Dream garden

https://natureid.blogspot.com/search/label/*%20dream%20garden

Jacaranda tree

Cecile Brunner climbing rose

four o' clock flower

Buddleja davidii butterfly bush (www.anniesannuals.com/plants/view/?id=4047)

 

embeddded links for comments

Montaña De Oro State Park and Wilder Ranch State Park compared to Orkney, Scotland.
Dipper Ranch and Nature of a Man

jokyungee@gmail.com 

herons, kingfisher, and red admirals

Over the past few weeks and especially this past weekend, the birds have returned to hunt and rest in the morning, from Boatworks to Fisherman's Wharf:

great blue heron - also perches in the Presidio pines above the Rec Trail, like last year

great egret - have been seeing them spottily for weeks

snowy egret - newest arrivals of the typical trio

black-crowned night heron adult & juvenile - also perches in the pine among the willow trees, like last year (wondered if juvenile might be a juvenile green heron - not likely)

kingfisher - only the second time I've seen it this season

laughing gulls - Heermann's

http://natureid.blogspot.com/search/label/herons%20and%20egrets

http://natureid.blogspot.com/2011/08/heermanns-gull-081111-wharf-no-2.html

The red admirals have been going gangbusters ever since July.  Sometimes swirling flirting with west coast ladies starting around 4 in the afternoon on west facing, tall back-dropped spots, like in park below balcony (oak and Monterey pine) and cypress tree row along Rec Trail at ped crossing between Antiques Mall and Monterey Plaza Hotel.  Today at home, saw red admirals chasing passing monarch butterflies.  Definite uptick in monarchs since the first week of October.

testing link direct to .pdf

Life history account for Common Kingsnake

test link to e-mail

please contact Dr. Hill!

testing gif

Katie's winking lizard

this is a test post

test, test, test

posted March 5, 2014
will backdate to February 28, 2014

my August faves

As I heal from my bicycle accident injuries, I've been online more than usual.  Here are some of my favorites that have caught my attention this month:

http://jwallphoto.blogspot.com/2013/08/summertime-blues.html
http://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2013/08/a-fox-dines-on-jepson-manual.html
http://natureofaman.blogspot.com/2013/08/in-family-way.html
http://cameratrapcodger.blogspot.com/2013/08/denning-kit-foxes.html

Then, onto more personal items:
http://breadonthewater.blogspot.com/2013/08/every-mana-piece-of-continent.html
http://jeffputz.com/blog/the-end-of-the-beaumont-affair
http://66squarefeet.blogspot.com/2013/08/how-do-we-sleep-when-our-beds-are-not.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zvzWsrS3JE
http://www.humansofnewyork.com/

For some reason from the above, the thought came to me that the next place I'd like to visit outside the USA would be Vietnam,  a place that has so much to teach us about recovering from the devastation of war in modern times.  I would also like to see the beauty of Ha Long Bay and Phong Nha-Ke Bang:

http://vietnamtourism1.blogspot.com/

biological xenophobia destructive nativism

We've gone too far!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nathan-j-winograd/biological-xenophobia-the_b_3385265.html?
http://biologyrefugia.blogspot.com/2011/08/immigration-and-invasion-biological.html
http://gardenrant.com/2012/07/nativism-is-hurting-our-public-lands.html
http://natureid.blogspot.com/search/label/*%20biological%20xenophobia

experiences I want to have

I'm pleased I've done a variety of things in my life, like free falling out of an airplane at 10K feet, eating live 17-year periodical cicadas during an emergence, snorkeling with parrotfish in Puerto Rico, backpacking in Alaska for 2 months, etc. I'm starting a list of things I'd still like to experience:

visiting Barcelona, Spain to see Antoni Gaudí's buildings:
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/320

seeing China's rainbow mountains (Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park):
http://www.lostateminor.com/2013/08/06/rainbow-mountains-in-chinas-danxia-landform-geological-park/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/31/rainbow-mountains-china-danxia-landform_n_3683840.html

tapping and making real maple syrup the old fashioned way:
http://thecommonmilkweed.blogspot.com/2012/02/maple-sugaring-time-first-for-us.html
http://shootingmyuniverse.blogspot.com/2010/03/on-sugaring-in-new-england.html

