Red Car Canyon: Native Toyon Blooming Way Out Of Season

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 3, 2015.  Native Toyon is starting to bloom throughout the Red Car Property and bees are flocking to it.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

In our neighborhood, Toyon usually blooms in May and June, with red berries showing up for Christmas.  Take a look at the  dates on our earlier Toyon related posts.  Once again, an inch of rain in July and 3" in one day in September has the growing season all screwed up. It is as if the native plants decided to make the most of the rain just in case we don't get any more.  Now that's really "drought adapted."

According to the US Forest Service, Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) is a fire resistant native shrub that does well on steep slopes, aiding in erosion control.  In our neighborhood, steep slopes are where you find Toyon.

The ripe berries are eaten by birds and mammals.  However, CalFlora lists the toxicity as MAJOR.  Here's a thought, just don't eat them.  Leave the native plants to wildlife.  The drought has affected plants and wildlife alike.

Disclaimer: The Corralitas Red Car Property Blog prefers to quote reliable sources, such as CalFlora and California Poison Control on the issue of toxicity.  We often get email suggesting some plants are edible. If you are eating your way through the Red Car Property, we DO NOT recommend you eat any plant you find in the Red Car Property neighborhood without first doing your own research.

Corralitas Drive: Chive Flowers Attract Tiny Native Bees

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 2, 2015.  According to UC Berkeley's Urban Bee Lab, there are around 1600 native bee species in California.  I'm not even going to attempt to ID the 1/4" long bee I watched drink from the chive flowers.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 2, 2015.  We always see a variety of bees and blue butterflies on and in the chives.  The UC Berkeley Urban Bee Lab has a section on seasonal gardening for bees, along with links to regionally appropriate advice. 

We've documented green, blue-green, and rust, gold & black bees.  Click here for all our bee posts.  
 

Red Car Properrty: Party Is Almost Over For Native Blue Fiesta Flowers

Photo: Diane Edwardson, March 12, 2015. You can still catch a glimpse of the native Blue Fiesta Flowers (Pholistoma auritum) below Adelbert Ave on the Red Car Property.  (Click on photo to enlarge.) 

Photo: Diane Edwardson, March 12, 2015.  Blue Fiesta Flowers usually last a little longer in the shady slope below the native California Black Walnut Trees off Adelbert.  Unfortunately, the north end of the property has been hit hard by the unseasonably intense sun & hot temperatures in the past 2 months. (Photos were shot earlier this month.) 

Last summer, ore than a dozen big dead Eucalyptus Trees were cut down on the north end of the Red Car Property. (Another 4 Eucalyptus were cut down in 2013.) The Eucalyptus likely died from a pest that spread a fungus, accelerated by the severe drought.)  

Also last summer, just below this same section of the Red Car Property on adjacent Riverside Drive lots, real estate speculators cut down more than a dozen protected native California Black Walnut & Coast Live Oak, as well as a number of non-protected & "significantly" sized trees.  Together, these incidents radically changing the the micro-climate, reduced the watershed & carbon storing potential of the soil.  The north end of the Red Car Property has a lot less shade & is drying out faster than most years.

Adelbert Ave: Native Wildflower Garden

Photo: Diane Edwardson, March 22, 2015.  A house on Adelbert has a spectacular native wildflower garden.  This is some kind of Solanum, which, according to California Poison Control System's  "Know Your Plants" is majorly toxic.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

I'm no plant expert, so I'm not going to try ID these plants.  However, I do know the homeowners' have spent years allowing their native garden to thrive.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, March 17, 2015. Native wildflowers are a treat for those who take the time to walk & observe the often tiny scattered spots of color along the steep slope.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, March 17, 2015.  You can still get a good look at Miner's Lettuce.  Nearby, Miner's Lettuce on the Red Car Property has already been buried by 3' to 4' weeds.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, March 17, 2015. Bees were going crazy for the flowers of this Toyon-like bush.  

Red Car Property: Not A Mod Bee *Updated

Photo: Diane Edwardson, February 23, 2015.  Sometimes you just capture the odd bee in a close up, but this one seems kind of mod.  It has a rather large yellow & black geometrically shaped head, here, drinking from a non-native, invasive Wild Radish flower.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, February 23, 2015.  Even this view is greatly enlarged from a wider shot above the historic viaduct footings. I just happened to catch sight of the odd bee while editing photos.  It only appeared in one frame.


