Saturday, December 7, 2013

toyon ~ 12/07/13 ~ Fort Ord

Rosaceae

I've featured toyon on Nature ID before, but I want to show how prolific and plump the berries can get, rather than the desiccated example found in February at Garland Ranch.  It could merely be what's catching my eye lately, but the toyon does seem to be going gangbusters this year.  There are splashes of red everywhere.  About 2 weeks ago I spotted a flock of cedar waxwings at one of the State Historic Parks downtown Monterey, and I'm hoping in the next few months I'll be able to photograph them systematically stripping a toyon of all its berries like I saw for the first time last winter.

4 comments:

John W. Wall said...

That would be great to catch the waxwings at the toyon. I've never seen them on this plant. I'm not even sure I've seen them in my neck of the woods around this time of year, at least not in their large flocks.

Joe said...

Wow. I bet to bird do love those.

Katie (Nature ID) said...

John, I first heard their chatter, which made me look up to see the flock act a lot like starlings in flight. Given my typical, I'll see them again but not have the camera on me.

Joe, yep.

Jeannette said...

Lovely photos...the waxwings are systematic...they left only the lower skirt of berries on my holly tree. a far robin comes each morn for what seems like a quiet modest meal after having the jubilant flocks of waxwings that seem to gorge.