Easter 2014 in the Highlands

decorated beer cans for hiding

brightest flowers (irises) that caught my eye

Bird Island of Point Lobos

hidden egg

my favorite spring garden view

Easter landed late on the calendar this year.  Tulips are long gone, and irises are making quite a showing in gardens all around.  The blues and purples reign right now: pride of Madeira, CA lilac, greater periwinkle, and a variety of other garden flowers.  Does anyone know what the purple flowers behind the hidden egg are?  Andy and I didn't dye any eggs this year.  And, there wasn't actually a beer hunt after the egg hunt, but I was happy to see some folks made the effort to decorate cans.  It's one of those things where it's more fun to talk about than to actually do. Plus, the ages of the participatory kids ran too young to do a proper beer hide, and there were enough young teens who felt the shaked-can joke was getting old.  No one drinks the beer anyways.  It's all about the yummy potluck of epic proportions.

Oh!  We had a heart-stopping 10 minutes down at the beach.  Three people had gotten stuck on a rock in the very active high tide.  It looked like they could have easily been swept out to sea with the next rogue wave.  It's well known around here that the first rescuers are often the ones who end up dying, not the person in trouble. It's such a helpless feeling to watch this.  There's a beach just on the other side of Point Lobos that the locals call "Mortuary Beach", because every year people die in the waters there.  Thank goodness these three eventually got off the rock safely after holding on for dear life and waiting for a break in the wave action.

As always, my best memories are in the sharing of this Easter tradition with good friends, old and new.  It's one of the few holidays for which I'm very sentimental.  Happy Spring!

habitat ~ 09/30/13 ~ SeaRock

SeaRock

stone castle in the Carmel Highlands

Back when I started blogging in 2009, it didn't occur to me that I might meet some of my fellow bloggers in real life. As I was setting up Nature ID, I used the automated keyword search featured on blogspot's profile pages to find local bloggers with nature-oriented themes. There were very few, and one of them was Bread on the Water. I quickly added her to my list of blogs I follow. Gradually, we learned about each other. In all honestly, it took me a while before I realized she lived on the compound of a private Carmel Highlands landmark. Then over two years ago, we had rumblings of maybe meeting... someday.

That someday came into being thanks in no small part to the death of a mutual friend, my invitation to fulfill his promise to take her and her husband (who's also a blogger) on a tour of Rocky Creek, and their sudden 2 month preparation to move out of the area. Within days before their moving, we finally met up twice in 2 days with reciprocating tours. The passing of loved ones really reminds me that someday could easily become never.

Speaking of somedays, I totally want an attached conservatory like they have in the guest house (2nd to last pic above). I already have in mind the kinds of windows and recirculating H2O system, types of plants and insects, and style of furniture I'll have. The first time I discovered such things existed was when I watched Angels and Insects. The scene with the moths enchanted me. That movie inspired me to raise almost 1000 monarchs and various other moths, mantids, and millipedes in my apartment bedroom in the summer of 2000. A more kid-friendly movie that also features a private conservatory is The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

Thank you, Jeannette and Mark, for a lovely tour.

Easter 2013 in the Highlands

 our eggs

 brightest flowers (blossoms) that caught my eye

 Bird Island of Point Lobos

hidden egg

my favorite spring garden view

posted 04/09/13 - Here's my annual Easter entry, a little late.  I've been attending this party for over a decade now ever since I moved back to CA, and I've included 5 of those years on this blog.  Without children of our own and family so far away, I observe very few traditions, so this is very special for me.  The real memories are in all the pictures I don't post:  Andy's awe the first time he came with me when we began dating; kids who struggle with the milestone question of "Am I too old to hunt for eggs?"; the velcro-egg hider who gave us Icelandic ice cubes as a wedding present; Andy's mom's tinkly laugh as she participated in the beer hunt that follows the egg hunt; the wide-eyed mixed reactions of friends who came as my guests; the waffle-maker who didn't make waffles; and older ladies who progress from canes, to walkers, to wheelchairs, to memories.

