Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01489523959321155220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3363730087661467442.post-75960470079819462922010-07-14T13:00:00.000-07:002010-07-14T21:13:25.497-07:00Two Canyon Walks<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioKRl0t8kRM_hlfgLQmw8NEEOOApgJUngigbEL-Kg2B5V50tpCQbPN9uf6ifaYMM7YvXJjxrHKMXHbt-9_opfwE-5WdciDeWky1oWfXcw2QxY5o5HiMqF7hoD0yFP6gEhAtVZdHkR_486o/s1600/IMG_7067b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493855068414214434" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioKRl0t8kRM_hlfgLQmw8NEEOOApgJUngigbEL-Kg2B5V50tpCQbPN9uf6ifaYMM7YvXJjxrHKMXHbt-9_opfwE-5WdciDeWky1oWfXcw2QxY5o5HiMqF7hoD0yFP6gEhAtVZdHkR_486o/s400/IMG_7067b.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">We went on our regular Canyon Walk at </span><a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2010/02/green-season.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Lunada Canyon</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> recently and I also went back to </span><a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2010/04/spring-wildflowers.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Forrestal Preserve</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. The spring plants had pretty much done their thing and the summer plants were coming into bloom. The California Buckwheat, <em><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=3243">Eriogonum fasciculatum</a></em>, above, was abundant, and it's cousin, the Ashyleaf Buckwheat, <em><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=3216">Eriogonim cinereum</a></em>, below, was trying to outdo it. In fact at Forrestal, it seemed to be everywhere, even in places I had not noticed before.<br /></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMHHWaDVHwlWMYDpZ-dIx4aAOhqBpn6DAA497s7-HUvJLE6BdGpZVJe-C_58iNJQgTc_29SjNRPazj0eKO9cMzsMFG8u4Q0GvnuzL_-yo1ImtFkvTz4J4CH-VcBwEitMlva8wMcxbPmoFT/s1600/IMG_7177b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493855072866546242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMHHWaDVHwlWMYDpZ-dIx4aAOhqBpn6DAA497s7-HUvJLE6BdGpZVJe-C_58iNJQgTc_29SjNRPazj0eKO9cMzsMFG8u4Q0GvnuzL_-yo1ImtFkvTz4J4CH-VcBwEitMlva8wMcxbPmoFT/s400/IMG_7177b.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I like to photograph the plants in all of their seasons and under all conditions. The main reason I went back to Forrestal was to see if there was anything left of the lilies (Catalina Mariposa Lily, <em><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=1270">Calochortus catalinae</a></em>) that were so beautiful in April. It has pretty much died back. It looked like </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbExvoL-5JvyhKioqBI8t7pAlxUmJA0Ms5riHCBBlSDCCDLxrbNZAQat9Xem-xqkMWAKsVIIUjVwAKSlbidyQ75ZPy6sxSIdtRg9b2z4c9H3sSvxarOR50-L3XDg9cVoFiT6716CLkYtNi/s1600/IMG_5184b.jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;">this</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> a month ago, and now only a few seed pods remain.<br /></span><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjj-IGn9mHdRHgkoR0m50fkU4FizvGgp9i_zABxUB1wZbHXUG3KE5NidXMlvE0X0wY5kaxQjJ4OpYcflYaqw1zLUv9fNlluwvLgRL4gbWoMu0POgU_fXpyqA10sasMp6ncNCpYeMt8SCFW/s1600/IMG_7224b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493854551152861234" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjj-IGn9mHdRHgkoR0m50fkU4FizvGgp9i_zABxUB1wZbHXUG3KE5NidXMlvE0X0wY5kaxQjJ4OpYcflYaqw1zLUv9fNlluwvLgRL4gbWoMu0POgU_fXpyqA10sasMp6ncNCpYeMt8SCFW/s400/IMG_7224b.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">If you remember, <a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2008/07/july-gloom.html">I have blogged</a> about one particular Bladderpod plant, <em><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=4384">Isomeris arborea</a></em>, at Lunada Canyon before. Here is what it looked like in </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQL-GTvZKWSGsdTggiLguLhu9wshInmJNbvfu81CWppzAibcWGlPQvmMsxZhdXoJEbRlm2vvjf8nHRP-OdbNjTedGhsXHJ9LmY60v5XLemuRsJcPpPHqEGLLz8XMpAXkvfqOT5DV2v17U/s1600-h/Bladderpod-3.jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;">July of 2008</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, and here is what it looks like now, full of pods and new growth. It's holding its own despite all the fog and overcast weather we had in June and early July.</span><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuTtJzqZ6Gj-MSeFywMuHG6Nka8e4vK6XrVxxRAedh4jd3bxHlbdXCcVj776aqypb0BQBa8yYx0XY6QhmaH-RoPDH3wDySFuuvWu1J3CeFensON26MsK5Ow_4lxqL6UFzPACUoGqYeBnzu/s1600/IMG_7095b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493855058600953618" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuTtJzqZ6Gj-MSeFywMuHG6Nka8e4vK6XrVxxRAedh4jd3bxHlbdXCcVj776aqypb0BQBa8yYx0XY6QhmaH-RoPDH3wDySFuuvWu1J3CeFensON26MsK5Ow_4lxqL6UFzPACUoGqYeBnzu/s400/IMG_7095b.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The purple sage, <em><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=7310">Salvia leucophylla</a></em>, however, that was just glorious everywhere this spring, is now looking very sad, indeed. I don't remember the flowers turning black like this before and I am wondering if the foggy weather has caused a mildew to take hold.<br /></span><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTAe0Aob8jg4VqspL1bm25EnbZftNSSrxZzeGdixq_mAV34RnVALWKIasriT37F5hVYuv67JpYmzvCVd66MidLkr5LQqyJ-Flj7yB_BoZKZqoWheM1Fi87mUKbpJVG04W31RO75bUKLzvu/s1600/IMG_7071b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493854558588284546" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTAe0Aob8jg4VqspL1bm25EnbZftNSSrxZzeGdixq_mAV34RnVALWKIasriT37F5hVYuv67JpYmzvCVd66MidLkr5LQqyJ-Flj7yB_BoZKZqoWheM1Fi87mUKbpJVG04W31RO75bUKLzvu/s400/IMG_7071b.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">But a new plant has made an appearance, Tarweed. Yvetta and I puzzled over the species of this one for several days. One of the reasons we had trouble is because there are so many tarplants and the other is because the species is undergoing a name change. I finally decided on Fascicled Tarplant, <em><a href="http://calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=4076">Deinandra fasciculata var. ramosissima</a></em>. It's other name is <em>Hemizonia ramosissima</em>. </span><a href="http://tchester.org/plants/lists/name_changes.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">This link</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> will describe some of the changes taking place in the taxonomy of the plants of Southern Californis and the headaches that this can cause. Calflora uses both names, hemizonia and deinandra, and on one page says the former is the new name and on another, it says the latter is the new name. Oh well, "a rose by any other name... "<br /></span><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZNB6wtCniiHrK6fgkUTo0CiAfYvTqELOnns0x_QASSJ6NkQTKki4vm2eAeUKr3qoYxmdJgJfK6efu0VQntcbZUBmiWlAmg94hTGeyMNm-zqFLBmLXA5Q2ARma3BzyLn5mK10qpv6ojjlF/s1600/IMG_7289b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493854541666809650" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZNB6wtCniiHrK6fgkUTo0CiAfYvTqELOnns0x_QASSJ6NkQTKki4vm2eAeUKr3qoYxmdJgJfK6efu0VQntcbZUBmiWlAmg94hTGeyMNm-zqFLBmLXA5Q2ARma3BzyLn5mK10qpv6ojjlF/s400/IMG_7289b.jpg" /></a><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div>Grandma Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01489523959321155220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3363730087661467442.post-70574937455502934922010-07-13T10:42:00.000-07:002010-07-13T11:54:31.272-07:00Liesegang Rings<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNxtKhvQw-FQoEsWyhv39c-20kgWwc5wZCCGmQ0paBaQJb1EPzuZYMAgRL8khuKXqfDrwhH5vX1L82oFq2W7JRewRmlQfHe2sUlQARswKlrWv-TprPeSQxn1zoyfZR9FSIcxKAFvDLsTz9/s1600/IMG_3180c.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493449042208185602" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNxtKhvQw-FQoEsWyhv39c-20kgWwc5wZCCGmQ0paBaQJb1EPzuZYMAgRL8khuKXqfDrwhH5vX1L82oFq2W7JRewRmlQfHe2sUlQARswKlrWv-TprPeSQxn1zoyfZR9FSIcxKAFvDLsTz9/s400/IMG_3180c.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">After reading my post about </span><a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2010/07/lenticular-clouds.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">lenticular</span> clouds</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Yvetta</span> asked me if I had heard of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">liesegang</span> rings. Well, I thought I had. Maybe it was from her. Anyway, after looking at the links she sent me, I thought of the rocks at </span><a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2009/01/abalone-cove.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Abalone Cove</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. It seemed to me they were full of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">liesegang</span> rings.<br /></span><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaeHXOxa545KACBmnuC7QvxCnQZ9cocxiIMknaEwzYjSF8JQGEhIcTrxaNS8oqfH674xgOrDheCLa9wPBSarLfvRJLpxqLGOA_gGSfH09NKQ_P7WsRmakOplHDNxI-CjG6Ir4IZkOFJFF3/s1600/IMG_3178b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493449034536316354" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaeHXOxa545KACBmnuC7QvxCnQZ9cocxiIMknaEwzYjSF8JQGEhIcTrxaNS8oqfH674xgOrDheCLa9wPBSarLfvRJLpxqLGOA_gGSfH09NKQ_P7WsRmakOplHDNxI-CjG6Ir4IZkOFJFF3/s400/IMG_3178b.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Don't ask me to explain how the rings are formed, I don't remember enough of the chemistry I took years ago and I never took geology. Anyway, I am not sure that the chemists know exactly what causes them either. You are welcome to read the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liesegang_rings"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Wikipedia</span> list of theories</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, and if you understand them, tell me about it. It has something to do with <a href="http://seedsaside.wordpress.com/2008/02/21/liesegang-rings/">periodic precipitation</a>. (More waves? More symmetry.) Let's just enjoy their beauty.<br /></span><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh11hYd6iNu4SlK_HyXIYAazvYmGm7Sn3kYjjTiatygU-71VFdwKSsg4OafDtwFXJFSdwyPAZjdq8Y3aRKHLxhAtG1AKybS2Z3FX5apSYOJmXLTPOHA19GeUCVkjPMb8bClUYD3GbEJOdh0/s1600/IMG_3274c.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493449053697934338" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh11hYd6iNu4SlK_HyXIYAazvYmGm7Sn3kYjjTiatygU-71VFdwKSsg4OafDtwFXJFSdwyPAZjdq8Y3aRKHLxhAtG1AKybS2Z3FX5apSYOJmXLTPOHA19GeUCVkjPMb8bClUYD3GbEJOdh0/s400/IMG_3274c.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIkmlJnfYcIM99CmDuqrtKth_0u2ku9Mwz9-QWZOJp34HEwCCKYT-cwJf-HEL7rMS5O1arWBUo2m1pK-wi8jYuoxPjrCAify8XfIj9fdkNS4yo68RzMbbRTBQrIt2fiz5bwmnB_8Sv3pQH/s1600/IMG_2677b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493448610313773314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIkmlJnfYcIM99CmDuqrtKth_0u2ku9Mwz9-QWZOJp34HEwCCKYT-cwJf-HEL7rMS5O1arWBUo2m1pK-wi8jYuoxPjrCAify8XfIj9fdkNS4yo68RzMbbRTBQrIt2fiz5bwmnB_8Sv3pQH/s400/IMG_2677b.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizo9itceJTxHo4qkWVlynP3PyB6PcPVrtvtLwvLYNLbmIW0lzzK424W3q43sKPsI2c6uI9Ht13Ywhw9qLqB-e0U-d1Gmsu6ZhQzGQeTJg6mbqBtz4FKblWDfNqylsNXwyntpbJdHGZhG1G/s1600/IMG_2676b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493448603574841106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizo9itceJTxHo4qkWVlynP3PyB6PcPVrtvtLwvLYNLbmIW0lzzK424W3q43sKPsI2c6uI9Ht13Ywhw9qLqB-e0U-d1Gmsu6ZhQzGQeTJg6mbqBtz4FKblWDfNqylsNXwyntpbJdHGZhG1G/s400/IMG_2676b.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAxCWKG4P-ILHROBXEmOl_W3Itz7z10-YXJM_YQith44FA3E2iKicahKeDEQOVAyRqJozwxT_7tVcRqMoLkbEDD1qq6DZQPsXeq8lnxLH_KxjeVLYkajPLtgWu6OM7k7SMqWFN5-kLCsXq/s1600/IMG_2674b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493448594211086290" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAxCWKG4P-ILHROBXEmOl_W3Itz7z10-YXJM_YQith44FA3E2iKicahKeDEQOVAyRqJozwxT_7tVcRqMoLkbEDD1qq6DZQPsXeq8lnxLH_KxjeVLYkajPLtgWu6OM7k7SMqWFN5-kLCsXq/s400/IMG_2674b.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Apparently, the "rings" can be textural, too.<br /></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO_vhelGqOpw3aoOmi0jW-cqdAJUw0OyxtyYRRfiml1fHCOqsbQ1UyjgU5LCFWUNHYW1MkZWx3Izcg5w1Y7Zo0ANId4PKq8DGGlwVzVI6mWXSvdTiaCwhEIZw9xwiylAtgghJ9YXlNpFUt/s1600/IMG_2895b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493452771591496066" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO_vhelGqOpw3aoOmi0jW-cqdAJUw0OyxtyYRRfiml1fHCOqsbQ1UyjgU5LCFWUNHYW1MkZWx3Izcg5w1Y7Zo0ANId4PKq8DGGlwVzVI6mWXSvdTiaCwhEIZw9xwiylAtgghJ9YXlNpFUt/s400/IMG_2895b.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy6BW_phwg6ygO2aO3fqkr80LH0PDaL_c0c0ZAnlwFIl2PcHecDhnszjRfKqnCfWW4b9_sJbpjngVyAcYAJUQRZ4YSDlRcYay3UyReHAubdNP9uqSVvKyZFimKPEDYaa_SOQKmCkFScD6I/s1600/IMG_2887b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493452765517724146" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy6BW_phwg6ygO2aO3fqkr80LH0PDaL_c0c0ZAnlwFIl2PcHecDhnszjRfKqnCfWW4b9_sJbpjngVyAcYAJUQRZ4YSDlRcYay3UyReHAubdNP9uqSVvKyZFimKPEDYaa_SOQKmCkFScD6I/s400/IMG_2887b.