Monday, February 23, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Frost
There is frost on the sage. Why do I feel this premature vernalagnia?
Fungal fruiting bodies erupt now too.
Months ago the tarantula hawk laid it's eggs in a paralyzed victim.
Long ago lain eggs hatching elsewhere in other brains, a parallelism.
That is how cycles work.
Fungal fruiting bodies erupt now too.
Months ago the tarantula hawk laid it's eggs in a paralyzed victim.
Long ago lain eggs hatching elsewhere in other brains, a parallelism.
That is how cycles work.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Tiny Things
Would you have even noticed these? Are you an observant person? They are so tiny beneath your feet and your eyes are drawn towards the horizon, looking at the horizon you trample tiny treasures. My pics:
California Adders Tongue is a tiny and odd fern. Even in a very wet year each plant make one true leaf divided into two facing parts (sometimes just a single leaf blade grows) and a single fertile spike. So these here are full grown Ophioglossum californicum:
Another California native that produces but a single leaf from and underground caudex is Jepsonia parryi. It is cute to me but everyone else overlooks them.
The flowers appear before the plant puts up the one single leaf that it makes each year:
After blooming the single leaf emerges from the caudex:
So what is with these plants that only make on leaf per year? It is a condition called neoteny an interesting evolutionary strategy.
There are many many more tiny little things under your unseeing, oblivious, and clumsy feet.
Like fungi:
and liverworts:
California Adders Tongue is a tiny and odd fern. Even in a very wet year each plant make one true leaf divided into two facing parts (sometimes just a single leaf blade grows) and a single fertile spike. So these here are full grown Ophioglossum californicum:
Another California native that produces but a single leaf from and underground caudex is Jepsonia parryi. It is cute to me but everyone else overlooks them.
The flowers appear before the plant puts up the one single leaf that it makes each year:
After blooming the single leaf emerges from the caudex:
So what is with these plants that only make on leaf per year? It is a condition called neoteny an interesting evolutionary strategy.
There are many many more tiny little things under your unseeing, oblivious, and clumsy feet.
Like fungi:
and liverworts:
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Batrachoseps
This Link is about these guys:
Lungless salamanders, genus Batrachoseps are quite common in their range. They are cute. They thrive in gardens even suburban and some urban areas but most people have never seen one. They are very common but people don't look closely at them and think they are just earthworms. They are dormant most of the year and emerge from deep underground after a heavy rain. They are lungless and breath through their skin which must be wet for respiration to occur so never pick one up with dry hands. They eat worms and slugs and are eaten by ringneck snakes and garter snakes.
My own photos taken this morning:
Lungless salamanders, genus Batrachoseps are quite common in their range. They are cute. They thrive in gardens even suburban and some urban areas but most people have never seen one. They are very common but people don't look closely at them and think they are just earthworms. They are dormant most of the year and emerge from deep underground after a heavy rain. They are lungless and breath through their skin which must be wet for respiration to occur so never pick one up with dry hands. They eat worms and slugs and are eaten by ringneck snakes and garter snakes.
My own photos taken this morning:
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
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