Another Round of Monarch Caterpillars

Around the beginning of September we noticed that another batch of monarch caterpillars had hatched in our courtyard. Actually, we noticed that our Golden Butterfly Weed was looking pretty sparse, and initially thought there was a problem with the drip irrigation. When we looked closer we saw the caterpillars munching away on the plants.

They finished with the Golden Butterfly Weed, then moved over to the Desert Milkweed where they continue to feed and grow bigger.

When we pulled out our bucket of gardening tools to work in the yard, we noticed a surprise on the foam kneeling pad. Fortunately, we have other kneeling pads we can use while this one is in use.

Some Desert Rain (finally)

We had a much-needed day of rain on Tuesday. It started mid-morning and lasted into the evening. Daytime temperatures dropped into the 80's, which was a welcome change.

The rain was gentle enough to soak into the soil. If we get more rainy days like this, we may be able to look forward to a nice spring wildflower bloom. But it would take a LOT more days like this to end our multi-year drought.


"The rain is falling all around, it falls on field and tree,
It rains on the umbrellas here, and on the ships at sea."

~Robert Louis Stevenson, A Child's Garden of Verses

Assassin Bug

We were removing some dried sunflowers from our front yard, when we noticed a colorful insect flying past at about eye level. Initially, all we could see was a reddish blur.

It didn't look familiar so we followed it over to the sunflower plant it landed on, to see what it was. The insect landed on a leaf, then quickly crawled and hid on the underside. After a bit of searching (and patience), we were able to re-find it and get some pictures.

We compared our photos to one of our insect guide books, and found its identity:
Bee Assassin Bug, Apiomerus spissipes.

This colorful insect gets its equally colorful name from the practice of lying in wait for prey, then seizing and stabbing it with its sharp beak (proboscis).

It injects a digestive secretion which paralyzes the victim and liquefies the internal tissues. The fluids are then sucked out through the straw-like proboscis. The sharp beak is segmented, and can be folded back into a groove between the front legs when the insect is as rest.

The Bee Assassin Bug has strong forelimbs, with short hairs that help it hold onto its prey. In addition to bees, this predator also feeds on caterpillars, beetles, and insect pests such as flies and mosquitos. In spite of its name, its affect on the bee population is minimal so it is generally regarded as being beneficial in the garden.

Many people refer to any insect as a "bug", but bugs are actually a certain type of insect. True bugs (order Hemiptera) have specialized mouth parts made for sucking -  either plant juices, blood, or animal prey.

Other common true bugs include cicadas, leafhoppers, aphids, stink bugs, bed bugs and kissing bugs.






"Sometimes opportunities float right past your nose. Work hard, apply yourself, and be ready. When an opportunity comes, you can grab it."
~ Julie Andrews

Desert Centipede

We found a large - and very lost - Desert Centipede in our house. It had likely come inside looking for a cool, dark sanctuary (not sure how our workout room fit into that plan...).  We quickly and gently guided it into a Tupperware container, and took advantage of the opportunity to get a few pics.

There are thousands of centipede species worldwide, and they live in varied habitats: from deserts and rainforests, to caves and even above the arctic circle! Our local desert centipede, Scolopendra polymorpha, reaches a length of 4-5 inches. There is a lot of variety in the coloration of this particular species, which explains the polymorpha part of its name. (The smaller centipedes we find in our garden are usually a beautiful shade of pale aqua-green.) Centipedes avoid daytime heat and bright light, normally staying hidden under rocks or bark, in leaf litter or crevices. They are most active at night, hunting for insects, small lizards and rodents that make up their diet.


Although the word "centi-pede" suggests hundred-legs, most centipedes don't actually have that many. Each segment of their body has one pair of legs, except for the first segment which has pair of modified pincers used for gripping their prey and injecting their venom. Although our local centipedes are not poisonous, they can administer a nasty pinch if threatened.

Desert Centipede has a lonely love life. Encounters between centipedes don't usually end well, since they are aggressive and carnivorous.  Male centipedes normally just leave a packet of their genetic material where they hope a female centipede may come across it, and impregnate herself with it. A more daring male may do a little dance  to entice a female to come closer.

When we finished taking pictures of the wayward centipede, we moved it outside and gently placed it on the shady leaf litter beneath our ruellia bush.