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhghB7q4QVJNv9sssRrLTZkhbvxCqM7zGAFZPFdJAEAmqQXK-asK0X1VYNt8v5hui6wlRG_H2Z_mx6br8zucuEuJqSF4R2rSd-cwl_9yV1k9nEFpGEQewFvycs4nrfhA_z_mkTJgv7ydQT7/s1600/IMG_2896b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493452450978553954" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhghB7q4QVJNv9sssRrLTZkhbvxCqM7zGAFZPFdJAEAmqQXK-asK0X1VYNt8v5hui6wlRG_H2Z_mx6br8zucuEuJqSF4R2rSd-cwl_9yV1k9nEFpGEQewFvycs4nrfhA_z_mkTJgv7ydQT7/s400/IMG_2896b.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">You may have to click on this photo to see a larger version that makes the rings more apparent.</span><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJsrkuE1A9KbvN3FQuHXmwy_lDycoKcFHMABHrsv2jZUG4mXkUfXAwL7e-zPna7bkHQ6ecDnVWvsnc6luXHlR0SNS_qlxSsxahWO_NmPvlMC4zUCQKCHl3ybbde65t_gsDe7UHXHnww4s/s1600/IMG_3084b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493452443199870642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJsrkuE1A9KbvN3FQuHXmwy_lDycoKcFHMABHrsv2jZUG4mXkUfXAwL7e-zPna7bkHQ6ecDnVWvsnc6luXHlR0SNS_qlxSsxahWO_NmPvlMC4zUCQKCHl3ybbde65t_gsDe7UHXHnww4s/s400/IMG_3084b.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuUPF8lhbtcrxZX_N1C10dlrZ9Wlp6b2XE8rYzFUSN8kDwDJ0nj_L27euGWogsfXg0Go0tXQXi-CsPmhZrIRauOFQYjuk4HyEsuHvcCU3HYlgk99Dqt8CNkfdMNbXunqBEOZMDbFWm-Ocx/s1600/IMG_2903b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493452425347566978" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuUPF8lhbtcrxZX_N1C10dlrZ9Wlp6b2XE8rYzFUSN8kDwDJ0nj_L27euGWogsfXg0Go0tXQXi-CsPmhZrIRauOFQYjuk4HyEsuHvcCU3HYlgk99Dqt8CNkfdMNbXunqBEOZMDbFWm-Ocx/s400/IMG_2903b.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Here is a link to some </span><a href="http://irna.lautre.net/Tout-ce-que-la-nature-ne-peut-pas,150.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">other photos</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"> similar to the ones I am showing here. And finally, there is also this </span><a href="http://www.insilico.hu/liesegang/index.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Hungarian site</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> that tells you more than you ever wanted to know about <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">liesegang</span> rings.</span><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span>Grandma Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01489523959321155220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3363730087661467442.post-76032673279130272922010-07-12T19:17:00.000-07:002010-07-12T20:13:35.062-07:00Those Amazing California Natives<span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHezo7nj8Fu9YIZg6XCzVF0WzgS6IgCXw8QItuaL8p64ykEutOGWSwm3UgBlvYw7HqZoU5GLGJb-drR5rr8NMqCQYqvOeufLTdTFPvm9P7Had_-gNKop_8ajdU-wTptk29g8twB37QIRVY/s1600/IMG_6593b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493210111897534994" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHezo7nj8Fu9YIZg6XCzVF0WzgS6IgCXw8QItuaL8p64ykEutOGWSwm3UgBlvYw7HqZoU5GLGJb-drR5rr8NMqCQYqvOeufLTdTFPvm9P7Had_-gNKop_8ajdU-wTptk29g8twB37QIRVY/s400/IMG_6593b.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">At the end of June, I finally got a chance to hike in Oak Canyon again. Since we have not had significant rain </span><a href="http://bammorgan.blogspot.com/2010/05/003-rain-1467-season-total.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">since May</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, I was expecting to see the plants dried up and dormant for the summer. Imagine my surprise to see the canyon still bursting with blooms! And plants that were not blooming were putting out colorful berries like the Holly-leaf Buckthorn, </span><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=7076"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><em>Rhamnus ilicifolia</em> </span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">above. Other plants had leaf color like this Fuchsia-flowered Gooseberry, </span><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=7145"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><em>Ribes speciosum</em> </span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">below.<br /></span><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwF-2eKNLtqS1otazlLjH2kelwgb_qDwjShggGs_ihr_jdN0IBJgOjNoZqgTwPXiTJOIu0b_rZrqvZ1172qF0MuHGxAMgHd7dWwNW6kx7fGeFAdRPhVMTQmzVYh6Rzxv_T9O308UPMQk3t/s1600/IMG_6695b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493209719575452194" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwF-2eKNLtqS1otazlLjH2kelwgb_qDwjShggGs_ihr_jdN0IBJgOjNoZqgTwPXiTJOIu0b_rZrqvZ1172qF0MuHGxAMgHd7dWwNW6kx7fGeFAdRPhVMTQmzVYh6Rzxv_T9O308UPMQk3t/s400/IMG_6695b.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">It was good to find Fringed Indian Pink, </span><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=10374"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><em>Silene laciniata</em> </span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">blooming just where I found it last year only it seemed like there were many more flowers this year.<br /></span><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1_Xs2oSMF5bIklYt4jZQzj3vqAdZJhQKklpV8MxV0xK9atAFqaiKMq_yIju6vde9cp3siXaEcWr3ksinqKLdi-V0Qy6IViRvCac2ferAh1bfeJ1UCm-2a53nRw-fCZsMFnMybyF15D416/s1600/IMG_6577b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493209715684150386" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1_Xs2oSMF5bIklYt4jZQzj3vqAdZJhQKklpV8MxV0xK9atAFqaiKMq_yIju6vde9cp3siXaEcWr3ksinqKLdi-V0Qy6IViRvCac2ferAh1bfeJ1UCm-2a53nRw-fCZsMFnMybyF15D416/s400/IMG_6577b.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">A new plant for me was this Heart-leaved Bush-penstemon, <em><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=4522">Keckiella cordifolia</a></em>, although I don't know how I could have missed it before. Whole hillsides were covered with it!<br /></span><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaTy3-ReWk_13aXpcW3vOPiuXYR-YKPgWS4wMzda-uUmIkkdpDFNNtZCIqpEd3dO4TxS8P2XwD5IhLVP_l7KwvMCz9fCwHOO4zVjQ8wzn_3Jx9Orf2b0jIKPBxQT91YN-jvxdQ53hy3Goz/s1600/IMG_6681b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493210108968179554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaTy3-ReWk_13aXpcW3vOPiuXYR-YKPgWS4wMzda-uUmIkkdpDFNNtZCIqpEd3dO4TxS8P2XwD5IhLVP_l7KwvMCz9fCwHOO4zVjQ8wzn_3Jx9Orf2b0jIKPBxQT91YN-jvxdQ53hy3Goz/s400/IMG_6681b.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Another new plant I found was this Sacapellote, <em><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=91">Acourtia microcephala</a></em>. There was only one of those, so I am not surprised I haven't seen it before. Sacapellote is the Spanish name for this plant and a concoction made from the roots has been used as a treatment for asthma. It is in the daisy family.<br /></span><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNATJyHFBp1aRaBQjO-rXLiPLsGtw2nauAUTJHqP-1QLNS2jyxIYLhC279TBKGZ5-K7_wAZCNLfIHbGs5xQOLrYgawMrOmG7FQ0YWahvDLl8vcYK95VH7PI-bJnSR58HWFShmmatxy0qh/s1600/IMG_6688b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493209730181844418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNATJyHFBp1aRaBQjO-rXLiPLsGtw2nauAUTJHqP-1QLNS2jyxIYLhC279TBKGZ5-K7_wAZCNLfIHbGs5xQOLrYgawMrOmG7FQ0YWahvDLl8vcYK95VH7PI-bJnSR58HWFShmmatxy0qh/s400/IMG_6688b.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">But the star of the day was the Toyon, <em><a href="http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?where-taxon=Heteromeles+arbutifolia">Heteromeles arbutifolia</a></em>. Toyon was everywhere and in full bloom. In December, all those white flowers will have turned into red berries. Spectacular!<br /></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTZjevfdwY5QF9UgKqd3Jpel42E4Btv017vScvMFGePAyDsKFCd2qvvfpyti-YVUBF5FPJYIHeMmOVnB4O8uRhR_1APc9qZO3g_rCpwv1hKPuaAv0zwtOeVIhbjEm6SfvFR4MjMaWzqQlv/s1600/IMG_6691b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493210120398986434" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTZjevfdwY5QF9UgKqd3Jpel42E4Btv017vScvMFGePAyDsKFCd2qvvfpyti-YVUBF5FPJYIHeMmOVnB4O8uRhR_1APc9qZO3g_rCpwv1hKPuaAv0zwtOeVIhbjEm6SfvFR4MjMaWzqQlv/s400/IMG_6691b.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div>Grandma Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01489523959321155220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3363730087661467442.post-89215228281800599852010-07-11T20:28:00.000-07:002010-07-12T07:54:42.600-07:00Lenticular Clouds<span style="font-family:Arial;color:#33ccff;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjmeFd5xHr_ZCZpqXd93sR8ZaefpkKoSwDRllYu1xAw9AwxVBUNj8U-PePpnmqHn0bpyi2Ct4Z5flitfc10AGO9FI1MvWk26DCi2k61kWuhKTPS1i1GssXmyF9yDjR0XTnbYRo0U7fUmf/s1600/IMG_6516b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492856720186221794" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjmeFd5xHr_ZCZpqXd93sR8ZaefpkKoSwDRllYu1xAw9AwxVBUNj8U-PePpnmqHn0bpyi2Ct4Z5flitfc10AGO9FI1MvWk26DCi2k61kWuhKTPS1i1GssXmyF9yDjR0XTnbYRo0U7fUmf/s400/IMG_6516b.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Some time ago, Yvetta sent me an email of photos of </span><a href="http://www.komonews.com/weather/blog/35631614.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">lenticular clouds over Mt. Ranier</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. That was the first I had ever heard of such clouds. But last month when my son, his family, and I were in the Sierras for a vacation, we were lucky to see these clouds from our condo. They were very strange and very beautiful. They seemed almost stationary and I took several photos as the evening progressed and the sun set.</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibLMLNbHrZp1PguEcrgFn_cNZO0VhACyaFKXxMO7NxCJKkAz_PLz2ikIlEJQXj2leZejXCbS4rgfm2hUtv2NseD1Tl5PeorCV6esfV27QiLKlAI0GsZxy_PkpBxO6wTqjsSWJ0fNU62NkJ/s1600/IMG_6530b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492856722259632770" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibLMLNbHrZp1PguEcrgFn_cNZO0VhACyaFKXxMO7NxCJKkAz_PLz2ikIlEJQXj2leZejXCbS4rgfm2hUtv2NseD1Tl5PeorCV6esfV27QiLKlAI0GsZxy_PkpBxO6wTqjsSWJ0fNU62NkJ/s400/IMG_6530b.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Lenticular clouds are usually formed at high altitudes over mountains. The name lenticular comes from the lens shape these clouds sometimes take. In fact, many have been mistaken for UFOs. But they also frequently form layers such as these due to some very complicated wind patterns.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#33ccff;"><span style="color:#66cccc;">These clouds are named "lenticular" because they are lens shaped. Strong wind passing over a high mountain produces standing waves in the air above and somewhat downwind of the mountain. If the air is moist, changing pressure (compression followed by decompression) in these waves results in condensation making the shape of these standing waves visible. Their formal name is: "altocumulus standing lenticularis" meaning a high heap of lens shaped clouds formed by a standing wave. Pilots of powered planes and pilots of sail planes (gliders) are particularly interested in "lennies" as they are not only associated with high wind but also vertical wind. They are usually avoided by power plane pilots because of the turbulence but are sought by glider pilots for the rapid vertical lift they give. Some physicists, including the author, think that standing waves are the basic building block of matter and thus the universe. Hence my fascination with lenticular clouds as they give me a visual demonstration of how matter is formed. </span><br /><a href="http://www.ohauvillage.co.nz/lenticular.html"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;color:#ffff66;">D. Mayo, at Lake Ohau, NZ.</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;color:#ffff66;"></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I've always been intrigued by standing waves because violin strings vibrate in standing waves. If you Google "lenticular clouds," you can find some strikingly beautiful photos such as those </span><a href="http://www.odditycentral.com/pics/beautiful-lenticular-clouds.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">here</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, </span><a href="http://www.thelivingmoon.com/43ancients/02files/Cloud_Images_Lenticular_01.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">here</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, and </span><a href="http://www.southernskyphoto.com/planet_earth/lenticular.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;">here</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">.<br /></span><br /><div></div>Grandma Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01489523959321155220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3363730087661467442.post-31140946394973546172010-07-11T11:29:00.001-07:002010-07-11T11:39:51.790-07:00My Dream Doctor<span style="font-family:verdana;">I just had to post one more <a href="http://coolinginflammation.blogspot.com/2010/01/cure-for-middle-aged-middle.html">comment from Dr. Ayres</a>:<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#66cccc;">I have been trying to come up with approaches to regulation of gut flora and biofilms, but there are problems. First is the lack of information. Second is the potential power of modifications. And third is the susceptibility of people with dysfunctional GI tracts to further damage by rapid alterations of gut flora. We already know that gut flora can be very inflammatory and that is exacerbated by any disruption of the gut flora. Thus, a quick fix for the gut flora could initially be highly inflammatory and exacerbate existing symptoms.