Wait! It's a Jerusalem Cricket

While planting in the yard, I dug this up ....

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male Jerusalem cricket has a smaller abdomen

The Jerusalem cricket (Stenopelmatus sp.) is also known as a potato bug or an earth baby, nino de la terra. It is not poisonous or dangerous in any way. It can pinch, but that's all. It lives in the soil and is active at night.

This large insect is an important decomposer. Just like earthworms, the Jerusalem cricket eats decaying leaf litter and turns it back into the soil. Don't be afraid of this big bug. She can't hop, doesn't see well, and just wants to get away from scary giant humans. Look for her thread-thin antennae that help her find her way.

On this Thanksgiving Day, I'm thankful for creatures like the Jerusalem cricket. I think she's beautiful. She has a job to do and she stands up for herself. 

Go J. cricket!

Planting CA Native Plants

More Earth Minutes with insects
Butterflies in Illinois
Night Sounds - Massacre Rocks State Park, ID
Graybird Grasshopper
Insect and Animal Close-ups

Spend a minute with the natural world each week 

on TheEarthMinute.com

Alligator Lizard Hunting the Yard

After a week of indoor work, an Earth Minute can seem elusive. But all it takes is a few moments outside and an Earth Minute finds you.

This adult southern alligator lizard (Elgaria multicarinata) is living under one of the native California lilac, or ceanothus, in the front yard. She is probably the mother of the juvenile we rescued from the garage.


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If you look closely you can see where she has lost her original tail and regrown the current tail. The coloring is less complex and doesn't quite match her body. Alligator lizards can let their tail break off in order to startle and redirect a predator. It is an amazing evolutionary adaptation. The breakage occurs through a vertebra; kind of like the perforations between saltine crackers. The musculature comes apart at these breakage sites as well. There is little blood loss and nerves in the tail will continue to make it twitch for several minutes. The continued movement of the tail tricks the predator into thinking it's caught the whole lizard. 

The tail grows back, but the bone is not replaced. The replacement tail can break again if needed. Science has yet to figure out exactly how this tail replication takes place. 

This alligator lizard is one of our yard's natural predators and the benefit of a yard that provides habitat.

What does a baby alligator lizard look like? Rescuing an Alligator

More Earth Minutes with Reptiles 

This week on The Earth Minute 

Visiting an Old Friend in Red Bluff, California - Listen to Wisdom

An Old Friend!

Sycamore Grove Campground, right off of the Sacramento River is a great place to camp and take a walk early in the morning or at sunset.

An ancient oak tree stand sentinel to the passage of time and cycles of drought.   HD

Listen to the voices of birds and others who visit this old friend.

Red Bluff Diversion Dam Recreation Area

Red Bluff, CA 96080

For more California Adventures with other oaks!

 Visit us and subscribe to:  TheEarthMinute.com 

Stroll Rocky Oaks Park

Under Young Oaks (coastal live oak, manroot) 

 

See Common Dolphins and Brown Pelicans Fishing!

Crossing back to Ventura Harbor from visiting Santa Cruz Island, we came upon a wide feeding group of brown pelicans Pelecanus occidentalis and common dolphins.

 

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See the common dolphins and the Brown Pelicans diving for fish in their own way!

 

For more videos of Santa Cruz Island..

  visit us at TheEarthMinute.com

Visit Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park, CA
Summer Visit to Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park, CA (island fox, common long-beaked dolphins)
 

Anise Swallowtail Butterfly

Butterflies are part of a yard with biodiversity. An anise swallowtail butterfly (Papilo zelicaon) is one of the larger butterflies that we see in Southern California.

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The solid black shoulders identify this as an anise rather than a tiger swallowtail. While the 'desert' black swallowtail looks very similar, it is typically not found in the Los Angeles area. 

This female anise swallowtail is laying eggs on lemon tree leaves. While anise swallowtails can be citrus pests, the large population of birds in our yard makes it a challenge for a caterpillar to reach butterfly-hood. California towhee parents. The Bewick's wrens are constantly hunting caterpillars this time of year.

Mourning cloaks, skippers, tiger swallowtails, painted ladies, even monarchs frequent an oasis in the city. 

For ideas on creating your own butterfly garden see the Hidden Gardens of Pierce College's Botanical Garden and Orcutt Ranch Park.

More butterflies - Mourning Cloak & Butterflies of Illinois

Tiny creatures are always creating Earth Minutes 

See a Surprised Salamander! Black-bellied Slender Salamander

Starting our Second Year of TheEarthMinute.com, 
we had a surprise guest in our backyard!

