habitat ~ 05/18/11 ~ California State University, Monterey Bay

California State University, Monterey Bay
May 18, 2011

This was the day my husband Andy celebrated the completion of his multiple subject teaching program. Two years ago when he was laid off from his job of over 10 years, his dream of becoming a teacher turned into a real possibility. As I post this on 06/16/11, he already has his own 2nd grade summer school class at the elementary school where he volunteered for years and did his last semester of student teaching. I'm incredibly proud of him!

This was also the day I finally got in to see a specialist and missed the appreciation tea part of the celebration. In a big way, this day was a milestone in both our lives. The photo above was taken outside the campus library. I love the contrast of the setting sun on the coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia var. agrifolia) with the dark rain clouds behind.

woolly grevillea ~ 05/18/11 ~ CSUMB

woolly grevillea
Grevillea lanigera
Proteaceae

Given that CSUMB tends to landscape with natives, this could be a CA native. However, I suspect it comes from South Africa or Australia. I have absolutely no idea where to start for an ID. Can anyone ID this wacky-looking plant?

ps 06/16/11 - I originally posted this as unknown red curly flower. I queried Megan and Matti from Far Out Flora who know quite a bit about succulents and Proteaceae. Thanks to Matti's comment below, I've corrected the ID above. This plant is native to southeastern Australia. There are numerous cultivars of this species and based on online pictures, I believe the one I found is either Mt. Tamboritha or Coastal Gem.

squid boats ~ 05/15/11 ~ at home

squid boats

I'm not sure why, but I've felt compelled to post pictures of the squid boats we see from home. Ha! They're much easier to photograph than whale spouts and tails. I believe the squid season starts around April 1. It's unusual to see this many boats out during the day. Typically, the boats go out late in the afternoon and have bright lights on all night long. It used to bother us for sleeping. Sometimes one or two will camp out on the water during the early part of the day where you see the boats above. I find it interesting that the fellas take Friday and Saturday nights off.

ps 10/25/13 - As an example of how bright those lights are, check out a satellite image of squid boats in the Atlantic Ocean off South America.

tree year project 2011, #7

coast Douglas-fir
Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
Pinaceae

While I was down in the park obtaining clippings for the caterpillars I'm raising, I took a closer look at the Douglas-fir I'm featuring in the Tree Year Project. Lo and behold there's a metal tag nailed to the base of the trunk with the number "1444" engraved on it. I looked at our local Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History site and their herbarium is included in the Consortium of California Herbaria. I searched under "1444", "Yadon", and "Monterey County, Pseudotsuga." No luck in finding any records. I suspect, since this is a city park, past forestry personnel did some kind of cataloging. With budget cuts, small town politics, and a citizen committee instead of an official arborist, I'm atypically hesitant to inquire about this tree and its tag. I'm including the silhouette pic to show off the shape of this tree.

http://thetreeyear.wordpress.com/tree-year-posts/around-the-tree/human-marks/