<br /><br />This means that manipulation of gut flora should be a medical specialty requiring training, expertise and support from the rest of medicine. That is reasonable, because of the dominant role of gut flora and biofilms in disease and health. Unfortunately, diet is the major regulator of gut flora and there is no money in diet compared to drugs. The good news is that the study of the gut flora is getting increasing attention by molecular biology and that may force changes as the opportunity for marketing analysis of gut flora becomes a reality. Imagine a dip stick that can be read by an iPhone attachment to make dietary recommendations to reduce inflammation -- "I noticed that you slipped in some grain on Thursday." </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Wouldn't that be nice? Wouldn't it be nice to have a doctor that understands what the underlying cause of your problem is? Wouldn't it be nice to have a doctor that recommends dietary and/or lifestyle changes first before taking out his/her prescription pad? Wouldn't it be nice to have a doctor that could guide you through the process of changing your gut flora or re-establishing your gut flora after meds so that you don't have to stumble around in the dark, trying this and that and suffering the consequences when you get it wrong or overdo it? Maybe my grandchildren will be lucky enough to have such a doctor.</span>Grandma Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01489523959321155220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3363730087661467442.post-81508720231675845582010-07-10T08:55:00.001-07:002010-07-10T09:02:12.727-07:00Blog Update<span style="font-family:verdana;">If you have been checking my blog over the past week, you may have noticed that I am working on the design. I chose a new template that I like very much but would like to use my own photos as a background. I don't have it just the way I want it yet, so things may continue to change for awhile. I finally got the photo to stop scrolling with the text and not to tile, at least on my big computers anyway. Things still aren't working right on the iPhone. Please bear with me.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">I am also working on the post on probiotics and hope to have it up soon. I am still researching it and I keep finding new things to talk about. It's a complex subject.</span>Grandma Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01489523959321155220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3363730087661467442.post-80103994464772873892010-07-09T12:41:00.000-07:002010-07-10T12:59:58.730-07:00Probiotics<span style="font-family:verdana;">As I mentioned in my </span><a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2010/07/more-on-gerd.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">previous post</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, Chris Kresser outlines </span><a href="http://thehealthyskeptic.org/get-rid-of-heartburn-and-gerd-forever-in-three-simple-steps"><span style="font-family:verdana;">three steps</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> for getting rid of acid reflux, GERD, and many other digestive problems. Step 1 is to "reduce the factors that promote bacterial overgrowth and low stomach acid." This is achieved by a basically low-carb and low fiber diet. The </span><a href="http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Specific Carbohydrate Diet</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> and its offshoot the </span><a href="http://www.gapsdiet.com/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">GAPS Diet</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> are not really low carb, but they are very helpful for people with digestive problems who need help switching to low-carb. Many people think the changes that the GAPS diet makes to the original SCD are very beneficial, like going easy on dairy in the beginning. I myself started with the SCD six years ago and started tweaking it to a lower carb diet almost from the start. Too much honey! And too much dairy!</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">After about a year, I found the </span><a href="http://www.proteinpower.com/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Eades's Protein Power</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> diet. Their book, </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446678678/qid=1148257855/sr=1-3?s=books&v=glance&n=283155"><span style="font-family:verdana;">The Protein Power Lifeplan</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> is still the first book I recommend to friends and family because again they give very good advice on making the transition from a standard American diet (SAD) to a low-carb diet. Also, between them, the Eades have treated thousands of people and have seen the results of their diet suggestions. They are not just theorists. Along with the Eades, I found and read a lot about the </span><a href="http://paleodiet.com/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Paleo Diet</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> and incorporated some of their tenets into my nutrition plan. All of this I have blogged about before, so let's move on to Step 2.<br /><br />Step 2 is to "replace stomach acid, enzymes and nutrients that aid digestion and are necessary for health." This was the stumbling block for me because, as I related in my previous post, I was afraid to try the HCl with Pepsin. Once I did, I had immediate and complete relief of my symptoms of cramping, heart-pounding, and palpitations after a meal. I have also been taking enzymes towards the end of a meal and they seem to help stop the bloating and gas.<br /><br />So that leaves Step 3, "restore beneficial bacteria and a healthy mucosal lining in the gut." And here again I have had problems. Even though one enlightened doctor I saw recently told me that you can't overdo the probiotics (he was talking in relation to re-populating the gut with good bacteria after taking a round of antibiotics), I have found that I need to be careful. Sometimes when I have used probiotics, my symptoms would get worse and I couldn't tell if it was the probiotic that was causing the trouble or not.<br /><br />Most everyone, when you say probiotics, thinks yogurt. And yogurt, especially a good Greek-style yogurt or one that is made from raw milk (and of course, we're talking about plain, unflavored yogurt) or better yet one you make yourself and let sit for 24 hours, is an excellent source of lactobacilli. But as I recently discovered, those bacteria live in the small intestines and they do nothing to promote the growth of friendly bacteria in the colon. Other suggestions include fermented foods such as pickles, sauerkraut, kombucha, kefir, even aged cheeses, as well as probiotics in pill form.<br /><br />Dr. Art Ayres on his blog, </span><a href="http://coolinginflammation.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Cooling Inflammation</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, has a wealth of material on the subject of </span><a href="http://coolinginflammation.blogspot.com/search/label/gut%20flora"><span style="font-family:verdana;">gut flora</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> with some rather enterprising ideas on how to establish friendy bacteria (fecal transplants?) Every time I go to his site, one thing leads to another and I end up spending hours reading his posts and especially the comments. (I'm having trouble getting this post written because I keep getting side-tracked!) His </span><a href="http://coolinginflammation.blogspot.com/search/label/anti-inflammatory%20diet"><span style="font-family:verdana;">anti-inflammatory diet</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> is low-carb and he includes other things that can reduce inflammation (which he thinks is the basic cause of many diseases) like exercise (cardiovascular and muscle building), dental hygiene, and vagal nerve stimulation (more on this below). In a post on </span><a href="http://coolinginflammation.blogspot.com/2010/01/constipation-gut-flora-and-health.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Constipation, Gut Flora and Health</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, actually down in the comments, he gives this recipe for restoring gut flora:</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#339999;"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#66cccc;">So, assuming that you have corrected any vit.D deficiency (check serum levels before and after supplements) start with probiotics (you can probably also tolerate live yogurt with full fat), lactulose, pectin (apples, tomatoes, etc.), inulin (leeks, etc.). I would stick to a high fat/low carb diet. That means no vegetable oil (only olive oil, butter, coconut oil), most of your calories from saturated fat in meat/dairy/fish/eggs, and lots of diverse leafy vegetables. Veggies fresh from the garden or farmers market are preferred, because then you won't over wash or cook them to remove too many of the bacteria that you need to reconstitute your gut flora.<br /><br />You are going to have to be patient with your gut, because you need to accumulate more than a hundred different species of bacteria to have a healthy gut flora that can digest all of the vegetable polysaccharides in a healthy diet.<br /><br />You probably couldn't tolerate dairy previously, because you eliminated the bacteria that can metabolize lactose. Get used to live yogurt first and then slowly add more milk to increase your gut flora's ability to digest lactose. It takes about two weeks.</span> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I found the reference to pectin and inulin interesting. Those are considered pre-biotics. Dr. Ayres has this to say about inulin:<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#66cccc;">I neglected to discuss inulin, which is a fructan. Normally, I would resist eating fructose-containing carbs, because fructose is a metabolic problem. Also, sucrose can be used by bacteria as an activated intermediate in the production of fructan polysaccharides for biofilms, e.g. dental plaque.<br /><br />Inulin is a different category, because it is not hydrolyzed by human enzymes and thus moves on to the lower GI tract, where it is food for gut flora. It would seem that inulin would be a nice accompaniment to pectin for increasing gut flora in the case of constipation. One would expect some traditional remedies and perhaps meal combinations to include, for example leeks and apples.</span> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Again this information is buried in the </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=196334975274806517&postID=4851100401900189679"><span style="font-family:verdana;">comments</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. It would seem that Dr. Ayres has so much information to share, that it just overflows everywhere. So while most probiotics help to populate the small intestine, pectin and inulin are ways to feed the good bacteria in the colon. My friend Yvetta recommended that I eat half an apple every night before going to bed to keep my gut happy. Another quote from Dr. Ayers <a href="http://coolinginflammation.blogspot.com/2010/04/aging-gut-flora.html">comments</a>:</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#66cccc;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Note that most probiotics are only useful in providing a limited number of bacteria that usually grow at the end of the small intestine. Inulin, pectin and lactulose are more effective in promoting the other hundred species that are anaerobes. Most of those will have to be recruited from other environmental sources.</span><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">And also:<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#66cccc;">Just one note. The fermented foods focus just on bacteria that may act as probiotics for the upper part of the digestive tract. That is less than 10% of the gut flora.<br /><br />To feed the rest of the gut flora that also influence the immune system (even though that resides in lining of the small intestines) apparently other plant polysaccharides are needed. This is another good reason to feed a variety of veggies.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">This may be one instance where it is not good to be too low-carb.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">In another</span> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=196334975274806517&postID=2508715694479660198"><span style="font-family:verdana;">comments section</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> accompanying his post on </span><a href="http://coolinginflammation.blogspot.com/2009/09/cure-for-inflammatory-diseases.