Growing Coastal wrote: ↑Sun Mar 21, 2021 12:26 pm
Hi Harry. What is in the images is rare on most of this island.
You'd be welcome, just bring your rain gear!

Your pictures are awesome! Sea lions are loud. I cant hear any at this new place because we are across from the dunes but in Pacific Grove, we heard a ton.

Sea lion noises drift about a km up to where I live and are comfortably faint, heard only when it's quiet outdoors.
As with snow, I am content to only visit them occasionally.

[mention]Growing Coastal[/mention] , what's the most interesting thing you've ever found washed up on the beach?

GoDawgs wrote: ↑Mon Mar 22, 2021 6:19 am @Growing Coastal , what's the most interesting thing you've ever found washed up on the beach?

I once saw what looked like a footlong centipede-like creature washed up. That was memorable and unusual. Never seen anything like it before or since.

Two mornings ago I found a ring lying on the sand freshly washed up. It was nothing special, not gold etc or I would be searching for the owner.
Oh! I once had a marijuana plant grow from what I think was a seed washed up with the seaweed I gathered for the garden. No other explanation. It was a useless male.
One of my favourite things to find is a moon snail shell. Moon snails eat clams that they drill a hole through the shell of to get at. It took a while to find out what all those round holes in the clam shells were caused by.
A skate's purse is another rare item. I thought they were some plastic object but learned that they are the egg sack of a flounder. Not much to look at though.
In the late '60's I had a boyfriend send me some sand dollars and a starfish in the mail. It took a few days to travel from Vancouver to Toronto and it stunk really bad once it got here!

One time I found two small chunks of hematite while looking for stones along the water's edge. I don't now how I saw it as the crystals are reflective of what is around it. That was very unusual.

Thanks for asking GoDawgs. The question brings back many memorable miles of beach combing in years gone by.

Good Morning America How Are Ya.
I was up 19 floors to the top and the sun coming up reminded me of this song.
So here you are a song and a picture.

April 2, 2021 first in the garden, Austin, Texas. Variety "Brad" from Joseph Lofthouse.

She might have sufficient spigots, but is there enough room remaining on her back?

Liquorice lollies for ears But what is the creature , never seen one before.

Virginia Opossum, our sole marsupial around here. Never have I seen one so blessed or burdened with such a large brood. Evidently, she has thirteen teats “newborn opossums climb up into the female opossum's pouch and latch onto one of her 13 teats.”

I counted 8 little ones on mama possum’s back. Might have missed one or two. Mama possum was less than thrilled to see me approaching. She turned around and showed me her ample teeth. I got the message.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_opossum

Well I never realised there were marsupials so west. And I've watched a lot of David Attenborough so must have missed that one

I have an opossum colony where I live.
Love the rascals.

karstopography wrote: ↑Wed Apr 07, 2021 7:53 am 71A5D749-38AE-48C0-A070-D57A06D14C59.jpeg

She might have sufficient spigots, but is there enough room remaining on her back?

Cute.
Vladimír

There are possums galore around here. Off and on some live in tunnels they make through the big brushpile out back. There's always one checking out anything new on the compost pile and they get along ok with the cats (except Herman) so I don't mind them being around. One almost came through one of the two cat doors the other night until Herman went charging out the door, claws flying and chased that possum pretty good. I doubt that one will ever try it again!

An alarm clock that gathers leaves. Heard this critter before I saw it while I was slumbering in bed. These nine-banded armadillos walk hop backwards moving these piles of leaves over great distances. I’ll find these armadillo generated leaf piles scattered about the yard. This is more than burrow maintenance as the web search results claim, but I believe I’m witnessing the dawn of Armadillo sport. They must all be competing on which armadillo can make the most leaf piles and move them the most distance.

This fascinating creation is less than an hours drive from where I live. The picture above accompanied a story about the builder of the castle in todays newspaper and his story in the link below is an interesting read. My wife and I have been there quite a few times and we are amazed each time. If you ever visit the southern Colorado area, it would be worthwhile to take a drive to see. Unfortunately his wife passed in 2018 from cancer, but the castle remains as a tribute to her memory.

https://www.bishopcastle.org/about/

I've been getting out for a walk pretty early some mornings.







People have taken to building multitudes of these small Inukshuks at one end of the beach in the park.


No one seems to mess with them.





The Dogwood is in bloom now. it is British Columbia's flower emblem. There are several varieties apart from the wild one.



This one is in a neighbour's yard.




This creature was sitting at the tree base looking up at something I could not see.



I took these images with an old Sony Handycam I picked up second hand for not much. It takes great stills but not videos.

So, my step ston and I rushed out last night to get some photo's for his school homework - its about silhouettes but as it is emsworth then they are where we live. I do want to get some more as there are some great areas of historical interest but for now, here is a selection - remember its a school homework assignment....

On one early morning walk in the park I saw 5 or 6 Otters swim in to shore, land and climb up to a patch of lawn by a bench to roll around on the grass for a few minutes then return to swim of again. That was a 1st. They were hard to count as they never stopped moving.

Last remnant of days gone by in a land of high rise apartments.

On Mothers' Day and then again last weekend, due to a birthday, we drove out to Milner Gardens for an outdoor gathering. A long walk through a forest that still has some old growth trees with old scorch marks, survivors of a long ago forest fire.
https://milnergardens.viu.ca/#











Rhodos growing upward with gnarly old branches mingling with the trees.


(Random people ahead for size)


A soon to be a mommy salamander hiding in the long pool/pond behind the tea room which was closed.


A Copper Beech from underneath.