Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Today's walk report: 052515, spring, sprang, sprung

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

Black chinned hummingbird in a palo verde tree
Bees frolicking in opuntia flowers
Close up
The Anna's hummingbird known as "Bob"

2

3

Monarch on Salvia

Another lucky rodent gets a nut from Docken

April 18, 2015

Blue darner dragonfly

Monarch at home on milkweed

Santa Barbara daisies
Southwestern fence lizard hanging with me on a bench
 Viceroy butterfly (Limenitis archippus)
Water lily

April 19, 2015

Santa Barbara daisies and a grass skipper butterfly

Marine Blue butterfly (Leptotes marina) laying eggs
The western tiger swallowtail (Papilio rutulus)
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!

Male Calypte anna, "Bob"

2

April 26, 2015
Opuntia flowers
Opuntia flower
Romneya Coulteri poppy

Yucca whipleii flowers
Romneya Coulteri poppy
Yucca whipleii flowers
May 1, 2015


More from inside the Yucca whipleii...


May 2, 2015

Allen's hummingbird semi-perched on yucca flowers
Immature Allen's hummingbird
May 9, 2015

Apricot mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua)
House sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Mourning dove
May 10, 2015

American Lady (Vanessa-virginiensis)
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

Female Anna's hummingbird
2
3
Female rufous hummingbird
Buttercup
Ruschia piscodora
Santa Barbara daisies
Southwestern fence lizard
Up close...


May 23, 2015
Introducing Lil' Bob

Heading out, off the driveway...

Hoverfly coated in CA Poppy pollen

Lanceleaf coreopsis

Moving on to the garden, Docken makes another friend via an almond contribution.

A baby ground squirrel gets a nut from Docken

Bee on Crassula perforata flowers

2

A budding Echinocereus scheeri
Lesser goldfinch atop drying salvia flowers
Asclepias fascicularis (narrowleaf milkweed)
More Monarch butterflies on the way
Some species of Acacia?
Yerba mansa
(Anemopsis californica)
Salvia flowers
Rufous hummingbird
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

A female monarch laying eggs on Asclepias fascicularis
Rufous hummingbird
Tall cactus (ID missing)
2
3
Female Anna's hummingbird
2
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.


Flowers, Manfreda Sp.
Berlandiera lyrata, aka, chocolate daisy
Berlandiera lyrata, starting to bloom
Clouded Sulphur (Colias philodice) on Salvia darcyi
Dried flowers on some type of fountain grass
May 25, 2015

"HELLO!?!"
"OH, IT'S YOU!!"
California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum)
2
Apache Plume (Fallugia paradoxa)
More Crassula perforata flowers
Monarch and a bee on a Chastity plant
I hope you enjoyed the walks. Thanks for tagging along!