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">how to cure inflammatory diseases</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, Dr. Ayers talks about (of all things) <a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2009/12/oil-pulling.html">oil pulling</a>! This is with respect to that vagus nerve stimulation he recommends as part of an anti-inflammatory lifestyle. His post on how the vagus nerve is involved in inflammation and </span><a href="http://coolinginflammation.blogspot.com/2009/09/vagus-nerve-controls-gut-inflammation.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">controls gut inflammation</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> has links to other vagus nerve stimulating exercises that I will give </span><a href="http://www.emoclear.com/thedivereflex.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;">here</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> and </span><a href="http://www.emoclear.com/thelongevitymaneuver.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;">here</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. Now both of these maneuvers are pure Buteyko! (See my previous posts </span><a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2010/03/breath-holding.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">here</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> and </span><a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2010/03/breathing-less.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">here</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">.)<br /><br />See what I mean? One thing just leads to another. Dr. Ayres is a research biologist. He got his PhD in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at the U. Colo. Boulder. I really think that the answer to our most vexing nutritional questions will come from microbiology. Humans are too complex and the variables way too many for studies to show positive proof that any one food or one macronutrient will do this or that. So I like to rely on evidence like the Eades have collected, a certain diet with real people that shows positive results, and what the microbiologists are discovering, what is happening on the level of our cells. </span>Grandma Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01489523959321155220noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3363730087661467442.post-80863401703338145112010-07-03T09:34:00.000-07:002010-07-03T20:21:36.495-07:00More on GERD<span style="font-family:verdana;">Since I posted on GERD several times, it behooves me to inform you about a wonderful series of blog postings that I discovered recently on the subject of acid reflux and GERD that have some very interesting new insights and helpful, step-by-step solutions to the problem. The name of the blog is </span><a href="http://thehealthyskeptic.org/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">The Healthy Skeptic</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> and it is written by Chris Kresser. Chris is not a medical doctor but has studied Chinese medicine and acupuncture, and is currently studying to pass the California licensing exams. Because of his own health problems he has done a lot of research and writes in a clear way to explain what he has found. He recommends all the things that I have been recommending with regards to diet (low-carb) and digestive health. The series on GERD begins </span><a href="http://thehealthyskeptic.org/heartburn"><span style="font-family:verdana;">here</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. There are six main entries and two supplemental. The comments are very helpful, too.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Even though I had read all the books and blogs, I was still having <a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2010/04/return-of-good-health.html">stomach problems</a> in May. It was Kresser's posts that got me to finally try the one thing I had been afraid to try, HCl Betaine with Pepsin. It worked like a charm and is still working. Jonathan Wright in his book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Why-Stomach-Acid-Good-You/dp/0871319314/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278176077&sr=8-3-catcorr">Why Stomach Acid is Good For You</a>, stated that the majority of people with GERD have low stomach acid, not too much stomach acid. Without enough acid in the stomach, the lower esophageal sphincter muscle (LES) doesn't stay shut like it should. Taking HCl with meals solves this problem and also helps you to digest the food you are eating. It makes things work like they should. What I discovered in reading Kresser is that it may not be true that as we age we naturally produce less acid. He suggests that it is an overgrowth of the H. pylori bacteria that causes the acid to be reduced. That is how H. pylori can survive in our stomachs, by stopping the production of acid that would kill it and other bacteria. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><a href="http://thehealthyskeptic.org/more-evidence-to-support-the-theory-that-gerd-is-caused-by-bacterial-overgrowth"><span style="color:#ffcc33;">The role of H. pylori in GERD</span></a><br /><br /><span style="color:#66cccc;">I believe that H. pylori infection plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of GERD and other digestive disorders.<br /><br />H. pylori is the most common chronic bacterial pathogen in humans. Statistics indicate that </span><a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outbound/article/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov');" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8547526"><span style="color:#ffcc33;">more than 50%</span></a><span style="color:#66cccc;"> of the world population is infected. Infection rates increase with age. In general, the prevalence of infection raises 1% with every year of life. So we can expect that approximately 80% of 80 year-olds are infected with H. pylori.<br /><br />Second, we know that H. pylori </span><a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outbound/article/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov');" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9207257"><span style="color:#ffcc33;">suppresses stomach acid secretion</span></a><span style="color:#66cccc;">. In fact, this is how it survives in the hostile acidic environment of the stomach, which would ordinarily kill all bacteria. Treating an asymptomatic H. pylori infection with antibiotics </span><a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outbound/article/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov');" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9696699"><span style="color:#ffcc33;">increases stomach acidity</span></a><span style="color:#66cccc;"> and eradicating H. pylori with antibiotics </span><a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outbound/article/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov');" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9696699"><span style="color:#ffcc33;">improves nearly all patients</span></a><span style="color:#66cccc;"> suffering from hypochlorhydria.<br /><br />Although it is commonly assumed that stomach acid production declines with age, recent studies suggest that the secretion of stomach acid doesn’t decrease with age and that the trend is actually to increase, especially in men.<br /><br />However, this tendency for acid secretion to increase with age is completely nullified by the corresponding increase in H. pylori infection. Since the incidence of H. pylori infection increases with age, it follows that hypochlorhydria also increases with age.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The reason I had been afraid to try supplementing with HCl is because if you have an ulcer, the added acid can make it worse. Also, the few times I had tried it in the past, I had had worse reflux. What I discovered was that I was taking it the wrong way. Kresser suggests taking it at the start of a meal not at the end as it says on the bottle. He also suggests gradually increasing the dosage until you feel a slight burning sensation, and then backing off one pill. That is your dosage. I am up to four pills per meal (1200mg) and still have not reached that limit.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">I am finding that I have no more cramps, no more heart-pounding after meals, less congestion, and I even sleep better because a sour stomach is not waking me up. And I feel like I am getting the full nutritional benefits of all the healthy foods I am eating. The third step in alleviating GERD (the first being to reduce the factors that cause bacterial overgrowth and the second being the replacement of aids to digestion) is to replace the bad bacteria in your gut with the good guys. That has been the focus of my health concerns recently and will be the subject of my next post.</span>Grandma Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01489523959321155220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3363730087661467442.post-49715227201954471362010-05-14T08:29:00.000-07:002010-05-14T09:35:15.164-07:00More Fun With Macro<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjBAomlmJ3KVb3I0vxTeA53O-CXQpX6LnBca2vWxiRb9a9eacnwXOxCzz2zWpzzndUNXMVsjnXSVBtGsD4XgnN9oE5XTgqYxilJYmwm8GMC4yZgosc1uPxZ_2A9ATQMjJwiV29bNaYLHa/s1600/IMG_5880b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471156382014667218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjBAomlmJ3KVb3I0vxTeA53O-CXQpX6LnBca2vWxiRb9a9eacnwXOxCzz2zWpzzndUNXMVsjnXSVBtGsD4XgnN9oE5XTgqYxilJYmwm8GMC4yZgosc1uPxZ_2A9ATQMjJwiV29bNaYLHa/s400/IMG_5880b.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Indian Paintbrush, <em>Castilleja affinis</em></span></span><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhcIUMiKz9rjEC6v5IM2izNM6vRAGt9-nMkpCKabXj9Ji6GuVFPfzQqCYxespJuXRiExNRmfk6IlHJw2gHq8Q3aK47i1d9BuybTtRiFYJVEu1yYAlkyOvMN0Dzv2C2sJnDunRjCcXD-gr/s1600/IMG_5901b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471156372237844178" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhcIUMiKz9rjEC6v5IM2izNM6vRAGt9-nMkpCKabXj9Ji6GuVFPfzQqCYxespJuXRiExNRmfk6IlHJw2gHq8Q3aK47i1d9BuybTtRiFYJVEu1yYAlkyOvMN0Dzv2C2sJnDunRjCcXD-gr/s400/IMG_5901b.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Bush Sunflower, <em>Encelia californica</em></span></span><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz2gY_5FhgTWuLzkoOiUnyZslDSvKvpR401WP-QFa-rCht7cjYIRCCL_oCU0lQEQZ_eS1GiBKiwimjNOqMa4j7Y2g9Rc56jKJqJKTkix9UMB629tPeaEjq5aaTh7Ax-61pcvykJftynwDi/s1600/IMG_5955b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 358px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471156374405360370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz2gY_5FhgTWuLzkoOiUnyZslDSvKvpR401WP-QFa-rCht7cjYIRCCL_oCU0lQEQZ_eS1GiBKiwimjNOqMa4j7Y2g9Rc56jKJqJKTkix9UMB629tPeaEjq5aaTh7Ax-61pcvykJftynwDi/s400/IMG_5955b.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Bush Sunflower, <em>Encelia californica</em></span></span><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYbK3y6LPpwzNJPQjH215eQFIVqUNNAc29D4dX9dv2E9tr1iGqKeYOSqBvni5Dj430LvVOyqW5lnB84cftSc3-XsvfNbu6dSzmnnFwyyFEIGD-KBz_z-UfCv06hM2-ud8CH-CYVMgMgOsz/s1600/IMG_5908b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 383px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471156011523876370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYbK3y6LPpwzNJPQjH215eQFIVqUNNAc29D4dX9dv2E9tr1iGqKeYOSqBvni5Dj430LvVOyqW5lnB84cftSc3-XsvfNbu6dSzmnnFwyyFEIGD-KBz_z-UfCv06hM2-ud8CH-CYVMgMgOsz/s400/IMG_5908b.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Catalina Mariposa Lily, <em>Calochortus catalinae</em></span></span><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt3moJQUNp_sTWRDn4ZY-22lsNulPZJF2ghuXK-aVKdMAY9H2mm_M8TMtOamloJhaExceqgmzkL-RT10KvUznWK_y2fYKTkT_5gsbYQW_LnGOeP7ErctYrnkTb9DBzCwcSuveE0SFMn9LO/s1600/IMG_5862b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 381px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471148753618279618" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt3moJQUNp_sTWRDn4ZY-22lsNulPZJF2ghuXK-aVKdMAY9H2mm_M8TMtOamloJhaExceqgmzkL-RT10KvUznWK_y2fYKTkT_5gsbYQW_LnGOeP7ErctYrnkTb9DBzCwcSuveE0SFMn9LO/s400/IMG_5862b.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Catalina Mariposa Lily, <em>Calochortus catalinae</em></span></span><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy3sbv4hlVImYuqOFJQUmIsSm2Odgm5YmE71MCysd89C9cYuBQTHEuS1hxVZI_EknIWNJIE2MMN-FSQLvet2hbVqWT39d-s68SM99Wa7STYKk7mPnZak6lFkCzCTQsFrTJ14S-NZKTw5cT/s1600/IMG_5964b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471156022633923010" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy3sbv4hlVImYuqOFJQUmIsSm2Odgm5YmE71MCysd89C9cYuBQTHEuS1hxVZI_EknIWNJIE2MMN-FSQLvet2hbVqWT39d-s68SM99Wa7STYKk7mPnZak6lFkCzCTQsFrTJ14S-NZKTw5cT/s400/IMG_5964b.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Purple Sage, <em>Salvia leucophylla</em></span></span><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitUoK73cJrQpJ_PCbpttFloEm80IOCg408n2Oh72NWb-0_1-ZMYb5nxJ3Vod4yCfKCkzdKOnILMIO577XUN41Kiz258TUsuAKi4t9Zj4o7kJ5URa05VSjcLSQ4LkF6y_VClNWd2ePzzKXq/s1600/IMG_6014b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471156014427441762" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitUoK73cJrQpJ_PCbpttFloEm80IOCg408n2Oh72NWb-0_1-ZMYb5nxJ3Vod4yCfKCkzdKOnILMIO577XUN41Kiz258TUsuAKi4t9Zj4o7kJ5URa05VSjcLSQ4LkF6y_VClNWd2ePzzKXq/s400/IMG_6014b.