visiting the UK to see bluebells in full bloom:
http://martinsmoths.blogspot.com/2013/06/trains-big-and-small.html
http://aeshnacaerulea.blogspot.com/2011/04/good-friday.html
http://orchidcrossley.blogspot.com/2011/04/white-and-blue-on-grey-day.html
http://belfiebird.blogspot.com/2011/04/polesden-lacey-wiston-tea-rooms-and.html
http://kirkstallcreaturesgreatandsmall.blogspot.com/2011/04/adel-churchyard-bluebells.html
http://peplers.blogspot.com/2011/04/close-up-experience-with-adder.html
http://peplers.blogspot.com/2011/04/more-bluebells-in-wood.html
http://peplers.blogspot.com/2011/04/first-bluebell-in-woods.html
http://orchidcrossley.blogspot.com/2011/02/niggling-mid-february-grey-days.html
http://kirkstallcreaturesgreatandsmall.blogspot.com/2010/05/beckett-park-bluebell-wander.html
http://orchidcrossley.blogspot.com/2010/05/lancashire-bluebell-wood.html
http://aeshnacaerulea.blogspot.com/2010/05/blues-evening.html
http://aeshnacaerulea.blogspot.com/2009/05/out-of-mire.html

staying at Lake Palace in Udaipur, India:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Palace

shrikes around the world

All are very stunning birds.

Chinese grey, Qinghai, CN:
http://birding-benstead.blogspot.com/2012/11/postcard-from-qinghai.html
great grey, Thursley Common, Surrey, UK:
http://billsbirding.blogspot.com/2012/11/shriking-it-lucky.html
northern, Portland, OR, USA:
http://johnrakestraw.net/2012/11/04/fernhill-wetlands-11112/
black-faced cuckoo-, Gloucester, NSW, AU:
http://peonyden.blogspot.com/2012/10/quick-trip-to-gloucester.html
grey backed, Manas National Park, Assam, IN:
http://nature-stop.blogspot.com/2012/05/manas-wildlife-sanctuary-assam_15.html
http://nature-stop.blogspot.com/2012/05/manas-wildlife-sanctuary-assam.html
loggerhead, Oxnard Plain, CA, USA:
http://seagullsteve.blogspot.com/2012/09/some-terns-drink-at-carpal-bars.html

Superstorm Sandy

Never mind the handful of central CA earthquakes strong enough to wake us up in the past week or so, Sandy is much worse.  Even though this hurricane turned superstorm has been in the news, it's been interesting to follow personal accounts from bloggers who are doing much better than many in the area:

http://66squarefeet.blogspot.com/2012/10/preparing-for-sandy.html
http://matthewwills.com/2012/10/29/high-tide/
http://66squarefeet.blogspot.com/2012/10/storm-of-leaves.html
http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/10/how-birds-handle-hurricanes/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-birds-handle-hurricanes
http://zanshinart.tumblr.com/post/34617442169/buzzfeed-coney-island-is-underwater
http://matthewwills.com/2012/10/30/hunkered-down/
http://thecommonmilkweed.blogspot.com/2012/10/superstorm-sandy.html
http://matthewwills.com/2012/10/30/calm/
http://66squarefeet.blogspot.com/2012/10/alive-and-kicking-post-sandy.html
http://matthewwills.com/2012/10/30/red-hook/
http://66squarefeet.blogspot.com/2012/10/after-sandy.html
http://66squarefeet.blogspot.com/2012/10/red-hook-day-later.html 
http://matthewwills.com/2012/11/01/a-rare-personal-appearance/
http://66squarefeet.blogspot.com/2012/10/wednesday.html
http://66squarefeet.blogspot.com/2012/11/callery-pears-just-say-no.html
http://66squarefeet.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-southern-tip.html
http://matthewwills.com/2012/11/02/wrack-canis-kestrel/
http://birdsandnature.blogspot.com/2012/11/hurricane-sandy-sweeps-rare-seabird-to.html
http://micropolisnyc.tumblr.com/tagged/hurricane-sandy
http://www.vincentmounier.com/blog2/2012/11/sandys-aftermath-chaos-in-the-rockaways/
http://neverseconds.blogspot.com/2012/11/thanksgiving-care-and-share.html 

crazy cool creatures

Finally catching up with my blog reading.  I'm only linking to those posts where I'm fairly certain the pictures belong to the blogger, otherwise it's just a matter of searching the internet for any 'ol thing.

