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SCV Outdoor Report

SCV Outdoor Report: Candy Wrapper

By:  Wendy Langhans As a child growing up in Wisconsin, our front yard was the perfect spot for hanging out with friends on a warm spring afternoon:  a shady tree, a dirt driveway perfect for shooting marbles, and plenty of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Our driveway was flanked by flower garden which included several peony bushes.  Every year, I ...

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SCV Outdoor Report: Quicker Picker-Upper

By: Wendy Langhans Q.  What do drinking straws and paper towels have in common? A.  They employ techniques similar to those used by feeding butterflies.   Anyone who watches butterflies is familiar with how they feed, moving delicately from flower to flower, landing, pausing, and extending their tongue-like proboscis into the floral nectary.  Here’s an example of a Grey Hairstreak ...

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SCV Outdoor Report: Colorful Veins

By Wendy Langhans Take a look at the back of your hands.  Do you see the network of blue-colored veins, carrying blood back to your heart?  But did you know that flower petals also have veins? If our veins form a visible spidery pattern, we often schedule a VISIT TO our doctor.  But when the veins on a flower petal ...

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SCV Outdoor Report: Roundabouts

By Wendy Langhans This report is a “Best of SCV Outdoor Report” and has been previously published. Would it surprise you to learn that the mountains circling our valley function like a roundabout – a circular intersection for wildlife? Our Santa Clarita valley is the center hub of this roundabout. The surrounding mountains are the traffic lanes leading to four ...

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SCV Outdoor Report: A Trip To The Mall

By Wendy Langhans This is a ‘Best of Wendy’ report. One day, while shopping at our local mall, I stopped for a cup of coffee and spent a few minutes people-watching.   As I was watching, it occurred to me that a mall is like a wildlife corridor in many ways.  Both are designed for the movement of animals (people) between ...

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SCV Outdoor Report: Fissipalmate

    by Wendy Langhans For those of you who like to play Jeopardy, here a word for you:  fissipalmate.  And the question is … wait for it …. ”What word describes the shape of the American Coot’s foot?” Fissipalmate is an adjective used to describe a bird foot with “lobed or partially webbed separated toes”.   Click here to see ...

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SCV Outdoor Report: Illumination

By Wendy Langhans Recently, the news has been full of stories about illumination.  For example, LA County is considering creating “a rural outdoor lighting overlay zone” to “control light pollution”.  And the City of Santa Clarita is “replacing high-pressure sodium…with energy-efficient induction lighting”. Are you interested in events and activities in the Santa Clarita Valley?  Stay informed with a weekly ...

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SCV Outdoor Report: Hairpencils

By Wendy Langhans What exactly is a hairpencil?  Is it some sort of stick-shaped hair ornament?  Nope.  Hairpencils are cross between (1) lighting a scented candle and (2) spreading pixie dust with a magic wand.  Let me explain. Entomologists use the word “hairpencil” to describe a brush-like structure on the abdomen of some male butterflies and moths.  The word was ...

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SCV Outdoor Report: Snoring Cacti

  By: Wendy Langhans   Writing the SCV Outdoor report is, for me, like going on a treasure hunt. While preparing one story, I never know what else I will discover. Take last week’s story about cacti & succulents – I discovered three odd things about cacti that I didn’t know before.           1) Odd fact ...

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SCV Outdoor Report: Succulents

  By: Wendy Langhans   My Uncle’s question caught me by surprise, “Hey, Wendy.  Are all cactus succulents?” We were in Phoenix, exploring the Desert Botanical Garden with family.  My uncle is a curious man, both by inclination and profession.  A retired physics professor, he has spent many years asking questions and looking for answers. A half-baked answer would not ...

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