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Caterpillar Phacelia, <em>Phacelia cicutaria var. hispida</em></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:verdana;">On Monday, I went hiking at </span><a href="http://www.pvplc.org/land/forrestal/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Forrestal Nature Preserve</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> again especially so I could play with my new macro lens. I was surprised to find the preserve even more beautiful than the </span><a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2010/04/spring-wildflowers.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">last time I was there</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. The sun was shining brightly and it was pleasantly cool. The flowers were even more profuse if that is possible.<br /></div></span><br /><div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaTy9zqDDc1196UiWwlbM41u7SNHUEkLJMZ1uA9sUGut7anr5o3KHMXh1RzijdkSPhKnhQz8MA7DRR-fknBMYIhO5aXYj9RAIk34Ex5fMiL_Y8WfF1JqezIvhICcOtCWt7vmMxaB20iZBo/s1600/IMG_5896b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471148739988021522" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaTy9zqDDc1196UiWwlbM41u7SNHUEkLJMZ1uA9sUGut7anr5o3KHMXh1RzijdkSPhKnhQz8MA7DRR-fknBMYIhO5aXYj9RAIk34Ex5fMiL_Y8WfF1JqezIvhICcOtCWt7vmMxaB20iZBo/s400/IMG_5896b.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">By accident, I hiked in my new <a href="http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/">Vibram Five Fingers</a>. I usually just wear these around the house but I forgot to put my regular hiking shoes in the car when I headed out. I didn't want to take the time to go back and so I thought I would give the VFFs a try. They are supposed to be OK for light hiking and running. It worked fine. They really do make you feel like you are walking barefoot. Going downhill was a bit precarious. I was afraid of slipping, but did fine. The advantage of these shoes is that you can use your toes for traction. The trail up Fossil Hill was hard, though. Too many little sharp rocks. The VFFs got all dusty and dirty, naturally, but you can just throw them in the washer and let them air dry which they did quickly. Now they are good as new!<br /></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip2FrGOSbk8Qhyphenhyphenqj54th9u2rPkc4H7Ld2YI2jiHKHSrb8rq7r_vwbJWKitzMZS5ftanSuXw92_sdyw_KpQOZ_E57Wa0g4Kn38g5jKKRwycACkKXoub2dZ7DpzB9wn-F6tRpOnJ8qmqGir0/s1600/IMG_5707b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471148747097346706" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip2FrGOSbk8Qhyphenhyphenqj54th9u2rPkc4H7Ld2YI2jiHKHSrb8rq7r_vwbJWKitzMZS5ftanSuXw92_sdyw_KpQOZ_E57Wa0g4Kn38g5jKKRwycACkKXoub2dZ7DpzB9wn-F6tRpOnJ8qmqGir0/s400/IMG_5707b.jpg" /></a><br /><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Grandma Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01489523959321155220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3363730087661467442.post-25696251199715836532010-05-13T12:51:00.000-07:002010-05-13T15:09:27.106-07:00A New Canyon to Explore<span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnSvI4vkxbdWPsoUggUITH5Y9rnIo7OMkyjqVsx8VDjgPK0f6OQg_pSpyjDup9sNEmrvlzO75mtwoKogh62ctht2FhUD8LzfHSz0NnjGrlVRcjWicCVVF3nbEGubkk3ArA5kzkC8UIWhOa/s1600/IMG_5748b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470845151893898994" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnSvI4vkxbdWPsoUggUITH5Y9rnIo7OMkyjqVsx8VDjgPK0f6OQg_pSpyjDup9sNEmrvlzO75mtwoKogh62ctht2FhUD8LzfHSz0NnjGrlVRcjWicCVVF3nbEGubkk3ArA5kzkC8UIWhOa/s400/IMG_5748b.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">On Mothers' Day I got a chance to hike in a new canyon in the city of Anaheim called </span><a href="http://www.anaheim.net/comm_svc/pdf/DeerCanyon.pdf"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Deer Canyon Park Preserve</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. It is a 103 acre park set aside for preserving the native plants and wildlife right in the middle of housing development. If you didn't know it was there, you would never find it. I was lucky to have a very reliable guide to show me how to get into it, but I am not sure I will be able to find it again by myself. Suffice it to say it is off the beaten path. Which is good, because that makes it quiet and free of litter and dumping, and best of all, it has been left to grow wild, so the plants are truly what you would find in a canyon of Southern California. It hasn't had to be "restored."<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The main path which we took up the canyon is actually an old paved road left over from the rancho days so the hiking was easy. I didn't have my macro lens with me and we didn't have much time, but I was able to snap a few photos as we walked along. Several plants that we thought weren't native turned out to be native and were new to me. I'll give you a sampling here.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The top photo is of a Chaparral Bush Mallow, <em><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=5310">Malacothamnus fasciculatus</a></em>. There were several of these bushes in the canyon and they were all blooming profusely.<br /></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt0Q4_J6T8Ft-Pi21dSA8V3rXBoZ-Xl3Qz_DDS6OoCpq1IY_k_jiTY-lt_KRyUKDvBLRAnUUHHJso31ks8xTqUkcd0Oih0avfO_ZItIlKw_4uh1S7b1h4oQEzMg6wkMevJHaF9aouLtLSk/s1600/IMG_5792b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470845737040322802" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt0Q4_J6T8Ft-Pi21dSA8V3rXBoZ-Xl3Qz_DDS6OoCpq1IY_k_jiTY-lt_KRyUKDvBLRAnUUHHJso31ks8xTqUkcd0Oih0avfO_ZItIlKw_4uh1S7b1h4oQEzMg6wkMevJHaF9aouLtLSk/s400/IMG_5792b.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">This plant with the large gray-green leaves is Wild Gourd, <em><a href="http://calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=2510">Cucurbita foetidissima</a></em>. Both the mallow and the gourd were plants we thought were introduced, so I only took a passing shot at them. Now I wish I had taken more time to photograph the leaves of the mallow and the flower of the gourd from different angles. The gourd also has the name "Stinky Gourd" because the whole plant has a fetid odor especially when bruised. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhELxES6xsd0EG5Rl-mlkXurVQ1vH1YE7BMadj2EfVw-4gBMGLxfPLeCpiSX4ZcLeQLGe4uTFUTGciV60PmsDEah-5wyBlYlj3GvFzfHAe_psh1t561rPSmAan89KRoaU8lGBnVZ9pmdjjW/s1600/IMG_5781b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470845735352885458" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhELxES6xsd0EG5Rl-mlkXurVQ1vH1YE7BMadj2EfVw-4gBMGLxfPLeCpiSX4ZcLeQLGe4uTFUTGciV60PmsDEah-5wyBlYlj3GvFzfHAe_psh1t561rPSmAan89KRoaU8lGBnVZ9pmdjjW/s400/IMG_5781b.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">Here is a red Sticky Monkey Flower, <em><a href="http://calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=5489">Mimulus aurantiacus</a></em>. I have seen the yellow or golden orange one several places, but I have only seen the red one once before and that was in a cultivated garden at </span><a href="http://www.lapurisimamission.org/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">La Purisma</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> in Lompoc. It was nice to see several of these plants here. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHafBS-MThyphenhyphentUGzGBKhLvcRsrwo1rlmawCi3QabkodKOHoOvx9LxaE47GR4K2qv7D53FKCbe0M3tBSrOhXJdja2r22eJdFJxC2b7KB5aNTBYt4HIGsD5ADyiNlryrQm5KHlb0q9n1En58l/s1600/IMG_5797b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470845727022037602" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHafBS-MThyphenhyphentUGzGBKhLvcRsrwo1rlmawCi3QabkodKOHoOvx9LxaE47GR4K2qv7D53FKCbe0M3tBSrOhXJdja2r22eJdFJxC2b7KB5aNTBYt4HIGsD5ADyiNlryrQm5KHlb0q9n1En58l/s400/IMG_5797b.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">There was a lot of the usual <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnTOvluK-_jYOiOOCI1_-9ToKuqc4cYI1lhPEi7f1US3z8Q3C666p5MZeH7VTXxm5j0I8d3HLl7UH4QyyyWO8xcNxEyLbVpdmewwsgaOgqBglS_E0tMickAVT_G-TqFa2ppHKYczQ0GH7U/s1600-h/IMG_3781b.jpg">Arroyo Lupine</a> up and down the canyon, but as we were leaving, my eye caught this one lone plant that was different. I still have not been able to pin down the identification. There is nothing that looks quite like it at </span><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/specieslist.cgi?where-prettyreglist=any&where-namesoup=lupine&where-caltranslifeform2=any&where-native=any&rel-rarity=invalue&where-rarity=any&rel-calipc=gte&rel-upper_elev_ft=gt&where-upper_elev_ft=&rel-lower_elev_ft=lt&where-lower_elev_ft=&where-pretty_plantcomm=any&orderby=taxon"><span style="font-family:verdana;">CalFlora</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> or in Michael Charters wonderful </span><a href="http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/photographsmainindex.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">catalogue</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. I'll keep looking.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYdvWR32FpU2mU35LIx7A6jj-08d7NXn8i-7YYPxtMzPdSDfDPpHFroHnfJjMxES3Yb-W6tZ2P3UJ_t4hOQKnXUpXfO8S2h8wW2ruCFVBhGWEVqY28s2fI3dK2bDU5wIR6tG5wC8K3jwd/s1600/IMG_5773b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470845163345919074" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYdvWR32FpU2mU35LIx7A6jj-08d7NXn8i-7YYPxtMzPdSDfDPpHFroHnfJjMxES3Yb-W6tZ2P3UJ_t4hOQKnXUpXfO8S2h8wW2ruCFVBhGWEVqY28s2fI3dK2bDU5wIR6tG5wC8K3jwd/s400/IMG_5773b.jpg" /></a> <span style="font-family:verdana;">We found two snakes on our hike. Yes, this one is a rattler—a </span><a href="http://www.calmzoo.org/stories/storyReader$220"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Southern Pacific</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> to be precise. Below is a close-up of his "rattle." I was told that as long as he wasn't coiled up, it was safe to carefully approach him for a photo. I nearly stepped on a rattler once when we were out in the desert. (I really need to look down at the path more often.) It was all coiled up, too, but sleeping in the tracks made by an off-road vehicle in the sand. My husband yelled at me just in time to prevent disaster. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZywBRbeL0i7C0AkmNW0nulBxzn5SS8SriiblkqwBHG7Au24ugKPPJWJ8ocu6FRrQXkOdw3tCKG11XUrBmK5x7VPlfKnpJEHkglF7L-8rKOytXmJk_8v2pfMW-xP0amegM0bpshyQgXMO/s1600/IMG_5774b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470845171072352530" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZywBRbeL0i7C0AkmNW0nulBxzn5SS8SriiblkqwBHG7Au24ugKPPJWJ8ocu6FRrQXkOdw3tCKG11XUrBmK5x7VPlfKnpJEHkglF7L-8rKOytXmJk_8v2pfMW-xP0amegM0bpshyQgXMO/s400/IMG_5774b.jpg" /></a>Grandma Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01489523959321155220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3363730087661467442.post-3235843966049741502010-05-04T11:04:00.001-07:002010-05-04T11:14:36.056-07:00A New Perspective<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK30dyCPgl9HxWln9qPjOpT9dimSLIuyJndZY6sAOOllh3Kwxc1vVdzTXO4aEWt__4suCkLONd_wyDninKcW4OQHEivDKaydRNPKHP9i5hIgd4GPUvRgYiQih74vzngHnb64l5FqF5hmM6/s1600/IMG_5636b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467478035248815234" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK30dyCPgl9HxWln9qPjOpT9dimSLIuyJndZY6sAOOllh3Kwxc1vVdzTXO4aEWt__4suCkLONd_wyDninKcW4OQHEivDKaydRNPKHP9i5hIgd4GPUvRgYiQih74vzngHnb64l5FqF5hmM6/s400/IMG_5636b.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh87sTTZ1fTAkynBUBjfj3U26jlS5-VqxNtqb3jrKO_Zdw5GgJ-4UVXqdTklX-aeOBN4v4bSiHw5ZpxHla8xaf7qOg0aXlT6V15leOHR-heLnvTQpFCPCtCWYfyrYiN3e92K9eoZ4W-NG_q/s1600/IMG_5633b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467478030440770434" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh87sTTZ1fTAkynBUBjfj3U26jlS5-VqxNtqb3jrKO_Zdw5GgJ-4UVXqdTklX-aeOBN4v4bSiHw5ZpxHla8xaf7qOg0aXlT6V15leOHR-heLnvTQpFCPCtCWYfyrYiN3e92K9eoZ4W-NG_q/s400/IMG_5633b.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTjZ46gnRXhfYCdo89KVSo0Cm2m1kc_qrrEmaABfuj9XUldo8tNdLaYndSB3Lrny-uIj7mMfnif_3GGstk5lyk7xxKtMo-K4yX24geMxi9ZJnJ9mMYJBMjERYjkYl5fwj8hM7WcqkY1s7/s1600/IMG_5651b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467477802462185074" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTjZ46gnRXhfYCdo89KVSo0Cm2m1kc_qrrEmaABfuj9XUldo8tNdLaYndSB3Lrny-uIj7mMfnif_3GGstk5lyk7xxKtMo-K4yX24geMxi9ZJnJ9mMYJBMjERYjkYl5fwj8hM7WcqkY1s7/s400/IMG_5651b.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijfNeSbe0sd1qlstpm6B2a4pNrfuLH5XvvApYpsjM2NHn4q0ElGSJnx_lE3k0lWWapFk7ROL6CK_PZ1sTh_vo6NBRepNFk_t5qWX0nys23Z0yka5AgUXVE4o_OIpHk78DTtOACIW3j-sh7/s1600/IMG_5662b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467477788963531362" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijfNeSbe0sd1qlstpm6B2a4pNrfuLH5XvvApYpsjM2NHn4q0ElGSJnx_lE3k0lWWapFk7ROL6CK_PZ1sTh_vo6NBRepNFk_t5qWX0nys23Z0yka5AgUXVE4o_OIpHk78DTtOACIW3j-sh7/s400/IMG_5662b.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0zM6W9neIwn8saLKi3MxMyI0UAmoLAUcW7Zt9EYy0OgDO7029OI6eZzFadHysLA5IwdUJXNKurmeULYL8ZCS4OhUiCHxCC0yDe0mtXYLVQfJiapDf6Y9YY8YPggW6ADy22sZGitcBS58w/s1600/IMG_5697b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467477777934844306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0zM6W9neIwn8saLKi3MxMyI0UAmoLAUcW7Zt9EYy0OgDO7029OI6eZzFadHysLA5IwdUJXNKurmeULYL8ZCS4OhUiCHxCC0yDe0mtXYLVQfJiapDf6Y9YY8YPggW6ADy22sZGitcBS58w/s400/IMG_5697b.