Bureau of Land Management Needles Field Office Needles, CA 92363
Phone: 760-326-7000 Email: BLM_CA_Web_NE@blm.gov
After many years of procrastinating, today we finally made it to Amboy Crater. Well, it wasn’t so much about procrastination as my kids really wanted to go on a hike and/or long walk, but we thought they were too young to make it. After weeks of planning, we were excited to hike the Amboy Crater on Thursday especially as the weather was getting cooler.
Amboy Crater National Natural Landmark Monument & Information.
There are a few shaded picnic areas, crater information, warning signs and a well kept restrooms.
My kids and I decided to stop at the center of the crater, while my husband climbed up to the rim.
Center of the crater.
At the top of the crater you get a vast and beautiful view of the surrounding landscape.
View into the middle crater from the rim.
Head back the same way you came …
Second Rest Area Heading-down.
Be advised that there is no water at the site; therefore, you should bring your own, and plenty of it. Watch out for rattlesnakes and other desert wildlife along the trail.
It’s October, the weather is cooling down and still not a drop of rain in some parts of the High Desert. In the midst of everything, I am still grateful to Mother Nature. The winds are picking up and allergies will soon be on the rise …
I haven’t done much gardening lately; however, strolling through my front and backyard yard, I catch a glimpse of beauties here and there. My Hybrid Tea Tree Rose Rio Samba isn’t doing so well. I have had it for over ten years now, and it was doing well until last year; I suspected curl grubs and other soil pests and took care of it. A couple of weeks ago I was pleasantly surprised to see a couple of buds emerging from the trunk, and last week one of the buds bloomed.
Hybrid Tea Rose Rio Samba.
The Crassula capitella I propagated through cuttings a couple of months ago are covered in white flower buds atop the stems. I am looking forward to seeing those buds open up.
Green succulent
I spotted a very small White Moth resting on the leaf of a Gopher Plant; possibly Cataclysta Lemnata, also known as Small China-mark. According to The Bay Magazine Swansea, their larvae develop underwater, after which the caterpillars feed on duckweed and live underneath the tiny plants floating on the surface of ponds and lakes. In order to disguise themselves, Small China Mark caterpillars fashion tube-like silken cases for themselves which they cover in duckweed, rendering them all but invisible.
Tiny White Moth, male.
Sunsets in the High Desert never cease to amaze me. Below is an image of the sun shining through a gap between the clouds while setting. It’s simply beautiful.
According to GeographyReal.com, as air descends, it increases in temperature, a process known as adiabatic warming or heating. That effect of descending air being warmer and drier is what created gaps in cloud coverage.
Sunset
A couple of week ago, at sunrise, the sun was orange-red due to smoke particles in the sky blown from various wildfires.
When designing our gardens thirteen years ago, we didn’t think about wildlife, we simply wanted to create a simple and relaxing atmosphere both in the front yard and back. As time went by our gardens became an attraction to various wildlife, so much that we had to take drastic actions to protect ourselves and our plants. We have many dense native bushes, shrubs and trees all over our property, which attract birds, hummingbirds, lizards, butterflies, bees, ladybugs, beetles, dragonfly, wasps, hoverflies, stink bugs, praying mantises, garden spiders, and much more (most of which are beneficial garden insects). These plants are nesting sites for birds, most of which prefer the front yard. We have bird feeders, bird baths, and water fountains all around our gardens to keep the birds and other wildlife happy.
Eight years ago we built two birdhouses in the backyard, one of which is double sided. A few years ago, a bird built its nest in one of them and laid ten eggs. Everything seemed to be going fine, the eggs hatched, and both parents went back and forth looking for food and caring for their young. At some point we noticed that the baby birds were constantly chirping and found one of the ground, dead. The parents eventually abandoned their babies most likely due to shortage of food and the remaining nine eventually died in the nest.
Birdhouses.
Early this month, a female House Finch laid five eggs in the nest. One of the nestlings fell out of the nest, in what seemed like an attempt to take flight, and didn’t make it. The remaining four flew from the nest a few weeks later.
House Finch fledglings in nest.
Last weekend while fastening Jasmine vines to a trellis, I saw a bird nest with five tiny eggs hidden among the leaves of the climbing Jasmine. I don’t know why this nesting place was chosen; perhaps it offered camouflage and protection, or because other birds have successfully raised their nestlings nearby.
Bird nest with eggs.
A few days later, we found two dead featherless chicks on the ground and realized the nest had been disturbed. We suspected a crow, since one of the chicks had disappeared. We moved the nest back in place, secured the opening, and hoped the last two eggs would make it.
On Tuesday, we found vines on the ground and noticed that the nest was pulled forward. One of the last two recently hatched chicks had vanished and the last one was lifeless.
Newly Hatched Baby Bird.
Our backyard is the heart of our home and the place we explore and observe. For now we are looking into ways to better protect and secure the bird nests from predators.
Last October I wrote about the The Fascinating Life of Mantises and shared a video of a praying mantis laying eggs. We decided, early in the Spring, to get one ootheca (egg case) and observe it indoor until it hatches.
For this observation we used a jar, a dryer sheet and rubber band (to secure the opening of the jar), and a small branch from the Pomegranate tree. We placed a branch in the jar and gently stuck the egg case on one of the thorns of the branch so that it would be suspended and also, for the praying mantis nymphs to perch on once they emerge. The dryer sheet was a used one, very soft and breathable, allowing air to flow into, out of, and within the jar.
Praying Mantis Egg Case.
We had the egg case in a jar for about five weeks and watched with delight as nymphs emerged from the egg case last week.
Emerged Praying Mantis Nymphs.
And no, young mantises do not eat one another as soon as they hatch. Not releasing them soon enough, however, will cause them themselves to become prey. We gently released them on the leaves of a rose bush, to start feeding on aphids and hide from predators.
Growing up, I always thought of Praying Mantis as fascinating creatures. From their praying appearance to their amazing body shapes, colors and the ability to camouflage with their surroundings.
Brown Praying Mantis.
A few days ago, I saw this Praying Mantis hanging onto a grate of chicken wire, while overlooking an ootheca (its egg case). In the past I spotted numerous oothecae around the garden, thinking they were some type of chrysalis. Now I now the case holds Mantis eggs.
Praying Mantis & Egg Case.
Last week, my daughter spotted a green Praying Mantis on a fence panel and noticed something attached to its derriere. Upon closer inspection, we realized it was a female mantis laying eggs and we were fascinated by the way it crafted its egg’s case (see the video below).
The female mantis produces between 100 to 400 eggs in a frothy liquid case to protect them from microorganisms, parasitoids, predators and harsh weather. In the Spring, nymphs/young mantises emerge from the egg case and begin eating voraciously to grow fast into adulthood. Many of them do not survive as they tend to eat each other to survive or are eaten by predators.
Praying Mantis Laying Eggs.
The adult mantis continues to eat and grow; and during this time it will shed its outer skin, a process known as molting. Between late Summer and Fall, the adult female will attract a male mate and after mating, a new life cycle will begin. Similarly to grasshoppers, it is said that Praying Mantis die shortly after laying eggs.
For additional information, follow this link.
Why do female mantises eat the males after mating?
The males self-sacrifice themselves for their offsprings. Males have been found to have nutrients such as proteins and lipids and by cannibalizing the males, the females may produce eggs of greater energy density. The bodies of the ill-fated males are used to aid their production.
Sources: Wikipedia.org and TheGuardian.com
Praying Mantises are beneficial garden insects, they will keep your plants disease free.
By EPEngineer