It quickly dove down into the leaf litter before I could even get the camera focused for a picture. The last couple segments of the centipede are barely visible in the center if this image, as it happily returned to a more comfortable and appropriate habitat.




"Be sure your put your feet in the right place, then stand firm."
~Abraham Lincoln

hot, Hot, HOT

Day 2 of our heat wave, with temperatures over 120º both days.
114º in the shade.

The rest of the week we'll be "cooling off" into the mid teens daytime.
High 90's overnight.


"Deal with the Devil if the Devil has a Constituency - and don't complain about the heat."
~ C. J. Cherryh

5.2 EARTHQUAKE

We were jolted by a large earthquake very early Friday morning. The temblor hit at 1:04 a.m. and was centered near Borrego Springs, about 17 miles south of us.

There was an initial shock, followed by shaking that increased to a second large jolt. The shaking gradually tapered off after that. The entire quake lasted for about 35 seconds or so and was accompanied by a loud sound, sort of like a rumbling. We did not notice the aftershocks that occurred after the initial quake.

CREDITS: Both of the maps below are from the USGS web site www.USGS.gov

Here in the Golden State, small earthquakes are not unusual and occur often. Most of them are not even noticeable.

This one registered 5.2 on the Richter scale, and was definitely big enough to notice.













The Coachella Valley region is bordered and criss-crossed by a number of fault lines and shear zones, including the San Jacinto Fault Zone where this earthquake occurred. As a result, there are signs of geologic activity all around.

South of us at the Salton Sea there are boiling, bubbling pots of mud that break through a thin part of the earth's surface to form mini "volcanos" up to 6 feet high. The area has a number of geothermal plants that are piping super heated brine steam to the surface, and using it to boil water that spins turbines to generate electricity.

The famous San Andreas Fault starts at the Salton Sea and runs north and east through our valley. The fault zone continues in a northerly direction through California for over 800 miles and exits the state near Mendocino, north of San Francisco. The San Andreas is the dividing line between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate, two huge sections of the earth's crust that are grinding past each other at the average rate of a fingernail's growth - about 2-1/2" a year. This is not a continuous motion, and sometimes there are snaps and jolts which we feel as earthquakes.

The mountains along the north side of the valley were created by this strike-slip motion. And at the foot of these mountains is a line of palm oases. Rain water and ground water are forced to the surface between the two tectonic plates, and this provides the constant moisture that palm trees need to flourish. If you drive along Interstate 10 in this area and look to the north, the palm oases are visible as dotted lines of green.

We did a walk through of our house after the quake, and there was no damage. Only one mirror had been knocked very slightly askew. Each earthquake has its own "personality", and as long-time California residents we have experienced a variety of quakes that rolled gently like being on a boat, others that rattled and shook, and some that were a series of sharp jolts.

When a larger earthquake does hit, there is always the question while the shaking is happening... is this going to be The Big One? Our southern section of the San Andreas Fault historically ruptures approximately every 150 years or so. Right now, we are 300 years overdue.

"Opinion has caused more trouble on this little earth than plagues or earthquakes."
~Voltaire

Ms. Hummer's Wild Ride

There is a hummingbird nest, in the peach tree right outside our dining room window. We can easily watch from the kitchen table as the hummer mom comes and goes from her nest.

The nest itself is built right at the end of a long branch. In spite of this location, it is out of direct sun for most of the day. However, during the past couple of weeks we have had some prolonged and gusty winds that whipped the branch around like a crazy carnival ride.

We kept an eye on her during these wind storms, and did not see her budge off of that nest. She sat tight as the branch swept back and forth. We really thought she would be catapulted off. But it was probably the safest place for her to be - winds can easily injure a tiny bird like her, so better to stay grounded while the high winds were blowing.

During breaks in the wind she would leave her nest to refuel at our hummingbird feeders. She would return to the nest with building materials in her beak, to shore up her nest. When the winds would pick up again, she would stay on her nest.

The winds have stopped for now, and we were able to quickly photograph the nest while she was off at the feeders. We were surprised to see she had included soft fluffy milkweed seeds from our butterfly garden. It is really a beautiful little work of art.


"Energy and persistence conquer all things."

~ Benjamin Franklin