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">My new lens, Canon's EF-S 60mm Macro. It's great! This last picture is of <em><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=5174">Lupinus longifolius</a></em> and was taken on our </span><a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2010/02/green-season.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">monthly Canyon Walk</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> last Saturday. It wasn't until I looked at the photo on my computer that I noticed the aphids on it—and the fact that they are blue to match the flowers!<br /></span><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div>Grandma Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01489523959321155220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3363730087661467442.post-77358856988763134462010-04-26T08:37:00.000-07:002010-04-26T12:59:56.178-07:00More Wildflowers<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLOHWkJv6vZv_cBrHIwVeSNu-ZMfN__Ra5YtfpH4PE8sUEoMZP02cdq6RNAgeZ2MNuXMu0dta-D0TGJBdgsLBnAHWDrEEpnkLxO0ONCMLgMo19Cz9k8wD8XeuYnN0rb73TOQluV-YWbRo2/s1600/IMG_5495b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464472612804659730" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLOHWkJv6vZv_cBrHIwVeSNu-ZMfN__Ra5YtfpH4PE8sUEoMZP02cdq6RNAgeZ2MNuXMu0dta-D0TGJBdgsLBnAHWDrEEpnkLxO0ONCMLgMo19Cz9k8wD8XeuYnN0rb73TOQluV-YWbRo2/s400/IMG_5495b.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I thought I'd put up a few of the other photos of interesting native plants that I have taken on my recent hikes. So many things are in bloom right now that I easily take 100 photos on each hike. The first four were taken on Palos Verdes, either along Burma Rd. in the <a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2010/04/spring-wildflowers.html">PV Nature Preserve, or at Forrestal Preserve</a>, both of which are in the Portuguese Bend area. The next three were taken at <a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2009/04/more-native-plants-at-ocnc.html">Oak Canyon</a> in Anaheim.<br /><br />The top photo is of Narrowleaf Bedstraw, <em><a href="http://calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=3661">Galium angustifolium</a></em>. If I had a true macro lens, I might have been able to get a shot like </span><a href="http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?enlarge=0000+0000+0109+1195"><span style="font-family:verdana;">this</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. Happily, I have one on order which means that when I get it, I will be going out to take 100 more photos! (At least!)<br /></span><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0GHDQ9ftzw5Fy6o9t6MszJhHRWx04NiXaOavupLraIvS6EqsQXsdmY8sUaurFuXBVAJP7EZu1LZUXZmkDzHm1WPVIWWbxpfT6nhaWKzv1HawexZImzm5QF43nR2Y3pRbzKrWADLRldw0I/s1600/IMG_5577b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464471975633989282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0GHDQ9ftzw5Fy6o9t6MszJhHRWx04NiXaOavupLraIvS6EqsQXsdmY8sUaurFuXBVAJP7EZu1LZUXZmkDzHm1WPVIWWbxpfT6nhaWKzv1HawexZImzm5QF43nR2Y3pRbzKrWADLRldw0I/s400/IMG_5577b.jpg" /></a> <span style="font-family:verdana;">This unusual plant is called Rattlepod or Santa Barbara Milvetch, <em><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Astragalus+trichopodus+var.+lonchus&one=T">Astragalus trichopodus var. lonchus</a></em>. It grows mostly along the coast of Southern California. It also has the name Locoweed because animals exhibit bizarre behavior after eating the leaves. The seeds in the pod (one of which is in the photo) rattle around, hence its other name. But the most interesting thing about this plant is that it is one of the favorites of the </span><a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2010/03/houdini-is-released.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Palos Verdes Blue Butterfly</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. The larvae like to eat the seeds inside the pods.<br /></span><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjVeUQ0kutcZZvcSFwE2xCDL8tezgnUsKTR-JiRlzsIFQOqR-7OZjSpYz6Z6qgAAs7eSynSd1lPB4J8-buZFqt4145r8eT_xg4Q3fFSdEhYFx1sNdQSh4-D8k225XXzvMnaCz6ERdKp7UO/s1600/IMG_4866b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464471182375157346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjVeUQ0kutcZZvcSFwE2xCDL8tezgnUsKTR-JiRlzsIFQOqR-7OZjSpYz6Z6qgAAs7eSynSd1lPB4J8-buZFqt4145r8eT_xg4Q3fFSdEhYFx1sNdQSh4-D8k225XXzvMnaCz6ERdKp7UO/s400/IMG_4866b.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> Adding to my collection of phacelias is this Sticky Phacelia, <em><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=6412">Phacelia viscida</a></em>, which apparently comes in several different colors. It also grows mostly along the Southern California coast. The yellow flowers in front in the photo are not phacelias. That's Yellow Sweetclover and is not a native and it is very invasive. The yellow flowers in the back are Black Mustard, also not native and very invasive.<br /></span><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0H4uydAB1gKY_-705z1YmT2rKMZnLH2RO6ICoE22c2zmJPr_Rl4gRG0Y8dn2634n4d8hKVMFoxH71RaPe5Hz_Xlk4qbRId0YGau4dLyYnjjxghsH9UA-c-GTL0N7W4SB01J8UuOUbGXA/s1600/IMG_4879b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464471172376234898" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0H4uydAB1gKY_-705z1YmT2rKMZnLH2RO6ICoE22c2zmJPr_Rl4gRG0Y8dn2634n4d8hKVMFoxH71RaPe5Hz_Xlk4qbRId0YGau4dLyYnjjxghsH9UA-c-GTL0N7W4SB01J8UuOUbGXA/s400/IMG_4879b.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> I have posted photos of Blue Dicks, <em><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=2718">Dichelostemma capitatum</a></em>, </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBl6oOrm5ntkEjT16T_EHWzQPZ6mxPIq8cR5pdPazGCDgbmoKiAJx75LfGEmWP-ooWQ5wUBwz64MJhQFqZcphL7-J9OSobCJ2oWjGiJ29P-bAewpv7QWB3sO-XIVMC6mWYn39_v1ZOxJ69/s1600-h/IMG_3708b.jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;">before</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, but I keep trying for the perfect shot of this plant. Usually you just see the flower sticking up through some other plant. There's really not much to the rest of the plant anyway, but in this photo you can see the whole thing. It is also called Wild Hyacinth and comes in white as well as various shades of blue to purple.<br /></span><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTL-YtF1JER3zHp3Me7JhQ7nrqmX10zx6LtzVxsKeJ0s3XzG58MCd1GFbDDfL1Wb5N6u5o4T4OagvRLnbdtiaDrCAHG8V4NLNVBXXAPMV0qqdWgKl0bbCx_lxHLVYMUdHqRakRPv1x0eqU/s1600/IMG_5270b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464471965153356562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTL-YtF1JER3zHp3Me7JhQ7nrqmX10zx6LtzVxsKeJ0s3XzG58MCd1GFbDDfL1Wb5N6u5o4T4OagvRLnbdtiaDrCAHG8V4NLNVBXXAPMV0qqdWgKl0bbCx_lxHLVYMUdHqRakRPv1x0eqU/s400/IMG_5270b.jpg" /></a> <span style="font-family:verdana;">This may look like another photo of the bedstraw at the top, but this plant is much larger growing to almost tree-size. It is called Chamise, <em><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=97">Adenostoma fasciculatum</a></em>. Another name for this plant is Greasewood as the plant is very flammable as though it did contain grease. There are several plants in the southwest that are called greasewood for the same reason. Chamiso comes from the Portuguese word chama meaning "a flame." The fasciculatum part of its latin name comes from the fact that the leaves are very needle-like. This is the first of the photos that I took in Oak Canyon.<br /></span><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgncsU9UKGI6njfvFgdtDAvUmKZrsib-x_rWWtgYzyX-R_mrXVGfn7H5pUJr2TLIf8Kewh5R_18nIUegIzzSgVvN6pA_6OojC5SI5DlcDfeq_PM_whQDOjg1M769q47q4Z-so33ekfX38J2/s1600/IMG_5417b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464471960623776322" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgncsU9UKGI6njfvFgdtDAvUmKZrsib-x_rWWtgYzyX-R_mrXVGfn7H5pUJr2TLIf8Kewh5R_18nIUegIzzSgVvN6pA_6OojC5SI5DlcDfeq_PM_whQDOjg1M769q47q4Z-so33ekfX38J2/s400/IMG_5417b.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Another Oak Canyon plant is this Silver Puff, <em><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=8184">Microseris lindleyi</a></em>. It can be found all over California and other parts of the West. The buds will open to a yellow flower followed by these silvery seed heads. A very striking plant.<br /></span><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRRIC7FYcLVA_s5zZkC8f4R3jbD72Jovbql0lXL9Xc2Ec3TerXPPE2jP0m-LMbAbO_c-OAefXMJr_v6QLj2tBJqf4HHmDlhWgeoxD8K42pO6j9ikuGn8TkvOyB1Q5WZhbvX5izYqdDBvwN/s1600/IMG_4401b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464471168674054626" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRRIC7FYcLVA_s5zZkC8f4R3jbD72Jovbql0lXL9Xc2Ec3TerXPPE2jP0m-LMbAbO_c-OAefXMJr_v6QLj2tBJqf4HHmDlhWgeoxD8K42pO6j9ikuGn8TkvOyB1Q5WZhbvX5izYqdDBvwN/s400/IMG_4401b.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I found this plant along the road leading to the Oak Canyon Nature Center. It took me awhile to figure out what it was. I went back a week later to take more photos, but the plant was gone! A victim of the weed-whackers. Finally, I found it was Snakeroot or Purple Sanicle, <em><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=7332">Sanicula bipinnatifida</a></em>. I hope to see another one somewhere someday.</span></div><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoABX_f-QK5-Kr89z_S3zV8clq2kqwxY4k7Gc-UdfTworqOuFUt0E891ZDBuGr0E7kPuJEYyoa89QYDPIrnAI1aT6jBqGPZ0C8P6mOUf2UUzUJHIHXYsBCm8JLT5-OZmMDasJnaa0wYL-4/s1600/IMG_5530b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464472609910120562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoABX_f-QK5-Kr89z_S3zV8clq2kqwxY4k7Gc-UdfTworqOuFUt0E891ZDBuGr0E7kPuJEYyoa89QYDPIrnAI1aT6jBqGPZ0C8P6mOUf2UUzUJHIHXYsBCm8JLT5-OZmMDasJnaa0wYL-4/s400/IMG_5530b.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">And last but not least, this bit of the fauna of Palos Verdes. I nearly stepped on him! He sat there and let me take several photos before straightening himself out and swiftly slithering into the bushes.<br /></span><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Grandma Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01489523959321155220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3363730087661467442.post-9908611330700668032010-04-21T16:44:00.000-07:002010-04-21T21:21:50.519-07:00Spring Wildflowers<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeZ3UJkl3pORt-9t8U9aV8L3w0-Abfb_ZtK6Kz8sC0nMfEBrd8XG2Lm0LRsIxiz3pC4C5vj7c-KG0yCvr2SdNEabymMMm8j8TQ90w397rgawIpwCY5q3tSaMMOl5Ic-ytqFg7GA3Ag2qAr/s1600/IMG_4976b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462741408459890738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeZ3UJkl3pORt-9t8U9aV8L3w0-Abfb_ZtK6Kz8sC0nMfEBrd8XG2Lm0LRsIxiz3pC4C5vj7c-KG0yCvr2SdNEabymMMm8j8TQ90w397rgawIpwCY5q3tSaMMOl5Ic-ytqFg7GA3Ag2qAr/s400/IMG_4976b.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">I've been on a hiking binge. I started last Friday hiking </span><a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2009/04/more-native-plants-at-ocnc.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Oak Canyon</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> with my grandson, then spent the next four days hiking around Palos Verdes in search of wildflowers. I found lots and also found some new places to explore.<br /><br />Two of those new places are the </span><a href="http://www.pvplc.org/land/portuguesebend/PB%20Final%20Small.pdf"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Portuguese Bend Reserve</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> and </span><a href="http://www.pvplc.org/land/forrestal/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Forrestal Reserve</span></a>,<span style="font-family:verdana;"> both part of what is now called the </span><a href="http://www.pvplc.org/land/portuguesebend/pbnp.shtml"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Palos Verdes Nature Preserve</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. </span><a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2010/02/after-storm.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Abalone Cove</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> and </span><a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2010/02/green-season.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Lunada Canyon</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> are also part of this preserve.<br /></span><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMZQ30TcNOX9WTLFlGyN_MGEUmLtdRTZRlhLXH7j4_cTWkM19WsZQDzz4dC1wHMs4qnnNBcPe24yWDmHKBGHaq9CGTf8SSqZ3tWXwoVrqV1Dv6jhPV9ugbGbzk2rUzwpopdndlKdOfuL9j/s1600/IMG_4806b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462741406253082018" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMZQ30TcNOX9WTLFlGyN_MGEUmLtdRTZRlhLXH7j4_cTWkM19WsZQDzz4dC1wHMs4qnnNBcPe24yWDmHKBGHaq9CGTf8SSqZ3tWXwoVrqV1Dv6jhPV9ugbGbzk2rUzwpopdndlKdOfuL9j/s400/IMG_4806b.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> As with </span><a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2009/05/carbon-canyon.