jimson weed ~ 01/19/11 ~ Fort Ord

common jimson weed

Datura stramonium
Solanaceae

I rarely remember the individual plants that I happen to post pictures through the seasons, but this jimson weed stands out in my mind. Those are some gnarly seed pods! Click to see pictures of it in its full summer glory from August 21, 2010. The switch of green vs. dried parts between jimson weed and grass, from August to now in January, is quite fascinating to observe.

ps 01/22/11 - Thanks to Phyte Club Katie's comment, I've discovered this plant is apparently fairly toxic, i.e., do NOT use for a recreational high.

pss 10/27/11 - Found another blog post of the actual seeds. I like. Check out Backyard and Beyond's Jimson.

shootingstar ~ 01/19/11 ~ Fort Ord

coastal shootingstar

Dodecatheon clevelandii ssp. sanctarum
Primulaceae

Here's my first spring wildflower post for 2011. And, there wasn't just one or two, there was a whole hillside covered in these padre's shootingstars (the common name given to the species as opposed to the subspecies). I've been telling my husband for years that spring essentially starts in mid-January along the Central Coast of California, but he still poo-poos this idea having hailed from colder Washington state and holding firmly to the "traditional" timing of seasons in the northern hemisphere. Who hasn't heard "in like a lion and out like a lamb" as a description for the month of March? Hey, where I live, that's a better description for January!

I'm having trouble getting clear shots of wildflowers with longer, delicate stems, especially when the wind blows almost non-stop around here. I was very disappointed to find most of my pictures were too fuzzy to post. Does anyone have any suggestions, besides picking the flowers and taking them home to photograph in the kitchen, or besides purchasing a spendy new fast-action camera?

ps 01/30/11 - I sometimes use the Fort Ord plant list to confirm my IDs and D. clevelandii ssp. sanctarum is the only Dodecatheon listed. Personally, I would not be able to easily distinguish between the 12 species records listed on Calflora.

my first tree year project post

western scrub-jay perched on coast Douglas-fir
Aphelocoma californica perched on Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
Pinaceae

I don't often join in blogging groups and group nature activities. Sheesh, keeping up with Nature ID is already enough of a time-consuming hobby for me. However, I immediately liked the The Tree Year project idea: pick a tree, observe it and everything on or around it as often as you can, then share your observations.

I've already been observing this coast Douglas-fir for the past few years, which is located right next to our 3rd story balcony. Click to see all my past posts that include mentions or pictures of this tree. While I plan to write more later, I had a good laugh looking back to when I began this blog - back then, I wasn't sure which kind of jay came to visit me for peanuts or what kind of gnarly tree was growing within a few feet from home.

Similarly, I'm curious to watch how this The Tree Year develops.

Much to my own mixed dismay and delight, I've been hand feeding peanuts to our local western scrub-jays. The particular individual pictured above has continued to visit me through the fall and winter. It often hides the peanuts in the odd looking tailed pine cones of the Douglas-fir. I've wondered whether it knows how to find its stash, but I've since read western scrubs have a very good memory. Last summer I was feeding 4 different jays. They all looked very similar, but each had their own personality and behavior. I wonder what happened to the other 3 jays.

http://thetreeyear.wordpress.com/tree-year-posts/life-on-the-tree/birds/

wordless Wednesday