 

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A Black-bellied Slender Salamander -
Batrachoseps nigriventris

Coming out after the rains..  tiny but determined.. 

 

 She's a beauty! 
 For more California wildlife - subscribe to and visit  TheEarthMinute.com

Close-up with a Red Jumping Spider
Meet a Channel Island Fox  
Meet a Roosevelt Elk (Cervus elaphus roosevelti)

http://www.californiaherps.com/salamanders/pages/b.nigriventris.html

Walk the Sand in Northern California - Gold Bluffs Beach, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park

Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park is one of our favorite places on the Pacific coast.

Located about fifty miles north of Eureka, the beach is windswept yet full of life.
Walk the sand with us! HD

 

Driftwood provides shelter for shrubs and trees on the beach.

 Swimmers Beware - Nasty riptide! 

Gold Bluffs Beach and Elk Prairie Campgrounds are available for reservations at www.parks.ca.gov/prairiecreek or by phone at 1-800-444-7275. 

 For more videos about the park, visit us at TheEarthMinute.com

Discover Fern Canyon, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, CA

Take a Stroll Under the Oaks - November in Rocky Oaks Park

We took an early stroll the day before Thanksgiving, 2015 in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area through a little 200 acre gem of a park.

 
Rocky Oaks Park is a short drive away from the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles.

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 Sunlight in the early morning plays through the oaks, pines, and rocks of the park.

Rocky Oaks Park is located in the 31500 block of Mulholland Highway west of the Kanan Road intersection. The entrance is on the north side of Mulholland Highway.

Take the Ventura Freeway (U.S. 101) to Kanan Road. South on Kanan Road to Mulholland Highway. Turn west (right) on Mulholland Highway and right again into the parking lot.

GPS Coordinates: N 34.0967 W -118.8141

Nice, well maintained trails.
Dogs allowed on leash.
Water available.
Meeting circle, ranger area under the oaks. 

 

See More in California!  Subscribe to TheEarthMinute.com

See these posts and Videos! 

Close-up with a Red Jumping Spider (California)

Visit Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park (endangered Channel Island fox)  

Yucca Blossoms on Angeles Crest Hwy  
Leaves on CA Native Plants Fight Drought
How Tall is a Redwood Tree?   

Desert Tortoise Hibernation

One of our California desert tortoises is having a hard time settling down for the winter.

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The weather has been cool and windy. The others are fast asleep, but this old female is still up and about.

What causes desert tortoises to enter winter torpor? The science is still out, but it seems to me that it is not one thing. Yes, cool weather is part of it, but it's been in the low 40 degrees F at night for nearly a week. The days have been windy and typically in the low 60s. Still she slowly wanders out to find a place in the sun.

Low angle sunlight, shortening daylight, cold winds, all of these play a role. Yet, this old girl hasn't settled in. 

This is her first winter with us and she just hasn't decided to let down her guard and go to sleep. Despite her grumpiness it is calming to spend time with her. She's probably close to 90 years old. She's a wise one, she'll find a place to sleep away the winter.

Other Earth Minutes with Turtles, Lizards and Snakes
Backyard Breakfast Buddies (desert tortoise and western fence lizard)
Tortoises in Turkey
Hidden Garden - Pierce College Botanical Garden (red-eared slider)
Ring-necked Snake in the Garden
Hike Limekiln Canyon (lizards)
Watching Lizards in Southern California 
Spotting a Lace Monitor in the Wild 

Visit TheEarthMinute.com 

for a weekly Natural Moment 

Backyard Breakfast Buddies - Reptile Style!

A rescued California desert tortoise  (Gopherus agassizii) gives a little buddy a ride to breakfast.

This 2 1/2 inch long baby western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis) also known as a blue-belly) is only a few weeks old, scratching out a living during Southern California's summer drought.

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The the tiny western fence lizard jumped from the

white stone to the tortioses' shell.

 Maybe the lizard mistook the tortoise for another rock?

Rideshare! It's one way to save energy!

Did you know that desert tortoises have pink tongues?

 and wide nostrils to sniff out food!

 Want to know more?

This Morning in a Habitat Yard (CA desert tortoise)

Watching Lizards in Southern California (western fence lizard & southern alligator lizard)

For more wildlife videos, visit us and subscribe

TheEarthMinute.com

Arroyo Seco - Angeles National Forest - a little water for a thirsty world

Switzer Picnic Area in Angeles National Forest has a beautiful hiking path (Gabrieleno trail) along the tree lined stream bed of the Arroyo Seco. 

