Today's walk report: 052614, catching up...

Once again I've been a tad remiss on tackling this "report" with the kind of regularity that once took place and it's probably all for the better. Walks continued for all but two days since my last report but evening time and energy that has gone into a regular report has been better spent enjoying companionship with my girl, Docken. It's okay, she likes me calling her my girl. The thing is, these reports have taken in excess of 5 hours some evenings and if the choice is between that and spending time with in a caring, loving and really fun relationship... well, you get the picture.

And here are some other pictures from our walks together taken between May 20th and today, May 26th, Memorial Day, 2014. Included are a few shots from the rapidly dwindling home garden wildflowers.

On our way into the garden, I found this little guy on Docken's shirt.

Docken's mantis.

Flower remnants.

Cornflower.

Wild roses.

Fly on Plains Coreopsis.

Grass Skipper on bog sage.

Eucalyptus leaves.

1st we stopped to observe the burger, then we saw this. The male was going back and forth between the burger and feeding his mate. Really cute.

Bee on white sage.

3 doves on a wire.

Blue nolina.

Blue nolina, close-up.

Nezara viridula, commonly known as the southern green stink bug or green vegetable bug--a plant-feeding stink bug.

Nezara viridula, this is a nymph. they lose virtually all of the colored pattern by adulthood.

Papaver rhoeas, aka, Shirley poppy.

Western fence lizard.

I have mis-identified hummingbirds in the past and in fact have some corrections I'd like to do. I'm pretty sure that this is a 1st though. Black-chinned hummingbird,  Archilochus alexandri. This was unfortunately the best shot I got of the bird's iridescent feathers below its chin.

Purple sage. Needs ID.

Plains Coreopsis.

California poppies and a very tiny bug. Can you find it?

Paper wasp on silver sage.

Rufous hummingbird on Red Mountain Sage.

 2

Colias philodice, aka, Clouded Sulphur, a little beat up--beauty with character.

Red tailed hawk, surveying...

and in pursuit.

Red-eared slider turtle.

Some Grevillia.

Black-chinned Hummingbird,  Archilochus alexandri.

Red-eared slider turtle.

Rufous hummingbird.

Rufous hummingbird.

Statice perezii.

Purple sage, needs ID.

Black-chinned Hummingbird,  Archilochus alexandri.

Probably a female  Blue-eyed Darner,  Rhionaeschna multicolor. Females have no blue.

Evening primrose.

Thoughtful idea.

Walk report, mega-extravaganza!

It's been a relatively busy week and the week before (actually 8 long days) I was missing my walking companion, Docken's, company so... the walk report took a back seat. However walks themselves went on, business as usual and so did some picture taking.

These photos are mostly in order, from 050314 until 051114, Mother's Day.

F'n bugs. Box elder bugs coupled and one trying to hitch a ride.

This is the 1st time I've seen ladybugs taking advantage of the overpopulation of milkweed aphids on the narrow-leaved milkweed. It was a bit of a free-for-all.

YUM!

Anna's hummingbird in a Sequoia tree.

Yellow rumped warbler.

Moonshine Yarrow Achillea x 'Moonshine' and Verbena.

Moonshine Yarrow Achillea x 'Moonshine'.

Echinocereus scheeri.

Honey bee enjoying Alyogyne-huegelii, 'White-Swan.'

Peek-a-boo.

There was a pleasant night walk on 050414, out to enjoy the cool evening air and see how some of the garden night-blooming cactus were doing. There wasn't a decent photo-op but it was a wonderful walk in great company.

Our walk on 050514, Docken and I witnessed a very young Mantis trying to cross what seemed an impossibly wide street... so I rescued the little tyke. The image of this tiny creature on my thumb was too good and we decided to walk it home for a photo op. However, just as I was getting in the front door to get my camera it hopped off, nowhere to be found. Looking out the kitchen window the following morning what do we see... another young'un.

Meanwhile, a very short walk into the backyard reveals the one and only sunflower in a sea of dying wildflowers--seed planted in the fall.

Neighborhood walks, sans camera, for most of the week were full of fun and frolic for Docken and Eric. Sorry you missed them.

Onto 050914...

Tiny flowers on the way out.

These being really tiny. I was a little surprised at just how pretty they were, weeds in an unkept lawn yet splendor is revealed with a macro close-up. Approximate size is 1/4" (0.635 cm) in diameter.

Phyla nodiflora, aka frogfruit or lippia.

Onto the garden...

Aesculus californica, California Buckeye or California Horse-chestnut.

Bee on Melaleuca armillaris, aka, Bracelet honey myrtle.

Some Callistemon.

Eucalyptus flowers.

Kangaroo paws.

No ID but I'm working on it.

Seed pods from another Eucalyptus.

There are a few wild-rose plants blooming and I spotted this really tiny spider when I went on to photograph. This was its attempt to "look big" when I inadvertently bumped the flower. Menacing. This is the rear of the spider if you can't tell.

 

Alyogyne-huegelii, 'White-Swan,' again.

Matilija Poppy, Romneya coulteri.

Matilija Poppy, Romneya coulteri.

Strelitzia reginae, aka, Bird of Paradise.

Strelitzia reginae, aka, Bird of Paradise.

Then there was yesterday, 051014. I tweaked my back earlier in the day but trudged on out, like a trooper, with my ever-wonderful companion, at least to do a garden walk and return. That's approxiamately 3 miles plus the meandering about the garden. However, my back had me mostly standing still waiting on hummingbirds or doing the same sitting on a bench.

Western fence lizard.

Female rufous hummingbird on Aesculus californica.

Female rufous hummingbird on desert willow.

Male rufous hummingbird on purple sage.