Easter 2012 in the Highlands

(not) our eggs

brightest flowers (fuchsias) that caught my eye

Bird Island of Point Lobos

hidden egg

my favorite spring garden view

Here's my annual Easter post. I use the same five picture themes every year. To see past years, click my * easter label and scroll down.

This year's celebration felt very different for several reasons. The Williams family are making the tough and beautiful transition without Cynthia. Two of her daughters, Molly and Honey live on the compound, and they are shaping "The Carmel Institute" to better suit their own preferences. I absolutely love their garden. Also, Andy and I have our own evolving life priorities. At the shin-dig, there were plenty of familiar faces and several new folks who brought plastic eggs and decorated beer cans. I don't remember the last time I saw plastic eggs as part of the hunt. As for Andy and me, well, we didn't dye any eggs this year (nor did we make paper snowflakes... hmm?) Time and attention have certainly slipped by us. Plus, it was our wedding anniversary, and that post will be forthcoming.

If Molly, Honey, and all their friends who helped out read this, here's a heartfelt thank you!

common flax ~ 04/08/12 ~ Carmel Highlands

common flax / linseed
Linum usitatissimum
for more information click here, here, and here
Linaceae

I really wanted this to be the native Lewis' Flax / western blue flax (Linum lewisii); however after looking at numerous pictures, the flower face and the leaves just didn't seem right to me. The newly designed Jepson eFlora descriptions for L. usitatissimum and L. lewisii are as confusing as usual for a novice like me, but compared to the 1993 version, the maps are very impressive with updates thanks to Joshua R. McDill. So, this widely naturalized common flax from eastern Mediterranean to India is my best guess. The flowers were sparsely spread around the paths in the orchard. Each stem was about knee to thigh high; I'm short, so maybe about 25 inches or so. It's a pretty delicate flower.

I must confess to how I happened to discover what kind of flower this is. As I was looking in the neighbor's trash bin for plastic containers (yogurt, hummus, salsa...) for my spring repotting, I found one of those lavender eye pillows. Since I wanted to used the nice silk fabric for another project, I emptied out the contents. There were funny looking flat brown seeds mixed in with the dried lavender blooms. Of course, I looked it up online and discovered flax's many uses. I now scoop a little bit of the mix into an old tied stocking and toss it into the occasional bath water. My homemade bath bag smells nice and seriously softens my skin. Eh, what a motley set of discoveries from simply going through trash.

Easter 2011 in the Highlands

our eggs

brightest flowers (geraniums) that caught my eye

Bird Island of Point Lobos

hidden egg

my favorite spring garden view

Per my standard Easter entry, I have a specific set of pictures that I post here on Nature ID. To see all my Easter posts from 2011, 2010, and 2009, click here.

What was not standard this year was Cynthia Williams, the matriarch of "The Carmel Institute", died at the end of January after more than a year of failing health with the need of round-the-clock care. I added a postscript of her obituary and a link to Design Faith's blog entry about Cynthia in my 2010 post. A heartfelt and intimate memorial with lots of laughter was included at the end of the traditional Easter soiree.

The family's annual Easter celebration has been held for almost 70 years! Anyone who wanted to participate was invited and welcomed with open arms. It always included sequestering the children in the living room while the adults hid hard-boiled eggs in the expansive garden. Cynthia, dressed in her colorful Easter attire, blew her horn to start the hunt. After most of the eggs were found, the older children then hid decorated cans of beer for the adults, often vigorously shaking them as a prank on their dads. It wasn't unusual for the dogs or the gardeners to find old eggs or cans of beer up to a year later in the bushes. After the hunting for eggs and beer ended, a scrumptious potluck of massive proportions ensued with libations of punch, wine, and gin fizzes. Plastic swords, big wheels, tire swings, trampoline, acoustic music, and a poison oak lined path to the south Point Lobos beach were post-brunch activities for the young and old alike. I have every confidence that the family will continue this Easter ritual.