UPDATE February 25, 2015: I'd submitted these photos to What's That Bug?  The Bugman of Mt Washington posted his reply today.  The mod little bug is not a bee, but a Flower Fly.  (I knew it was a bizarre looking bee - it's legs weren't right either.)  Read more on What's That Bug?

Red Car Property: Bee Alert! Bee Hive Tumbled Down Hill From Adelbert

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 23, 2014.  This morning, I heard a loud buzzing sound about 50' ahead on the trail near Adelbert.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)  

A large box box had either been shoved or had fallen down the hillside from a backyard on Adelbert.  Bees were swarming angrily around the box & on the slope.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 23, 2014.  The angry bees are midway between the large Coast Live Oak Tree (the large, dark green tree to the right of the arrow) & the path leading up to Adelbert (a.k.a. "the Adelbert cut-through").  It's also about 25' from the log with an established bee hive inside.  This was about as close as I got.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 23, 2014.  The bees seemed pretty mad & were swarming.  So I relied on the zoom to get this shot of the bees tending their honeycomb on the  slope.  It is probably best not to aggravate the bees further while they establish a new home.  It is unlikely  they are Africanized Bees or we would have heard of attacks in our very urbanized area.
 

Corralitas Public Staircase: Tiny Bee, Native Morning Glory

Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 10, 2014.  There are countless tiny bees on Bug Guide.  The native Morning Glories seem to attract them.  We've even seen green bees on these flowers.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Red Car Property:Native Toyon Blooms Buzzing

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 27, 2014.  The native Toyon growing below Adlebert, was practically vibrating with bees this morning.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)  

CalFlora & California Poison Control identify native Toyon   (Heteromeles arbutifolia).  

 Disclaimer: The Corralitas Red Car Property Blog prefers to quote reliable sources, such as CalFlora and California Poison Control on the issue of toxicity.  We often get email suggesting some plants are edible. If you are eating your way through the Red Car Property, we DO NOT recommend you eat any plant you find in the Red Car Property neighborhood without first doing your own research.

Corralitas Drive: Bee Joins Hairstreak Butterfly In The Chives

Photo: Diane Edwardson, August 22, 2013.  A very small silver-blue butterfly caught my eye while I had a camera in hand.  It was taking its time drinking from the chives, completely ignoring the bee on the same stalk of flowers.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Loyal readers & bee enthusiasts may remember, bees had an unusual attraction to the dirt the chives were planted in.  They still do, but right now the flowers are a bigger attraction.
Photo: Diane Edwardson, August 22, 2013.  There are 5 Hairstreak butterfly species on the UCI Butterflies of Orange County website.  (It's easier to use than Butterflies and Moths of North America.) 

I'm guessing this might be a Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus pudica) due to the fringe swirls on the tail. 

Photo: Diane Edwardson, August 22, 2013.  You have to marvel at the evolutionary advantage of orange eyespots & fake antenna on the tail to discourage predators. 

Click here for all our butterfly posts.  

Red Car Property: Bee Hive

Photo: Diane Edwardson, August 5, 2013.  Bees seem to have a well established hive in an old stump near Adelbert.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, August 5, 2013.  The stump was revealed after the recent brush clearance.  The bees are not swarming, but going about their bee business in a peaceful manner.  Let the wild bees be. 

Learn more about urban beekeeping: Backwards Beekeepers

Corralitas Drive: A Really Big Bee

Photo: Diane Edwardson, May 16, 2013.  The dogs found a really big dead bee in the yard.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, May 16, 2013.  The wings were iridescent rust and gold.  The body was quite large and black.  It seemed to be covered in yellow pollen.  Perhaps it overdosed on pollen. 

I want to say it's a type of Carpenter Bee, but there are just too many pages of bees to wade through on BugGuide. 

Corralitas Drive: "Bee Crack"

Photo: Diane Edwardson, May 25, 2013.  Throughout the neighborhood, non-native, but scenic Jacaranda Trees are exploding in their signature muted purple blossoms.  Around our house, we refer to them as "bee crack" since the bees are so hooked on the nectar, bees obsessively climb into the flowers, long since fallen off the tree for a taste of the gooey stuff.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Corralitas Drive: Sweet Almond Blossoms

Photo: Diane Edwardson, February 6, 2013.  Early every February, bees go nuts for the smell of cherry filling the air, as a neighbor's trees explode with pinkish flowers.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

 

I always thought they were cherry blossoms.  Last year, another neighbor corrected me, saying she thought they were almond, because the fruit wasn't the right shape, despite the fragrance. I missed the bloom last year, so this year I remembered to look up the photos. 

