Despite most of today feeling a bit like fall I believe spring is pretty much spent in this part of SoCal as we traditionally head into summer marked by today being Memorial Day.
On to walks that have taken on a good chunk of spring from April 11 until today, May 25th.
April 11, 2015
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| Black chinned hummingbird in a palo verde tree |
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| Bees frolicking in opuntia flowers |
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| Close up |
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| The Anna's hummingbird known as "Bob" |
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| 2 |
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| 3 |
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| Monarch on Salvia |
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| Another lucky rodent gets a nut from Docken |
April 18, 2015
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| Blue darner dragonfly |
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| Monarch at home on milkweed |
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| Santa Barbara daisies |
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| Southwestern fence lizard hanging with me on a bench |
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| Viceroy butterfly (Limenitis archippus) |
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| Water lily |
April 19, 2015
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| Santa Barbara daisies and a grass skipper butterfly |
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| Marine Blue butterfly (Leptotes marina) laying eggs |
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| The western tiger swallowtail (Papilio rutulus) |
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| The same viceroy as above on lantana |
Little did I know this would be the last time I was going to see hummingbird "Bob." But wait, there's some special news forthcoming!
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| Male Calypte anna, "Bob" |
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| 2 |
April 26, 2015
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| Opuntia flowers |
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| Opuntia flower |
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| Romneya Coulteri poppy |
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| Yucca whipleii flowers |
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| Romneya Coulteri poppy |
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| Yucca whipleii flowers |
May 1, 2015
More from inside the Yucca whipleii...
May 2, 2015
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| Allen's hummingbird semi-perched on yucca flowers |
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| Immature Allen's hummingbird |
May 9, 2015
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| Apricot mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua) |
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| House sparrow (Passer domesticus) |
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| Mourning dove |
May 10, 2015
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| American Lady (Vanessa-virginiensis) |
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Yerba mansa
(Anemopsis californica) |
A paper wasp devouring pests on narrow-leaved milkweed. Paper wasps are beneficial insects, please leave them alone if you can.
May 16, 2015
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| Female Anna's hummingbird |
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| 2 |
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| 3 |
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| Female rufous hummingbird |
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| Buttercup |
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| Ruschia piscodora |
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| Santa Barbara daisies |
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| Southwestern fence lizard |
Up close...
May 23, 2015
Introducing Lil' Bob
Heading out, off the driveway...
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| Hoverfly coated in CA Poppy pollen |
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| Lanceleaf coreopsis |
Moving on to the garden, Docken makes another friend via an almond contribution.
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| A baby ground squirrel gets a nut from Docken |
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| Bee on Crassula perforata flowers |
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| 2 |
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| A budding Echinocereus scheeri |
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| Lesser goldfinch atop drying salvia flowers |
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| Asclepias fascicularis (narrowleaf milkweed) |
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| More Monarch butterflies on the way |
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| Some species of Acacia? |
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Yerba mansa
(Anemopsis californica) |
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| Salvia flowers |
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| Rufous hummingbird |
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| Female Anna's hummingbird |
Based on hummingbird "Bob's" (seen
here and
here) former exclusivity as the apparent solo male Anna's hummingbird in the garden, the timing of his disappearance, some basic math and the appearance of this little guy, it seems strongly evident that this is "son of Bob", aka, "Lil' Bob." Bob was last photographed and seen by us on April 19th. About a week before that Bob was observed performing the male Anna's
"mating dive" for a pretty little female perched on a red-stemmed dogwood bush. Egg incubation is about 16 days followed by a 20 day nesting period, from there young Calypte annas are out on their own. The male parent has no role in parenting after mating. So the absence of male C. anna birds in the area aside from Bob, the timing of this newborn's appearance plus a little wishful thinking has brought about the conclusion that this is Bob's offspring. Aside from speculation, Lil' Bob is cute as can be and he is also one of the bravest hummingbirds I've yet to encounter.
May 24, 2015
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| A female monarch laying eggs on Asclepias fascicularis |
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| Rufous hummingbird |
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| Tall cactus (ID missing) |
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| 2 |
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| 3 |
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| Female Anna's hummingbird |
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| 2 |
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| 3 | |
This Gray hairstreak (
Strymon melinus) shows the effectiveness of the "false head" on its hindwing which has apparently taken a hit or two from a bird or other predator.
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| Flowers, Manfreda Sp. |
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| Berlandiera lyrata, aka, chocolate daisy |
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| Berlandiera lyrata, starting to bloom |
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| Clouded Sulphur (Colias philodice) on Salvia darcyi |
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| Dried flowers on some type of fountain grass |
May 25, 2015
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| "HELLO!?!" |
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| "OH, IT'S YOU!!" |
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| California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum) |
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| 2 |
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| Apache Plume (Fallugia paradoxa) |
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| More Crassula perforata flowers |
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| Monarch and a bee on a Chastity plant |
I hope you enjoyed the walks. Thanks for tagging along!