Another thing that was not standard this year was I was extremely sick from what I thought was a severe cold that even ruptured my only good eardrum. Normally, I would have stayed home to keep from spreading my germs, but I needed in my heart to attend and share in Cynthia's memorial. While I stayed away from most people and didn't socialize like I would have liked, partly because I couldn't hear too well, I am very glad I went. A few days later I ended up in the hospital with pneumonia and other complications. I'm still recuperating... but I can't help but believe this was Cynthia's way of instructing me that I need to take better care of myself.

Thank you, Cynthia, for your joie de vivre, generosity, and inspiration!

seaside painted cup ~ 04/24/11 ~ Carmel Highlands

Monterey paintbrush / seaside painted cup
Castilleja latifolia
CNPS 8th Edition Inventory
Orobanchaceae (formerly Scrophulariaceae)

Have you missed my posts? This is the first day that I've felt somewhat better in 3 weeks (posted 05/10/11). Hooray! This is a new species of paintbrush for Nature ID. Isn't it pretty? I can't believe I haven't posted a picture of it before now. It's a rare plant found only here in CA along the coast. Vern Yadon states in Wildflowers of Monterey County that the seaside painted cup is semi-parasitic on beach sagewort (Artemisia pycnocephala) and the colors can vary from orange, yellow, white, and red. Check out the embedded links in the ID below the pictures above.

crab spider ~ 03/31/11 ~ Carmel Highlands

best guess female goldenrod crab spider on greater periwinkle
best guess Misumena vatia on Vinca major
Apocynaceae

Let me be clear, this spider ID is my best guess. I wish my early morning photos showed the eyes and carapace better. The more I looked into Thomisidae (aka crab spiders), the more I got confused with the genera of interest - Mecaphesa (too hairy), Misumena (only vatia is well-pictured online), Misumenoides (eh?), Misumenops (most nearctic spp. now placed in Mecaphesa). I felt like Bill the Cat Ack!

Despite being considerably south from where I live, I have really liked UC Irvine's Natural History of Orange County for their pictorial representations, but I have some doubts their spider IDs are entirely correct. I've linked to BugGuide twice in the common name and the scientific name above, and even they're not all that accurate. I'm not criticizing them, it's just the nature of the beast, so to speak. There are so many insects and spiders out there, it's a challenge for everyone. I suspect the people who really know, don't spend their time posting pictures online. I found this list of Spiders of California helpful to check what actually occurs around here.

A fellow nature blogger and I were e-mailing about how we don't want to add to the prolific online misinformation. Yet, I want to learn more. For people who find my blog through searches (apparently, google and bing are now my best "customers"), they may not be aware that this blog is my learning tool and I'm totally okay making mistakes. I've said it once and I'll say it again, I am NOT an expert. All I can guarantee are that my pictures are taken on the date of the blog post and at the location indicated in the labels.

At the end of the day, my final thought on the above pictures is, "Oooh, look at the cool white spider on the pretty purple flower."

silver-spotted tiger moth ~ 03/15/11 ~ Carmel Highlands

silver-spotted tiger moth (or nameless arctiid moth) feeding on California lilac
Lophocampa argentata (or Lophocampa sobrina) feeding on Ceanothus sp.
Rhamnaceae

It's always a thrill for me when I find a striking caterpillar or two. I'd even say these are pretty. These pictures were taken in a friend's expansive yard just south of Point Lobos, so I can't be sure if the Ceanothus is native or a garden variety. The visual addition of periwinkle and pride of Madeira made for an awesome sight of intense purples and greens. It's too bad I didn't get a step-back habitat photo.