Photo: Diane Edwardson, February 6, 2013. Since early February is usually our stormiest time of year, the bloom often only lasts a few days.  This year it has already been a few weeks.  Enjoy it while it lasts! 

 

Eat at your own risk: 

CalFlora says the escaped cultivar's seeds (Prunus dulcis) are majorly toxic.  Wiki says wild almonds are toxic; domesticated almonds are not.

 

Disclaimer: The Corralitas Red Car Property Blog prefers to quote reliable sources, such as CalFlora and California Poison Control on the issue of toxicity. We often get email suggesting some plants are edible. If you are eating your way through the Red Car Property, we DO NOT recommend you eat any plant you find in the Red Car Property neighborhood without first doing your own research.

 

Corralitas Drive: What Are These Bees Doing?

Photos: Diane Edwardson, September 18, 2013.  Since the weather warmed up Friday, bees have been digging intently in the potted chives for the past few days.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

 

Dozens of bees at a time have been excitedly flying in and digging in the dirt, then flying back out in the same direction.  They are ignoring the the dirt in the adjacent potted basil and parsley.  They are just going nuts in the chives. 

So I emailed Red Car Property neighbor, blog contributor and Backwards Beekeeper Russell Bates.  He responded,

"That's pretty cool! I would guess that either:
--there's something sweet in that soil that they want, or

--they're collecting water from the soil because they don't have another nearby source for it."

 

I'm guessing they're finding something sweet in the soil, since they're not in any of the nearby pots.  A couple of their comrades drowned in the nearby dog bowl.  

Red Car Property: Neighborhood Food Web

Photo: Russell Bates, 2010.  Red Car Property neighborhood beekeepers in LA Times.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)



Corralitas Drive: So Many Bees In Pepper Trees

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 9, 2011.  The pepper tree overhanging my yard was vibrating with thousands of bees attracted to the just starting to bloom flowers.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

These large, beautiful trees may be Peruvian Pepper Trees (Shinus molle), which the California Invasive Plant Council classifies as an invasive yet, limited threat to native ecosystems.  

Corralitas Drive: Colorful Bee? Backwards Beekeepers Meeting: Sunday, July 24, 2011

Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 23, 2011.  A neighbor found a dead,  iridescent green-blue bug in her bathroom. (Click on photo to enlarge.) 

Perhaps it's a green bee.  I found a very similar one on Bug Guide.  There are at least 13 species of green bees. 

Learn more about swarms and bee hives in hot weather at the monthly meeting of Backwards Beekeepers in Atwater, Sunday, July 24, 2011. 

Rose Scharlin Co-op Nursery School: Bee Season

Photo: M. Gilvary, March 7, 2011. That's not a spelling bee at Rose Scharlin Nursery School. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Monday, a swarm of bees landed at Rose Scharlin Co-op Nursery School. A Rose Scharlin parent (and Red Car Property neighbor) called the Los Angeles Bee Rescue Hotline and a Backwards Beekeeper (and Red Car Property neighbor) responded later that day.

The bees were not aggressive. As a precaution, the children were immediately herded into the library. The parents were called and school closed early for the day. Thankfully, no one was stung.

Backwards Beekeeper (and Red Car Property neighbor) Russell replied in an email, "We got a call on the Bee Rescue Hotline from a neighbor about a swarm at Rose Scharlin, so Amy went to check it out; the bees had taken off by the time she got there. This is a pretty common behavior with swarms, as they're looking for a new place to live once they've left the hive they came from. 

Swarm season is really kicking into gear now, so it's likely you'll be hearing about more. There's a video on our blog that gives quite a bit of information about swarms and how we capture them."

Corralitas Drive: Cherry Blossoms Are Back!

Photo: Diane Edwardson, January 20, 2011. Cherry Blossoms only last a few days, so enjoy the fragrant beauty the bees love, while you can. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Recently, I've noticed several bee hives in neighborhood trees. In the past, some neighbors unsuccessfully used poison in attempt to remove hives on their own. Learn more about local, natural beekeeping and bee rescue on Backwards Beekeepers.

Lake View Ave: Bees Are Buzzing

Photo: Russell Bates, December 8, 2010. Bee on lavender. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Bees are super active right now. Read more and see more great photos on Backwards Beekeepers.