I took time today to observe birds and bees and a few other things. I sat on the porch for a while and took photos of some of the visiting birds. I also used Merlin to identify bird song. This is what Merlin picked up: Lesser Goldfinch Pine Siskin Steller's Jay White-breasted Nuthatch Oak Titmouse American Robin Acorn Woodpecker House Finch California Towhee American Goldfinch Anna's Hummingbird Chestnut-backed Chickadee Spotted Towhee Dark-eyed Junco Yellow-rumped Warbler Mo

Most of the flowers I enjoyed in April are still lingering, while a few, like the Globe Lily (Calochortus albus), made only a brief appearance. The most prolific flower in May is Iris fernaldii. A few began blooming in late April, but now the fields are full of them. This year, irises are appearing in places where I haven’t seen them before, especially in areas where trees have died and opened the canopy to sunlight. They spread by underground rhizomes, yet it still baffles m

When I arrived home after three days in Monterey Bay, I found a disgusting pile of something on my front lawn. I had made cauliflower curry a few days earlier, so naturally that was the first thing that came to mind. Had some animal gotten into the house, eaten the leftovers, and vomited on the lawn? That couldn’t be. Still, it certainly looked as if some creature had regretted a very bad meal. I checked the Reconyx camera to see if it had captured the culprit, but there were

So far, April hasn’t introduced any new wildflower species, but it has amplified what March began. The same blooms are now appearing in greater numbers, quietly multiplying across the landscape. In nearly 20 years of living here, this is the most abundant wildflower season I’ve seen. They are everywhere—and yet, easy to miss. Most are tiny, tucked among grasses and leaves, so the meadow doesn’t read as a sweep of color from a distance. Instead, the richness reveals itself onl