As for the ID of the moth, I am sure it's a Lophocampa sp., but I'm not absolutely positive it's a silver-spotted tiger moth. Based on their size, I suspect these have another instar or two before they're ready to pupate into adult moths. Almost a year ago, bb of biobabbler, Chris Grinter of The Skeptical Moth, and I had a discussion of L. argentata on her blog post of a mystery caterpillar. Most of the L. argentata caterpillar pictures found online are tannish-orange in overall color. In my defense, there are whiter versions like mine (and, no, it's not due to a flash) that have been found at Point Lobos: BugGuide and CalPhotos. Additionally, the literature states the silver-spotted tiger moth feeds on conifers, particularly Douglas-firs. As shown above, they're definitely feeding on Ceanothus blooms. I wonder if location or food preference has anything to do with the color variation of the caterpillars... or if these locals are possibly a different species.

ps 03/23/11 - I originally posted this as silver-spotted tiger moth (Lophocampa argentata). Thanks to Chris Grinter of The Skeptical Moth, I queried Jerry Powell, professor at UC Berkeley and co-author of Moths of Western North America. The three of us had a brief e-mail exchange. Jerry seems to be unsure whether L. argentata and L. sobrina are indeed distinct species, contrary to what his co-author Paul Opler thought. The photo they used in their book of L. sobrina was feeding on blackberry and alder. With Chris's permission to quote him on my blog, here's what he e-mailed, "Yea I think there are deeper problems than just the identification. Only L. sobrina is known from the Monterey area - and identifications of L. argentata from that are are incorrect IF sobrina is a true species. Putting them side by side I do see differences, but they are incredibly superficially similar. I haven't taken a close enough look at the morphology or DNA to actually make a real call. This is a project for another day - but caterpillars of Lophocampa from that area would also be sobrina. The problem with caterpillars is that they are even more variable than adults..." Chris goes on, "I'd say sobrina is the name applied to that population right now. Who knows how long that will stick around for though, there are a few other Arctiinae species in coastal california that share this same problem." Thank you, Chris and Jerry! Who knows, I may have the very first pictures of L. sobrina correctly identified on the internet. Maybe Chris will get BugGuide and Calphotos to correct their pictures?

pss 03/27/11 - I've also contacted Paul Opler who advised me to try to rear these so that I can know for sure which species it is. Hmph! I think I'll do that.

pss 04/20/11 - I realized I haven't posted an update with pictures of this caterpillar. I ended up collecting one on 03/31/11 along with another all black caterpillar from the Highlands. As it so happens, today I spotted something fuzzy on the balcony and thought the one I had collected had somehow escaped. Nope. Now I have two of these caterpillars that seem to like feeding on fresh oak leaves.

En plein air

Tom Davies' paintings
September 25, 2010

There is something incredibly magical about viewing plein air art outdoors, versus some sterile and snooty all-white galleries. When nature and the open air is your studio, it is fitting to have your work displayed as shown above when participating in the Monterey County Studio Tour. Tom mainly paints local outdoor scenes but also does portraits and places in Italy and France. I asked him if it was okay for me to take pictures of his work to post to my blog. He was happy to grant me permission. Check out his website and story in the link embedded in his name above. To see more of my pictures from his studio tour, see my Flickr set.

This is not the first time we've seen paintings hooked on trees and tucked away in the shrubbery here in the Highlands. For big celebrations the family pulls out the grandfather's work to adorn their yard. It's wonderful! I feel incredibly blessed to have met this family upon returning to California from Ohio. They have always welcomed me with a big smile and a warm hug. They are good people and I thank them from the bottom of my heart.

Easter 2010 in the Highlands

our eggs

brightest flowers (tulips) that caught my eye

Bird Island of Point Lobos

hidden egg

my favorite spring garden view

Realized I took similar pics last year, so am testing out how I want to post and label these...

We were fortunate that it didn't rain until late afternoon. There was a proliferation of calla lilies this year that isn't evident in any of the pics I've posted. Additionally, the hummingbirds were quite active, diving and chasing each other - as much as I'd love to post pics of them, I'm not fast enough with the camera.