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Carbon Canyon</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> which I blogged about a year ago, there was a fire in the Portuguese Bend Reserve last August. The same effect can be seen here that was seen in Carbon Canyon. The hillsides are covered with Black Mustard or <em>Brassica nigre</em> (all those yellow flowers) making a stark contrast with the blackened trees. It was very beautiful on Sunday as I hiked down what is called Burma Rd. which is actually the extension of Crenshaw Blvd.<br /></span><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbj_spXDFMgwMChex9aGT_nlXvxJGuqUw8SL8ZmWIGGbrGWluBVCBPIgPwjawBpj-Q6VY5pJ5QUAho7ccE3cxLFjGE3cUYbfwKV1sQG6zkjSUeV8lqBybejKPrDYPWCvMjnbeCbtdVpwov/s1600/IMG_4768b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462741397301586370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbj_spXDFMgwMChex9aGT_nlXvxJGuqUw8SL8ZmWIGGbrGWluBVCBPIgPwjawBpj-Q6VY5pJ5QUAho7ccE3cxLFjGE3cUYbfwKV1sQG6zkjSUeV8lqBybejKPrDYPWCvMjnbeCbtdVpwov/s400/IMG_4768b.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">One plant that was in abundance was this phacelia which we have determined after much study is a Branching Phacelia or <em>Phacelia ramosissima</em>. However, it is not the variety that I have seen in Oak Canyon (var. <em>ramosissima</em>) and I would love to know what it is. And the hillsides were covered with it!</span></div><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiJXVny-hYqDehPXZjdtXsxYFgKuRPoAG0IixChv3DVcGgzCJrWYeH_peienWXei_eNI93LrwA-HqhXW6OaUwN7Igq6FoCGL5pRqz1nIwDbI9QiZAc4oLQbyGvmgwrshVhnjt77B1HqEzI/s1600/IMG_4785b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462743266487886178" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiJXVny-hYqDehPXZjdtXsxYFgKuRPoAG0IixChv3DVcGgzCJrWYeH_peienWXei_eNI93LrwA-HqhXW6OaUwN7Igq6FoCGL5pRqz1nIwDbI9QiZAc4oLQbyGvmgwrshVhnjt77B1HqEzI/s400/IMG_4785b.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">Another plant that is doing very well after the fire is a rare and endangered species of Mariposa Lily, the Catalina Mariposa Lily or <em><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=1270">Calochortus catalinae</a></em>. My friend Yvetta told me there were some lilies growing along Burma Rd. but when I hiked down the road on Sunday, I didn't see them. Then she told me that they were in some of my photos only far away on the opposite hillside in the burn area. Perhaps you can see one cloud of white flowers in the blackened area on the far slope in the photo below. So I made a second trip to this reserve with my big telephoto lens. But even though that produced photos that could enable a person to identify the blooms as lilies, I wasn't satisfied. I wanted to get up close and take photos right down the throat of the blooms.<br /></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSfFLFZ-RguzGHUQkyAzxzMh_jVKo7HLw6F5zuTw7F-RjQs_B3RjJHYPeu1wzF_mAoc1Sxjr8ka4w2lh2-XxOI6tfJQjKLzf5e1AqdriVvduIeyxNxK_olu4MlG0SOUvum4HNUrYRoppVS/s1600/IMG_5051b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462744654076053986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSfFLFZ-RguzGHUQkyAzxzMh_jVKo7HLw6F5zuTw7F-RjQs_B3RjJHYPeu1wzF_mAoc1Sxjr8ka4w2lh2-XxOI6tfJQjKLzf5e1AqdriVvduIeyxNxK_olu4MlG0SOUvum4HNUrYRoppVS/s400/IMG_5051b.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Fortunately, at Forrestal Reserve there are blooms that you can get up close to. By luck I stumbled on about a hundred flowers at the top of what is called Fossil Hill. This was on my fifth day of hiking around. I was able to take about a hundred photos before it started to rain. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQtHD0xDsBW9AvxzdVV5u8Zcp6AB0KkaFcS3O1pvK9drpapwpmCxMgBVA-IUIvThdEV5wQFRdIGb3xBZ-v-QJyUMyGcZGRFVaVJhgxBWYm5obSr0jJ7NhNKuLy6X8CQKxuh_SjTT-yAOi/s1600/IMG_5181b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462742093695619442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQtHD0xDsBW9AvxzdVV5u8Zcp6AB0KkaFcS3O1pvK9drpapwpmCxMgBVA-IUIvThdEV5wQFRdIGb3xBZ-v-QJyUMyGcZGRFVaVJhgxBWYm5obSr0jJ7NhNKuLy6X8CQKxuh_SjTT-yAOi/s400/IMG_5181b.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbExvoL-5JvyhKioqBI8t7pAlxUmJA0Ms5riHCBBlSDCCDLxrbNZAQat9Xem-xqkMWAKsVIIUjVwAKSlbidyQ75ZPy6sxSIdtRg9b2z4c9H3sSvxarOR50-L3XDg9cVoFiT6716CLkYtNi/s1600/IMG_5184b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 298px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462742097719757090" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbExvoL-5JvyhKioqBI8t7pAlxUmJA0Ms5riHCBBlSDCCDLxrbNZAQat9Xem-xqkMWAKsVIIUjVwAKSlbidyQ75ZPy6sxSIdtRg9b2z4c9H3sSvxarOR50-L3XDg9cVoFiT6716CLkYtNi/s400/IMG_5184b.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Well worth the effort, I think. I also found these striking Indian Paintbrush plants (<em>Castilleja affinis</em>).<br /></span><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1oHQWFAeWWfaVzBOwN_WKv8ax5xXBoclUFey30qNTqjhn6_PHwDg6jS-Hb312GgwUMnupTYxtdZJgdkR4JP0su0ogv_w_RTgIf9hlzFrsLpn0XcaWSeR0QHPT9pKVuYNQVIAQQyYNvpIn/s1600/IMG_5121b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462742085897860946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1oHQWFAeWWfaVzBOwN_WKv8ax5xXBoclUFey30qNTqjhn6_PHwDg6jS-Hb312GgwUMnupTYxtdZJgdkR4JP0su0ogv_w_RTgIf9hlzFrsLpn0XcaWSeR0QHPT9pKVuYNQVIAQQyYNvpIn/s400/IMG_5121b.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Hiking canyons means going downhill a lot and then unfortunately you have to climb back uphill. So now my feet and my shins are sore but I am one happy camper.<br /></span><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Grandma Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01489523959321155220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3363730087661467442.post-66550427319499389072010-04-20T07:31:00.001-07:002010-04-23T07:36:00.862-07:00"Return" of Good Health<span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCLZjd-eWE3bA6A5TXkIFtdEEYWRwGTj-YfxMzjndNprkFzE67zzYNCkkiSP5IR6Ib4DzCwhxqVHR6MQueFZiTzxyZ0rSpveyI5wdSnnFqQa7QAVsVbUbaVDpYjhWzmxRCWHNOQxrChY-/s1600/IMG_5238b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 266px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463141741544002226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCLZjd-eWE3bA6A5TXkIFtdEEYWRwGTj-YfxMzjndNprkFzE67zzYNCkkiSP5IR6Ib4DzCwhxqVHR6MQueFZiTzxyZ0rSpveyI5wdSnnFqQa7QAVsVbUbaVDpYjhWzmxRCWHNOQxrChY-/s400/IMG_5238b.jpg" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">I was bamboozled! Tricked! Hoodwinked! Deceived! Coerced into taking drugs I didn't want to take and into having procedures I didn't want to have. Not to mention the emotional strain I was put under and the financial losses I incurred. It has happened before. How did I let it happen again?<br /><br />I have been </span><a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2009/12/asthma-apnea-gerd-and-wheat.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">dealing with "pneumonia" all winter</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. I was first diagnosed with "walking pneumonia" last December after going to see my doctor for a routine check-up. (All I wanted was to <a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2009/08/vitamin-d-dilemma.html">have my vitamin D levels checked</a> and in California you <a href="http://typ.trackyourplaque.com/products/default.aspx?pid=6">need a doctor's order</a> to do that.) The doctor "heard something she didn't like" in my lungs and sent me off for a chest X-ray. I admit I had a little cough in November which I assumed was my asthma acting up. Then in between the office visit and the X-ray, I went on </span><a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2009/12/montana-de-oro-state-park.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">my vacation to Morro Bay</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> and hiked every day! The cough went away (which is what you would expect if you know your </span><a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2010/02/buteyko.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Buteyko</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">). But the X-ray showed an "infiltrate" in the lingular region (left side) and between the radiologist and my doctor's physician's assistant (my doctor was on vacation herself by then), it was decided that I had the walking pneumonia. I was put on a round of antibiotics.<br /><br />I promptly caught a cold because the antibiotic allowed a virus to take hold. I rarely get colds. When my doctor checked me again, my lungs were clear but a follow-up X-ray showed no change. A CT scan was suggested. I objected. To coerce me into having the CT scan she started talking about "tumors" and how it's best to catch lung cancer in its early stages. Never mind that the infiltrate was on the left and what she heard that she didn't like was on the right. When I asked what the symptoms of cancer would be, she said recurring pneumonias. She is an internist, but pulmonary is her specialty. I figured she knew what she was talking about and eventually, I agreed to the CT scan.<br /><br />The CT scan showed that my lungs were full of junk (that's my word not the doctor's). There were these little 2mm, 3mm, 8mm "nodules" all over the place, there was a patch of partial <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atelectasis">atelectasis</a> (where the avioli partially collapse) and other things. The nodules were too small to be cancer, I was told, but they needed to be watched to make sure they didn't grow. No mass, no tumor. My doctor asked about a stuffy nose—no—post-nasal drip—no—lots of throat clearing—no—out of breath?—no again. I didn't dare tell her about </span><a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2009/12/oil-pulling.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">oil pulling</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> which I am sure she would not have given any credit for keeping my nose clear. I did try to tell her about Buteyko and when I said he recommended shallow breathing—wrong word—she promptly opened her mouth and took several quick breaths. Like that? No.<br /><br />I tried not to let my fears get out of control, but that is what they did. After that, every time I went to see my doctor, my asthma would act up. I would wheeze, clear my throat a lot, cough, and generally fill up with phlegm. My blood pressure and pulse would go up as well. I just couldn't seem to calm myself down. I was prescribed an inhaler (I haven't used an inhaler in five years). I tried to explain that I really felt fine and didn't have any trouble at home, only when I came in to the doctor's office. I was told the inhaler would help with the "tightness" in my chest which I didn't feel.<br /><br />Then at the end of February, I caught another cold. And it was a doozy. Worst cold I have had in years. I thought I was doing a good job of keeping it out of my chest and after two weeks felt I was recovering. That was when I started going on </span><a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2010/03/breathing-less.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">daily two-mile walks to bring up my CP</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. But another doctor's appointment came along and I literally filled up with mucous as I sat waiting in the examining room. I argued with my doctor over medication. She wanted me to start an antibiotic again. Because of our disagreement, she did also suggest I might be more comfortable with a more holistic doctor. I was thinking the same thing myself, but didn't know where to begin to look for one. I am all for science-based medicine. What I am against is drug-based medicine, or invasive-procedure-based medicine. I am against treating the symptoms and not even looking for a cause.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">When I went home I had too much time to think about things. This time, the congestion did not go away as it usually did and then the pain in my chest returned. The pain in my chest has been diagnosed as a muscle pull, pleurisy, or GERD depending on which doctor I asked about it. I have had it before, same spot, when I was treated for GERD. It went away eventually, but took a long time. It was a Friday and my doctor is not in her office on Fridays. Her nurse practitioner suggested I go to an urgent care center which is what I did. The freshly-minted young doctor at the urgent care center put me on another antibiotic since that is what I said my own doctor wanted to do. No X-ray, no blood test to see if I had a raised white blood cell count.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">By Sunday morning I was absolutely miserable! But it wasn't my breathing that I was having trouble with, it was my stomach. I also had a very bad case of oral thrush. When I called the urgent care doctor, I was told that this was a side effect of the antibiotic and that if I couldn't tolerate it, they would have to put me in the hospital where I could get the antibiotic by IV. That shut me up. He suggested taking an antihistamine for the stomach problem. I asked my own doctor on Monday morning at what point should I get myself to a hospital and she said, when you can't breathe. I could breathe just fine, it was my stomach that was killing me. Fortunately, I only had to take that antiobiotic for 5 days. