squid boats

It's like Christmas lights on the bay in May. We have never seen so many boats out on the water in the 4 years we've lived here. Okay, maybe I was wrong in thinking they came out only during the moon cycles. Did some kind of fishing season open up? I still need to look into this.

ps 05/07/10 - They were still out there last night, but not quite so many. Tonight there aren't any. Do squidermen take the weekend off? Don't know what else to call them 'cause they're not catching fish per se.

snakefly ~ 05/02/10 ~ at home

snakefly

The Chinese calendar says it's the year of the tiger, but for me it's the year of the snakefly. I even saw one recently while I was in Oregon. Here I am prepping dinner and this guy is hanging on the kitchen window. Oy! I wonder what they eat.

ps 05/11/10 - Unbelievable, there's another snakefly on our balcony.

habitat ~ 05/02/10 ~ Fort Ord - BLM InterGarrison

Fort Ord vernal pool
May 2, 2010

There's still plenty of water. For more information on vernal pools, if you've never heard of them, check out California Wetlands Information System. I'm now unsure who is in charge of this land - it may actually be BLM land, after all. You'll notice I have 2 locations for Fort Ord. Each is quite different in habitat, besides being accessed by different roads. Click on the vernal pool label below for an interesting comparison to last year. We definitely have had more rain this year.

sky lupine & rose clover ~ 05/02/10 ~ Fort Ord

sky lupine & rose clover
Lupinus nanus & Trifolium hirtum
Fabaceae (for both plants)

I was a little disappointed to learn the rose clover is invasive. No wonder I couldn't find it in any of my wildflower books.

Of course, the sky lupine is a native. There are 27 species of lupine in Monterey County. I have a ton of pics of various lupine. I haven't delved into lupine ID yet, so those posts will have to wait.

I really like this picture.