As a child, I was attracted to butterflies by their color and patterns:  sometimes subtle, sometimes vibrant, sometimes simple and sometimes intricate.  As I took a closer look, I sometimes noticed that the trailing end of their wings had a piece missing, as though something had taken a bite out of it.  I wasn’t the first person to observe this.  ...

According to this LA County Sheriff Dept. website, “Black Bears were introduced into the San Gabriel Mountains in 1933. They are all descendants of 11 bears deported from Yosemite National Park for being troublemakers.” Can’t you just picture the scene?  Dramatic music swells in the background, as Ranger Smith plants his feet on the ground, narrows his eyelids and announces, ...

Santa Clarita Outdoor Report by Wendy Langhans Children learn to communicate with gestures before they learn to communicate with words.  Around the age of 8-10 months, babies begin pointing at objects with their hands, an action known as “deictic gestures”.  Deictic gestures are gestures “that refer to something around the child — pointing, showing an object, or reaching for something.” Don’t miss a ...

In order to get a driver’s license in the state of California, you must have a visual acuity (keenness of vision) of 20/40. By those standards, rats would not be able to drive.

  Everyone, at some time, has experienced an unexpected “zap” of static electricity.  In our house, these “cat nap zaps” usually occur on Saturday afternoons and involve cozy woolen afghans and furry cats.  But who knew that zapping was already going on all around us, especially in our flower gardens?     Two weeks ago, we reported on a recent ...

  Last week I led a wildflower hike along Wiley Canyon, part of the Towsley Canyon View Loop Trail.  The Wild California Lilac (Ceanothus) was in full bloom, so much so that at times it seemed as though we were walking through a bluish-purple haze.  And if you looked closely at the blossoms, you could see that the bees were ...

  Last week, we looked at what gives feathers their range of dull and vibrant colors, comparing reality to the LIVING COLOR of 20th century technology.  Fifty years after color TV’s became popular and affordable, our technology has greatly improved.  Now we have iPad’s with “Retina display” and “rich color saturation”.  So how does this newer digital version of “Living ...

  I’m old enough to remember when color TV was the EXCITING NEW techolology.  After dinner on Sunday night, the sight of those LIVING COLOR peacock feathers let us know it was time for “Bonanza”!  But as vivid as those TV feathers were, they can’t hold a candle to the sight of real peacocks.  Did you ever wonder what gives ...

Hummingbirds are “high performance” flying machines.  Let’s take a look at the stats.  According to one birding website,  “25-30 percent of a hummingbird’s weight is in its pectoral muscles, the muscles principally responsible for flight.”  Their average heart rate is more than “1,200 beats per minute” and at rest, “a hummingbird takes an average of 250 breaths per minute.”  So ...

 A peaceful Sunday afternoon – the perfect time to sit on the front porch.  From my rocking chair, I can see the hummingbirds as they refuel at our hummingbird feeder.  An agile bird, at times almost twitchy, I watch as one approachs the feeder.  The hummer gives it a brief look, followed by a dart forward, a quick drink, and ...