The Arroyo Seco or "dry stream" is an important watershed in southern California.

Although this stream can be seasonal, the plant and animal community it supports needs the moisture under the rocky bed all through the year.

Listen to the stream on the last week of spring.

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A good place to bird, too!

Fee: Adventure Pass required for vehicles.

Elevation: 3,300 feet

From the 210 Freeway exit at Angeles Crest Highway (Hwy 2) and head north about 9.5 miles to the picnic area on the right.

"While on a trail or in and around campgrounds and picnic areas, dogs must be kept on a leash. In addition, your dog must wear a collar with current tags at all times, as state and county laws apply on National Forest System lands."

 

For more wild spots near Los Angeles, visit us here  at 

TheEarthMinute.com

 

Stop and See Yucca Blossoms on Angeles Crest Hghway

It's late spring in the mountains of Southern California.

On the way up to see Chilao Visitor Center off the Angeles Crest Highway (CA State Highway 2), we were struck by the sharp beauty of the native yucca plants in blossom.

See this Yucca plant right along the highway!!

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The light streams through the dense blooms putting many orchids to shame.

 For more wild spots near Los Angeles, visit us here  at 

TheEarthMinute.com

Ring-necked Snake In The Garden

Look what we found while repainting the fence: a ring-necked snake (Diadophis punctatus).

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This colubrid snake is easily identifiable by its drab coloring along the back, reddish-pink ring around the neck and brightly colored belly. I've seen ring-necked snakes in the yard before, but we unearthed this one while we were digging out some gravel under the fence line.

Ring-necked snakes are common, typically small, and found across North America. In the west they have bright red underbellies. When threatened, they turn upside down, coil up their tail like a small snake, and flash their bright coloring to warn off a typically bird predator. (Watch how this little guy coiled up the tip of his tail.) Many birds avoid brightly colored snakes, because some, like coral snakes, are dangerously venomous.

western fence lizard

Ring-necked snakes prey on tiny lizard eggs, some amphibians, and small lizards. Our yard has both slender salamanders and a variety of lizards. Habitat needs predators to maintain natural balance. As we replace our landscaping with native plants, we are recreating habitat for native insects (Valley carpenter bees, gray bird grasshopper, red jumping spider), birds (Bewick's wrens), and reptiles. 

To catch its lizard prey, the ring-necked snake does have venom delivered through fangs at the back of the mouth. The mouth is tiny and the teeth are not dangerous to humans. Many snakes long considered not dangerous to people, like garter snakes, need venom to subdue their prey. These common colubrid snakes have long thin, fast moving bodies and are important predators. Treated respectfully and with a gentle hand, we relocated this snake so we could finish working on the fence. Definitely an Earth Minute!

We never know where or when the next Earth Minute will take us. See more of California's plant and animal diversity & Join us next week at TheEarthMinute.com

Malibu Creek - Feel the Cool in Malibu Creek State Park

Malibu Creek is a small stream in a big city.

Take a walk in Malibu Creek State Park along the streambed. 

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Without this bit of water flowing down to the ocean, many native plants and animal species would find it very hard to make it during a California drought season.

 

The park is located four miles south of Highway 101 on 

Las Virgenes/Malibu Canyon Road. 

Or 6.5 miles north up Malibu Canyon Road from Malibu and Pacific Coast Highway {California Highway 1}.

 

 

Native Oak Trees

From the Malibu Creek State Park website...

Campsites

Hiking Trails
Horseback Riding

Some Accessible trails

Dogs on a leash are allowed in the Park's day use areas and campground. 

Dogs are not allowed on the backcountry trails or dirt roads. 

DAY-USE ACTIVITIES & FACILITIES
Historical/Cultural Site
Picnic Areas
Environmental Learning/Visitor Center
Exhibits and Programs
Interpretive Exhibits
Excellent Nature & Wildlife Viewing

OTHER FACILITIES & VISITOR INFORMATION
Pay Parking
Restrooms / Showers
Drinking Water Available

 For more California hiking activities, visit us at   
TheEarthMinute.com

Walk the Beach in Malibu, CA

Come Whale Watching off the Coast of California

We set out on a sunny February afternoon for a cruise out of Ventura, California.

Come whale watching with us! 

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Two California Gray Whales swimming together

Each whale's tail has different markings, so individual can be identified with a good pair of binoculars, or a good camera.

It was a beautiful time on the water with Island Packers Cruises!