I'm still not sure if these Easter pics are appropriate for this blog. Use the Easter label below to see last year's pics.

ps 02/19/11 - I don't know where else to express this. So, I'm including a copy of the local Monterey Herald's obit here before it disappears online:

Cynthia Criley Williams
1915 ~ 2011

CARMEL HIGHLANDS - Cynthia Criley Williams, "the Mother of all Mothers," died peacefully at home on January 29, 2011 at the age of 95. Her memorial celebration will be held on Easter Sunday, April 24, 2011, following the traditional egg hunt in her garden.

Cynthia was born in Monterey, in 1915. Her parents, painter Theodore Morrow Criley and Myrtle "Tootie" Criley, were members of the early Carmel artists' colony. They built a house in Carmel Highlands, on the southern boundary of Point Lobos, and the family moved there when Cynthia was two. They traveled widely in Europe, spending a year in France when she was six and again when she was thirteen, which fostered in her an old-world sensibility. Back home, Cynthia attended Sunset School, Monterey Union High School, and Scripps College, Claremont.

In 1935 Cynthia married physician Russell Williams. They moved to New York, where she attended Barnard College, and started a family. In 1940, back in the Highlands, they built a house on the family property, designed by Cynthia's architect brother, Theodore. Although Russell's medical training and military service took the growing family at various times to Baltimore, Las Vegas, and Topeka, Carmel Highlands was always home, and where they finished raising their five children.

Cynthia's father was from a hotel-keeping family, and perhaps following this tradition Cynthia opened her home, welcoming neighborhood children, family friends and friends of friends, temperamental artists, struggling writers, serious scholars, lively fishermen, blossoming singer/song-writers, crazy carpenters, earnest scientists, left-wing politicians, student activists, weary world travelers, and wayward teenagers; people might come for the weekend and stay for months. She established an ever-evolving eclectic community, rich with traditions and rituals that she devised. Generations of children learned the joys of camping from her, and lounged on her couch reading comic books; no television allowed. Her menagerie over time included dogs, cats, horses, goats, chickens, ducks, geese, parrots, and injured wildlife (including a seal). The family was devastated by the loss of son Richard ("Red") Williams, who suffered from depression and took his own life in 1961. The marriage ended in 1963.

In 1956, Cynthia had begun purchasing small rental houses in Pacific Grove, and developed a career as a landlady. Her reputation for fairness and generosity spread, and her little houses were much in demand; many of her tenants became part of her extended family community.

Like her Civil Libertarian brother, Richard Criley, Cynthia was a committed advocate for civil rights. She was a true egalitarian who treated everyone alike (except for pregnant women and parents of small children, who got special dispensations). Even in her 90s she attended peace demonstrations on Highway One near her home.

Cynthia had a deep love of language and literature. Her love of learning was life-long; she began studying ancient Greek in her 80s. Her open-mindedness, her generosity of spirit, and her passion for thriftiness were legend. Her mottos were "Waste not, want not" and "It's a great life if you don't weaken." She loved her garden, her view of Point Lobos, summer fog, and a good cup of tea.

Marian "Bee" Chaffey, John Williams, Margaret "Honey" Williams, and Molly Williams are her living children. She leaves four grandchildren: John Chaffey, Margaret Chaffey, Richard Russell Williams, and Sarah Williams; four great-grandchildren; the vast extended family; and her devoted dogs.

In her last year Cynthia's health declined. Her family and friends gratefully acknowledge her superb team of caregivers: Henrietta "Cha Cha" Nuno, Eustacia Pedraza, and Anna Casteneda; and the wonderful services of Hospice of the Central Coast. Cynthia herself requested that her friends honor her memory with donations to the Bookmobile (The Monterey County Free Library System).

Nothing we can say here can adequately express our gratitude for her life.

-----

Here's a link to another blog I found in Cynthia's memory: http://designfaith.blogspot.com/2011/01/watching-over-point-lobos-watching-over.html

Easter 2009 in the Highlands

our eggs

brightest flowers (roses) that caught my eye

Bird Island of Point Lobos

hidden egg

my favorite spring garden view

The blue yarn you see in the second and third pics above marks the boundary for egg hiding and hunting.