Seen a bunch of this nightshade growing along the roadside.
The local "park" in the area is a road running along side "Rocky Hill." Most of the interesting stuff like the actual Rocky Hill lies on private property, but the locals run, walk, hike, bike up Rocky Hill Drive. Seen this large spider alongside the road. It was a little larger than a silver dollar (1.5cm) and looked a lot like a spider we caught in the house the night before. Too bad about the Rocky Hill, it looks so interesting its a shame people cant use it also.
Heard them before I saw them, but knew instantly what it was. It always throws my mind for a loop when I see peacocks running around in the orchards. It was definitely something I never saw growing up in Maine. I remember the first time I seen one, while riding down Palomares road I come around a corner and there is a peacock just chillin' in the middle of the road. People all throughout California seem to have them as pets and after what I've seen peacocks are okay to let roam around the neighborhood. I don't know if I could swing it over here in West Oakland, but I don't doubt that there are peacocks in Oakland.
I love milkweeds.
Non-native to California.
Non-native to California.
I seen mommy kissin' Santa Claus underneath the mistletoe. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsat4e8jgHA
Elderberry. The berries can be eaten when they are ripe, but the leaves and stems can make you sick. Best to cook the berries first, makes a great muffin or pie.
Growing in a open field currently used as a grazing pasture for cows.
Kaweah Oaks Preserve just outside of Farmersville is an excellent example of habitat that existed in the central valley prior to the agricultural revolution. Also a working example of farmland being reclaimed by nature in the midst of a highly productive farming area.
One of those plants that escapes the cow's browsing path.
