|

August 2016

ByErik Olson

A Tiny Bright Light

In a world dominated by talk of drought, we offer a tiny bright spot … about a lovely native plant; Seacliff Buckwheat. While almost all of our More Mesa native wildflowers bloom in spring, this cliff and dune dwelling plant flowers in the middle of summer, providing nectar to many butterflies and insects. We are happy to report that it has bloomed again this summer; the fifth year of our worst-ever drought and thereby proving that it is truly a “drought resistant” species.

303677529_aa4ba6e342_o

303677522_7c910767d6_o
And a Gentle Reminder …

While the drought is extremely distressing for human populations, it is a matter of life or death for wildlife. With little water and dwindling food supplies, animals are emboldened to enter urban spaces in search of food. Because this appears to be happening in our area, we urge you to protect and shelter your pets; especially at night. We also urge you to NEVER feed wild creatures; either directly, or by inadvertently leaving pet food where they can access it. Providing food to wildlife acclimates animals to humans and will eventually result in their demise.

Similar Posts

  • July 2015

    ByErik Olson

    An irritating reminder … Yet another manifestation of the drought concerns poison oak; harbinger of itchy rashes. If you have been out on More Mesa you may have noticed that our abundant poison oak populations have come up in profusion this year, and in spite of little water. And you may also be aware that poison oak being…

  • |

    April 2013

    ByErik Olson

    To Citizen Stewards For more than a decade, our supporters have been active citizen scientists by reporting sightings of rare birds, animals and plants that are observed on More Mesa.  These reports have contributed significantly to our base of scientific knowledge about this last remaining jewel of coastal open space.  Many in our community have…

  • | | |

    Winter 2017

    ByErik Olson

    This Month on More Mesa … Winter birds are here! The rains have come, grasses are growing, rodents abound and the birds are here! During one recent western More Mesa bird watch, and over a trail length of only 1/3 of a mile, a single observer recorded 25 species of birds in an hour and…

  • | | |

    September 2011

    ByErik Olson

    Stories of More Mesa Last month we shared one of our “Stories of More Mesa”; stories that tell the world what More Mesa means to the people who cherish it.  This month we present a second story, a different story, but the same theme. (If you, too, have a story you would like to share,…

  • | | | |

    Mysteries!

    ByErik Olson

    Spring came so late this year that it might as well have been a really long winter. But it is warm at last, and More Mesa has presented us with three different mysteries! Mystery #1: What was actually found in our vernal pool In our last issue we talked about the More Mesa Vernal Pool…

  • | |

    Living With the Lockdown – Treasure Hunt #4

    ByErik Olson

    A Flower That Blooms for a Single Day … oops a Single Night! The plant we are featuring in this hunt, commonly known as Datura, and in the Nightshade family, is unusual in many ways. First it has several names, among them: Devil’s Trumpet, Devil’s Weed and Jimson Weed*. And, unlike the Miner’s Lettuce and Willow of…