http://normalbiology.blogspot.com/2012/11/marvelous-mossy-millipedes.html

http://cabinetofcuriosities-greenfingers.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-tiny-mammal-with-iron-tipped-teeth.html
http://thebuggeek.com/2012/09/21/photo-friday-glow-in-the-dark-scorpion/
http://antsbeesbutterfliesnature.blogspot.com/2012/09/baby-box-turtle.html
http://dansbirdingblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/tody-tastic.html
http://odonata-malaysia.blogspot.com/2012/09/macromia-euterpe.html
http://wanderinweeta.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-mystery-critter-mystified-even-more.html
http://peonyden.blogspot.com/2012/09/spikes-big-and-small-at-bungonia.html
http://seagullsteve.blogspot.com/2012/09/common-cuckoo.html

keeping solitary bees (& wasps)

wasps:
http://bluejaybarrens.blogspot.com/2012/09/wasps.html

leafcutter bees and parasitic wasps:
http://natureofaman.blogspot.com/2012/09/hymenoptera-hotel.html

mason bees and leafcutter bees:
http://thenatureofportland.blogspot.com/2012/08/native-bees-large-and-small.html

mason bees:
http://www.restoringthelandscape.com/2012/10/native-bee-spotlight-mason-bees-osmia.html
http://curbstonevalley.com/blog/?p=9275

insect hotels:
http://www.inspirationgreen.com/insect-habitats.html

recommended ID books and sites, part 3

This is my continuing list of recommended books (and sites) from blogging.  I may have to create a spreadsheet of this, so I can figure out my want list for when I book shop.  Click here to see part 1 and part 2.

http://natureid.blogspot.com/2012/09/ring-necked-snake-092912-rocky-creek.html

edifices of human oddness

I love finding these monumental structures on road trips. Is it contemporary American folk art?

http://hwyfly.blogspot.com/2014/02/leonard-knight-of-salvation-mountain.html
http://hwyfly.blogspot.com/2012/08/imlay-nevada.html
http://www.soenyun.com/Blog/2012/02/12/talk-about-it/

online feel-good

Being online seems to hold an increasing amount of negativity these days. In addition to the incomplete breaking news headlines of wars, mass shootings, and economic and political failures, even the inherently feel-good event that is the 2012 Summer Olympics in London has been sensationalized into the cynical. I want to have a list o' links dedicated to those things I find online that are positive, if nothing else, to remind me there is, indeed, good in this world. I plan to keep adding to this post.

Had never heard of Ellie Goulding before this video of "Anything Could Happen". I like the community-contributed concept. Her voice and pop reminds me of Cyndi Lauper in her heyday. The actual lyrics are not sugar-coated, but the music inspires hope: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zvzWsrS3JE

Have always been a fan of Rube Goldberg drawings. Here's another music video, this time by OK Go "This Too Shall Pass": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8w

Gotta love a site focused on the feel-good:
http://www.tonic.com/

This has been a go-to favorite ever since a fellow blogger let me know about this time-lapse photographer and his "The Unseen Sea": http://www.simonchristen.com/index.php?x=video

solar eclipse

I should keep better track of when eclipses occur. I love seeing them, but I usually don't know when they'll happen until after the fact, particularly through blogs:

http://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2012/05/move-rattlesnake-first-ecliptic.html#more
http://biobabbler.blogspot.com/2012/05/hobo-science-annular-eclipse-party-in.html
http://www.soenyun.com/Blog/2012/05/23/failed-eclipse-photos/
http://rootedincalifornia.blogspot.com/2012/05/eclipse-and-blooms-in-sierras.html

wildfires, the aftermath

Am interested in how places recover after a fire. This is sort of a part 2 of an original wildfire post.

http://wildfiretoday.com/
http://camissonia.blogspot.com/2012/05/treks-on-santa-rosa-plateau-chinese.html
http://natureid.blogspot.com/search/label/*%20fires

videos for fun

double-dutch dog:
http://mashable.com/2012/04/13/jump-rope-do/

child's homemade cardboard arcade inspires a $250,000 foundation for young innovators:
http://cainesarcade.com/