Today's walk report: 061717, random images

I've been remiss with this blog and I'm trying to find a way around that. The thing is I have a few posts I've been s l o w l y working on, they're more complicated than the usual banter and the self-imposed obligation of doing them seems to keep me from posting anything. So... I'm trying to make up for that. Not for you but rather for me. For the most part, I don't know who you are. Anyway, here are some random images from mid April until recently. These are from both walks out and about and from casual strolls in our own front and back yards (those will be noted in the captions).

Male Calypte anna hummingbird.

The same hummingbird, one week earlier.

Lavatera maritima, front yard.

Palo verde tree.

Papaver rhoeas, back yard.

Mostly Papaver rhoeas and Clarkia, backyard.

Mostly Papaver rhoeas and Clarkia, backyard.

Erigeron karvinskianus and Verbena.

Bee on Chrysanthemum coronarium, front yard.

Monarch butterfly on pink spider flower grevillea.

A backyard panorama, April 17th.

Carpenteria californica.

Cloudless sulpher on scarlet bugler.

Dead or alive?

Consolida ajacis, backyard.

Bee on Consolida ajacis, backyard.

Gulf fritillary on Salvia clevelandii, clarkia in the background, backyard.

Iris pseudacorus.

Papaver rhoeas and Clarkia, backyard.

Papaver rhoes, backyard.

Bees on Papaver rhoeas, backyard.

Blue nolina.

Bumblebee and Salvia clevelandii.

A backyard panorama, April 26th.

Reclining hare.

Papaver rhoeas amidst Echium candicans flowers, backyard.

Scarlet flax and a hoverfly, front yard.

Mexican primrose and Eschscholzia californica.

Okay, that wasn't so hard to do. Thanks for coming along!

Today's walk report: 032214

Mockingbird battle... and stuff.

Hey it's Saturday night so screw the banter!

Squirrel on the garden grape arbor.

California Towhee, hee, hee.

Palo Verde in glorious full bloom.

These two mockingbirds went at it for awhile. They sat relatively quiet together at the end so I'd speculate it was a spousal spat as opposed to a territorial issue.

Same male Anna's Hummingbird as yesterday and here. I confess, it's really hard to shoot a hummingbird when it's coming straight at you.

White-crowned Sparrow.

It was a beautiful walk with my beautiful lady. Thanks for taking the time to join in the sights.

Today's walk report: 031614

Yesterday and today.

A couple of beautiful days and matinée walks with my girl, Docken.

Yesterday we headed out in the late A.M. because we had a party to attend in the evening. If you knew me you'd know that's an unusual event, me+party. In fact I probably haven't been to an adult party in 15+ years. The company made all the difference and the party folks were splendid too.

031514: A short walk to the botanical garden and around, about 6.5 km. Not much on the photo front. It was windy, time stood still...

Palo Verde flowers.

Unknown yucca in a parking lot.

One of the "regular" red-tailed hawks. I hadn't seen him in quite awhile now and it was a 1st sighting for a walk with Docken.

031614: Back to Corbin Canyon.

Docken and I walked to Corbin Canyon on 021314 and I posted that walk here. It was a lot greener today after finally getting about 4" of rain in February.

The bush this bee was on was completely a buzz with 100s more bees.

Honestly, we could not figure out the rest of this message so I left it with "LA."

It may sound frivolous but butterflies and rainbows have been an important theme in my life as of late.

Bothwell Ranch the the last commercial orange grove in the San Fernando Valley.

You wouldn't believe the racket this little woodpecker was making on this telephone pole, so I won't bother trying to explain.

That's all! We hit 90º f today and it's still officially winter, although climatically we in SoCal had given up on the season some time ago. Nevertheless, beautiful walks in lovely company. Thanks for coming along!

Today's walk report: 062313

Back to normal... whatever that is.

For the 1st time in a week I was back to my routine journey, 8.79 km, same old, same old. Sunday walks are always nice, quiet, peaceful and because of that I typically take extra time to stop, reflect and often take more photos than on other days. This all occurring once I get to the garden which is at the 1.85 km mark.

Before I got there...

Camouflaged.

Oh look, already in the garden. How 'bout that. I was listening to a MP3 version of this show, I ripped it from the DVD I bought and it's so entertaining that time simply slips by.

I thought the spines looked amazing in the sunlight but I think you had to be there. The debris is mostly withered yellow flowers from the palo verde trees above. All their flowers are gone now. I always look forward to when the palo verde are in full bloom. There's a shot from May 3rd, here.

My egret friend was hanging out again today. The pond is full of crawdads (also called crayfish or crawfish) and lots of small mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis), I think the egret enjoys both of these.

 Alyogyne huegelii, White Swan.

Eucalyptus iforgetwhatthefuckitis.

Looks like the ants and I get a second round of strawflowers.

Molecular buckwheat.

Sunset, almost home.