Look closely! Spring Rain in Southern California

Southern California doesn't get much rain.
Even though our good rainstorms this year [2017] didn't leave much of a lasting impression, the early morning raindrops on the flowers and leaves made patterns on patterns on patterns.

Look closely and see the magic!
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For more adventures in Southern California - 

and around the world...

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Discover the Headwaters of the Los Angeles River (least sandpipers, American crows) 
Summer Visit to Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park, CA (island fox, common long-beaked dolphins) 
Walk Mulholland Hwy, Santa Monica Mts. (CA towhee, wildflowers)

Up a Tree - Ants - After the Fire - Calabasas, CA Part 3

In the "V" of an oak tree, something is very busy.

In fact, thousands of somethings!
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These tiny but dedicated creatures are rapidly moving and harvesting oak leaf litter after the Calabasas Fire in June 2016.

 

Sit back and watch the ladies at work! 
For more on the Calabasas fire subscribe to us at: TheEarthMinute.com

After the Fire - Calabasas, CA   {part1}  

See the Oaks Calabasas Fire Part 2

For a video of ants from the other side of the globe:
Watch here on TheEarthMinute.com

Watch Green Tree Ants, Cape Tribulation, Queensland, Australia

And for you bee lovers!
Water for Hot Summer Bees (California)

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)
 

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

New Year's Eve 2015 Lights on the mountain - Snow Summit - Big Bear California

22 degrees Fahrenheit...

Standing with hundreds of strangers watching fire wind down the hill...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Watch the Annual New Year's Eve Torchlight Parade at Snow Summit

 

The lights on the slopes went out....

Over 100 skiers and snowboarders carried torches down the Snow Summit Miracle Mile creating a beautiful sight on the last evening of the year.

 

 

For more adventures, visit us at 

TheEarthMinute.com

Watch: Santana Winds Come to Los Angeles   

See: The Mendenhall Glacier - Southeast Alaska 

Visit: A Kelp Forest at CA Science Center  

 

Winter Birding Descanso Gardens, California

Walking through Descanso Gardens on a late December morning we saw nearly 2 dozen different species of birds.
It's a beautiful walk through classic gardens and native plants.
Here are a few of birds we got on camera!


 

Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullatus 

Allen's Hummingbird  Selasphorus sasin

White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys

Great Egret Ardea alba

 

Descanso Gardens, 1418 Descanso Dr, 

La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011, USA

 For more videos of gardens near Los Angeles, visit us at TheEarthMinute.com

Hidden Gardens of Los Angeles

#1 - Visit Orcutt Ranch Park
#2 - Visit Malibu Legacy Park
#3 - Visit Pierce College Botanical Garden
#4 - Visit Conejo Valley Botanical Garden 
#5 - Visit a Kelp Forest at CA Science Center  

 Happy New Year, 2016!

Visit Homes High Above Palm Springs!

Visit Some Wood Homes High Above Palm Springs!

 Mount San Jacinto State Park is over 8,000 feet high above the desert of Palm Springs, California.

 Take the tram up to look at where some little folk live!

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hmmn - some little mammal's home..

 a rat?. 

 ... home for a woodpecker in a log!

 .... home for another unknown woodpecker!

 

 Mount San Jacinto State park!  Over a Mile and a half up from the toasty desert floor -  and a world away!

 For more California Adventures, visit us at 

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

 

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

Sequoia National Park - More Than Big Trees!

California's Sequoia National Park - is more than just big trees!

Approaching from the south, on HWY 138, you'll find the Foothills Visitor Center and park headquarters.

In the picnic area look for local Acorn Woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorus) and their larder of acorns in the bark of the large oak tree. This branch was just above the table.

Look what you might miss if you forget to take the trail to Hospital Rock!

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Native American Acorn Grinding Mortars

Hospital Rock Pictographs - Sequoia National Park, California

Don't forget to drive in to see the trees, also!

 See and hear more of California 
by visiting us at
TheEarthMinute.com

Bees Buzzing in the Lemon Tree

Southern California is having early warm days this year, and the trees and the bees are making the best of it.

HD Video

Our Meyer lemon tree burst into bloom in early February.

 

Take a look at her feet - sticky from the bright

yellow citrus pollen. 

With the help of these little ladies, we should have a very good crop of sweet lemons later this year!

Keep pesticides away from your garden and help provide food sources for these important pollinators.

 Buzz on over to TheEarthMinute.com and subscribe to

get a weekly taste of the natural world.

Sounds of San Francisco - Hyde Street Pier

Sounds of San Francisco

Hyde Street Pier, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, 
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
 San Francisco, CA

Not only are the sights fascinating, but when you listen closely... the sounds are as well...

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Alcatraz island

Taboose Creek, California - What is that sound?

Taboose Creek Campground.

 Off Highway 395 near Independence, California

A nice spot next to the stream to spend the night.

But what was that sound?

  

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Visit each week to see a new The Earth Minute 

Listen to the River! Russian River Adventure Canoe Trip Healdsburg, CA

Summer is a hot time in California.  
What better plan than a canoe trip on the Russian River just outside of Healdsburg in Sonoma County?

Listen to the sound of the birds, the inflatable canoe squeaking along, the dip of the paddles, and the sounds of the river flowing by.

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Enjoy and cool down a bit! 

An easy paddle and float trip - Then head to Healdsburg Plaza Park for an outdoor concert?!

http://russianriveradventures.com/ has great trips!

Watching Valley Carpenter Bees

I was headed down to the garage when I heard a gnawing sound and saw a pinch of sawdust fall from the side of the bottlebrush trunk. The Earth Minute video will reveal who was carving a home out of the soft wood.

Four valley carpenter bees (Xylocopa varipuncta) live in the old trunk. These large bees (approx. 1 inch long) live in southern California and are valuable pollinators. Each individual visits more plants daily than a European honey bee.  

The three black females and one golden-colored male share the tunnels, but the females are also carving out new tunnels to lay their 5-7 eggs.

Each larva is sealed in a chamber within the tunnel and provisioned with its own food. They mature to adult form and then break their way out of their chambers.

I love to see these big bees in the garden. Their loud buzz alerts you to their presence. Valley carpenter bees give you a complete evaluation before flying on, but don’t be afraid of them. Like many large creatures they are gentle giants, males do not even have stingers. They are gatherers of abundance, harvesting from the plants but sharing their bounty by pollinating and helping new things grow. I regard them as a personal totem animal. 

One of the most gratifying places to experience an Earth Minute is in your own backyard. Take a moment to explore the world right outside your door.

See and hear more at TheEarthMinute.com

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Listen to The Earth Minute in an Antique Clock Shop - Pacific Grove, California

Time to listen carefully...  to a minute from an earlier age.

 
 HD sound and Pix
Listen to the Sounds as The Earth Minute visits the Antique Clock Shop in Pacific Grove, CA. 

Hundreds of clocks are ticking away and being wound for the day. 
It was a great pleasure to be among such craftsmanship. Many of these clocks are hundreds of years old.

Visit us every week to listen and watch more at: TheEarthMinute.com