For more travels in California or around the World, 
join us at TheEarthMinute.com

This Morning in a Habitat Yard

We can't believe it. It has been a path with unexpected adventures. This week marks a full year of weekly posted Earth Minutes!

We've shown one minute adventures from wind-swept Mongolia to Australia's Great Barrier Reef. For our One Year Anniversary we go back to what The Earth Minute is all about–taking time to connect with the world around you.

Start on your own doorstep. This morning was like everyday in our yard: filled with the wonder of other living things.

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band-tailed pigeon

If you take a minute, the world opens up to you. Offer habitat for local plants and creatures and they will share their lives.

The Bewick's wrens have returned to nest again this year. Watch them build last year's nest.

We're starting young oak trees to help continue the oak savannah so important to California's open spaces. And we continue to add California native plants, like this blue-eyed grass, that provide resources for native bees and insects.

 
Here are a few of our favorite Earth Minutes from this year:

Yellowstone Bison Jam

Discover Fern Canyon, Prairie Creek, Redwoods National Park

Spotting a Wild Lace Monitor, Australia

Take a Walk in the Rain - New York's Central Park

Malibu Legacy Park - L.A.'s Hidden Gardens #2

Floating the Outlet Stream of Squanga Lake, Yukon Territory Canada

See all of The Earth Minute moments:

Wildlife
See California
Human Culture
World Traveler Locations
Organic Sound (recorded in the location)

Visit a Kelp Forest at California Science Center - Hidden Gardens of L.A. #5

Some gardens are underwater. In the heart of Los Angeles, the California Science Center offers an opportunity for everyone to experience the wonder of a California kelp forest. 

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Kelp forests are a vital marine ecosystem providing important resources and protection for fish species and other marine life.

male California sheepshead (Semicossyphus pulcher)

  Look For:

• Close-up tanks: Allowing you to see crustaceans, anemones, and small fish up close
• Fish Identification Charts highlighting the variety of coastal fish species
• SeaFood Watch Interactive Kiosk: Sit down at a lunch counter and discover how you can help keep oceans healthy by making wise seafood choices.
• Interactive Games: Be a barnacle and experience the challenge of a stationary creature trying to catch its food.

Special Opportunities:
A Touch Table on the outdoor observation deck offers a hands-on opportunity to experience kelp forest and tide pool creatures. The Kelp Forest is just one Ecosystem highlighted at the California Science Center. You can also explore Islands, Deserts, and more.

A food court within the Science Center.

The Specifics:

• Open: Daily 10 AM - 5 PM, FREE admission
• Parking: Ample $10 parking adjacent to the Science Center; Also accessible via the Metro Expo Line (exit at the Expo Park/USC station and walk .2 miles south of the Rose Garden).
• Restrooms: Numerous
• Kid Friendly: The California Science Center is designed for kids (of all ages)
• Accessibility: Readily accessible with elevators to the different floors
• Dogs: No dogs allowed.
• Restrictions: Weekends and school holidays can be busy. Special exhibits and the Space Shuttle Endeavor require paid or timed tickets.

More Information: http://californiasciencecenter.org/

Discover more Hidden Gardens in the Los Angeles Area

• Visit Conjeo Valley Botanical Garden
• Visit Pierce College Botanical Garden
• Visit Malibu Legacy Park
• Visit Orcutt Ranch Park
• Discover Southern California

Visit The Earth Minute weekly to experience a one minute adventure.

Meet a Roosevelt Elk (Cervus elaphus roosevelti)

You never know what wildlife you might encounter if you keep your eyes and ears open.


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a younger bull Roosevelt elk; Redwoods National Park

The Roosevelt elk (Cervus elaphus roosevelti) is the largest surviving subspecies of elk in North America. Comparable in size to a horse, a bull Roosevelt elk weighs between 700 and 1100 lbs., measures 5 ft to the shoulder and has a length of 8-9 ft from nose to tail.

Amazingly, despite the large size of this creature, hundreds of people walking along a trail in Redwoods National Park in California missed the huge bull elk that was feeding just on the other side of the shrubbery. I became aware of him when I heard him snort and saw the rustling of the grass.

We are very fortunate in the United States. Our national and state parks, wilderness areas, public and private wildlife refuges, and protected areas provide us with places to experience and discover the wild creatures that share our Earth. Step away from technological and human distractions and you too may discover an Earth Minute of your very own.

Discover other wildlife close-ups and places to see wildlife in California and around the world.

Visit TheEarthMinute.com each week for a new one-minute discovery