I went on a hike today, up in the coastal hills…

I went on a hike today, up in the coastal hills near Los Angeles. I took a trail along a (dry) streambed up through a canyon, which is variously known as George F. Canyon or Georgeff Canyon. No one knows who George (or Georgeff) was – they just found it on an old map when they dedicated the nature preserve.

There was SO. MUCH. POISON OAK. You really do not want to stray much from the path here!

#nature #plants #florespondence #trees #hiking #PoisonOak

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Butterfly-friendly native CA plants purchased from a local conservation group have collected a caterpillar! Looks like a Sphynx moth. Now I just need to finish transplanting the rest of the plants into the actual ground! #nature #plants #butterflies #moths #garden #caterpillar

Black caterpillar with yellow highlights on a plant stem

Butterfly-friendly native CA plants purchased from a local conservation group have collected a caterpillar! Looks like a Sphynx moth.

Now I just need to finish transplanting the rest of the plants into the actual ground!

#nature #plants #butterflies #moths #garden #caterpillar

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We have a flock – or more likely several flocks – of feral parakeets in town. I saw these two going after the sunflowers in someone’s front yard.

Mostly green - two green birds perched on the back of a mature sunflower stalk with broad leaves, leaning over to get at the seeds.

A bright green bird seen from below against a blue sky, perched on a cable, grooming its wing.

We have a flock – or more likely several flocks – of feral parakeets in town. I saw these two going after the sunflowers in someone's front yard. #birds

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On iNaturalist (1)

On iNaturalist (2)

Some florespondence from last weekend’s walk at the botanic gardens.

Some #florespondence from last weekend’s walk at the botanic gardens.

I didn’t write down what the yellow flower is, but iNat suggests it’s Senna didymobotrya, a cassia native to Africa.

The magnolia was a popular nectar spot: every single flower that I could see had multiple bees crawling around in it.

#flowers #plants #nature #photo

Stalk with bright yellow flowers against a blurry background of green shrubs with red flowers, trees and sky.

Closeup of a large white bowl-like flower with at least three bees in it, and broad green leaves.

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