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Back to my own doctor on the following Wednesday who prescribed four medications, a different antibiotic, prednisone, a pill for the stomach yeast infection, and lozenges for the oral thrush. I had to make up a chart to know when to take each of these meds. The antibiotic made me spacey and the prednisone made me hyper. I was on the antibiotic for 10 more days and my doctor wanted to extend it even further (5 days extra), but because of a mix-up with her office staff, my pharmacy didn't get the new prescription until after I had already stopped the original dose. I never took the extra dose.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Coming off the prednisone was not easy. I tapered it down as I was told, but my first full day off of it, I crashed. No energy and huge stomach problems, but my lungs were fine. I tried all my own home remedies for the stomach upset: taking probiotics (see <a href="http://coolinginflammation.blogspot.com/2010/04/antibiotics-gut-flora-food-intolerance.html">Dr. Ayers blog about antibiotics and gut flora</a>), <a href="http://www.iherb.com/Enzymatic-Therapy-DGL-100-Chewable-Tablets/2162?utm_source=gb&utm_medium=f3">DGL</a>, enzyme tablets with meals, drinking ginger tea, sipping lots of water with sweet lime squeezed in it, and avoiding sugar. All of these helped to some extent, but I would have a few good days and then several bad days and it didn't seem to follow any pattern. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">At the next office visit, I tried to ward off the usual reactions by taking a couple of puffs of the "rescue" inhaler an hour before. Didn't help. If anything, it made things worse. Now I was told that if I didn't get things under control, I'd have to go back on the antibiotic. I was prescribed two new meds. I begged her not to give me anything with a steroid in it because I still thought the stomach problem was a candida infection (lots of doctors don't recognize too much yeast in the gut as a problem and candida loves steroids). She gave me a pill for hay fever and allergy symptoms (neither of which I have) and a new inhaler that is usually prescribed for people with COPD (<a href="http://www.westonaprice.org/Chronic-Obstructive-Pulmonary-Disease-COPD.html">Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease</a>). She thought she should warn me that the first medication has been known to cause depression. The second medication causes glaucoma, and both cause stomach upset. Great. But she also recommended a pulmonologist for me to see for a second opinion.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">When my stomach still didn't settle down, I started taking these meds because when my stomach was upset I would get congested. I found that at those times I had reverted to chest breathing. Then I called my gastroenterologist for help. He put me on "industrial strength" Zantac. For two whole days, I felt great. Then all the stomach problems started to return.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">That brings us to last week when I felt so bad that I had my neighbor drive me to the ER where I spent a grueling day waiting for over 6 hours to be seen by a doctor (my doctor was not in her office even though this was Tuesday and I couldn't get an earlier appointment with the new pulmonologist). I was mostly feeling miserable with my stomach problems but I was afraid that the pneumonia was coming back and if they put me on antibiotics again, my stomach couldn't tolerate it. They took another chest X-ray and said there was no pneumonia and the doctor in the ER came to the conclusion that I had really bad GERD. GERD I was told can cause congestion. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">On Wednesday, I saw my gastroenterologist. He thought I had some kind of a viral enteritis. I told him that I would have one or two good days followed by three bad days and he said that's the way it goes. He didn't see any need for more scoping and tried to cheer me up by telling me my lungs were clear and that the blood work done in the ER showed there was no infection.<br /><br />Then on Thursday I finally got to see the new pulmonologist. As I sat in his examining room, I thought about the fact that he was recommended by my doctor. I noticed that the walls were adorned with all the usual posters from pharmaceutical companies extolling the merits of all those wonderful inhalers. I expected him to tell me more of the same but instead he waltzed in and he tells me my lungs are fine! (A 9.5 out of 10, he said.) He showed me the CT scan on his computer and told me that the "nodules" that the radiologist found all throughout my lungs are nothing more than my own blood vessels seen end-on!!!! I was incredulous!! The atelectasis was gone. The "infiltrate" was "nothing." He said the only thing worth worrying about is a very small area of the right lung that he wants to check in 4-6 months or even a year. He then told me to stay away from doctors. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I have stopped all meds and am going to be looking for a new primary care physician. And I am making a rapid (miraculous even) recovery from the GERD. By the way, the radiologist had the nerve to charge my insurance $2300 for the analysis of my CT scan. The pulmonologist said that's what's wrong with American medicine. So I have my health back, and my life! My brother (the family skeptic) said I should have gotten a second or even third opinion much sooner. It's questionable now whether or not I ever had pneumonia. I never had a fever and all the stomach problems were due to the meds and a lot of worry. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Kurt Harris, one of the doctor/bloggers, on </span><a href="http://www.paleonu.com/panu-weblog/2010/2/22/body-by-science-and-panu.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">his blog PaNu</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> made a comment that: "The biggest myth in all of medicine is that doing something is always better than doing nothing, with the corollary that there is always some marginal non-negative benefit to every test and procedure. I believe this is profoundly mistaken. The average medical service diagnostic or therapeutic, may actually not only not have a positive net benefit, but may have a net negative one." He calls a lot of testing (such as for lipid profiles, for example) "just fuel for neurosis." Amen.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">So now you understand <a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2010/04/spring-wildflowers.html">the hiking binge</a>. I have not really been able to assimilate all of this yet. When I have a problem and don't know what to do, I go for a walk (or I write about it). In a way I have had a journey and come back. I have found a new sense of myself and it has prompted me to make a few decisions about my future. I have found that I have wonderful friends and neighbors willing to help me out when I need it. I'd like to say that next time I will trust my own instincts more, but it would seem that the tremendous influence a person in authority can have over me might override that. I hope not.</span> </div>Grandma Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01489523959321155220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3363730087661467442.post-45655713267012280972010-03-27T11:08:00.000-07:002010-07-10T13:03:09.744-07:00Houdini is Released<p align="center"><object width="364" height="280"><param name="movie" value="http://www.cnet.com/av/video/flv/universalPlayer/universalSmall.swf"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="FlashVars" value="playerType=embedded&type=id&value=50085214"><br /><embed src="http://www.cnet.com/av/video/flv/universalPlayer/universalSmall.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="364" height="280" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="playerType=embedded&type=id&value=50085214"></embed></object></p><p><span style="font-family:verdana;">There have been at least two releases of the </span><a href="http://sittingknitting.blogspot.com/2009/03/palos-verdes-blue.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Palos Verdes Blue Butterfly</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> this month. On March 6, the butterfly returned to </span><a href="http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_14522367"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Friendship Park</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> in San Pedro. It was last seen at the park in 1981 and this is the first time there has been a release there. On March 18, there was a release at the </span><a href="http://www.pvplc.org/land/chandler/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Linden H. Chandler Preserve</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> on Palos Verdes which is described in the video above. Once again, the releases were overseen by </span><a href="http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/mar/09/moorpark-college-butterfly-biologist-vying-for/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Jana Johnson</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> and her students from Moorpark College where a captive breeding program has been going on for ten years.</span> </p><p><span style="font-family:verdana;">Apparently at the Chandler site, there was one male butterfly whose antics earned him the name, Houdini. According to one observer:</span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family:arial;color:#66cccc;">One particular butterfly charmed all. After eclosing at Moorpark, he tried real hard to escape and successfully got out of the first level cage. The staff decided to reward his escape efforts by giving him a name, Houdini, and sending him out for release. Houdini was very active in his plastic cup, but once released all he did was sit on an Encelia flower. But that was OK, because we all got great photos of him. Check out the image of Houdini that I took with my cell phone! --Ann Dalkey</span></blockquote><p></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjozn190jJ41NomQiG9_dcDiq4ytQmQR00uJaOQm2gYGKoiVhePvMam1oKpRY7VSxK2yY_-IQufGn63No79D-AUfEEqfXD8pT0qjbK95_XgviwHjJzwIcFJhpJjcVMjxhl09ZEJiLP3-IuE/s1600/Houdini+PVBm+142.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 239px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453731178229805890" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjozn190jJ41NomQiG9_dcDiq4ytQmQR00uJaOQm2gYGKoiVhePvMam1oKpRY7VSxK2yY_-IQufGn63No79D-AUfEEqfXD8pT0qjbK95_XgviwHjJzwIcFJhpJjcVMjxhl09ZEJiLP3-IuE/s400/Houdini+PVBm+142.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> It is hoped that the released butterflies, who will only live 10 days, will mate and lay lots of eggs. The hatched eggs will go through the caterpillar and pupal stages, but the adult butterflies won't be seen until next year, possibly in late February of 2011.</span> </p><p><strong><span style="font-family:verdana;">Addendum</span></strong></p><p><span style="font-family:verdana;">Ann Dalkey sent me the following information on the history of the Butterfly Project and gives credit to all the agencies involved.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;color:#336666;"><span style="color:#66cccc;">The Palos Verdes blue butterfly (PVPB) was thought to be extinct until it was discovered in 1994 at the Defense Fuel Supply Point (DFSP), a US military base located in San Pedro. Since that discovery, the wild population has been surveyed yearly and has ranged from 30 to 282 individuals, averaging about 200 during the past 6 years. This is too small of a population to survive on its own, so a consortium of organizations has since worked hard to increase the number of the butterflies. The US military has provide space for raising the host plants (rattle pod and deerweed), culturing the butterfly, and conserving habitat on the base. The Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy (PVPLC) runs the native plant nursery and maintains and expands PVB habitat. The Urban Wildlands is responsible for the surveying of the wild population and culturing of the captive population, known as the Butterfly Project. Two captive populations exist, one at the military base and the second, established in 2007, at Moorpark College. Under the leadership of Jana Johnson, the captive population has increased significantly, enabling the team to release captive individuals into the wild. The first such release occurred in 2008 at the Defense Fuel Supply Point. Then additional releases at the DFSP and the Linden H. Chandler Preserve took place in 2009. This year, 2010, releases have been conducted at a new place, Friendship Park, and also the Chandler Preserve. PVPLC is working hard to provide additional butterfly habitat throughout the preserves on the PV Peninsula. And, with Jana’s wonderful Butterfly Project, we look forward to seeing more of these cute butterflies throughout the Peninsula.</span><br /></span><br /></p>Grandma Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01489523959321155220noreply@blogger.com3