By 2050 there will be more plastic, by weight, in the ocean than fish. World Economic Forum
Public Lands in our midst: Pine Hill Preserve
We often think of public lands on a grand scale----forests, wilderness, towering mountain ranges, etc. While El Dorado County certainly offers these, we also have very special and rather more "domestic" public land right in our own backyards. these lands are literally next door to the suburbs of Cameron Park and Rescue. The Pine Hill Preserve is a patch work of unique soils and environments---from native oak lands to meadows to dry chaparral . There are flowering plants in this preserve which are found nowhere else in the world! They including unique species of Mule Ears, Ceanothus (California Lilac), and a type of Morning Glory.
For more information and guided hikes in these lovely and endangered habitats contact Bureau of Land Management. Link: https://www.blm.gov/visit/pine-hill-preserve
Lady Bugs-- -- our (fleeting) friends.
Actually, we should call them Lady Beetles, as they are a true beetle with hardened protective wings (Coleopteran) Our native Lady Beetle, with nine spots (Hippodamia convergens), are so named because of their tendency to converge in swarms from time to time. You may be lucky enough to see one of these gatherings: a seemingly random mountain shrub, such as a coyote bush, completely covered with 100s of red Lady
beetles.
Chiricahua Mountains in SE Arizona. Frank Baker.
Lady beetles are great friends to gardeners because of their voracious appetite for aphids. BUT their life cycle is often migratory---wintering in higher altitudes and returning to gardens and agricultural valleys in warmer weather. Their tendency to roam makes those advertisements for shipments of lady beetles misleading. Sounds good on paper, but don’t fall for it. Once released in your garden, they are likely to move on to higher or lower climes, depending on the season. The commercial gathering of lady beetles is discouraged. Not only will they not stick around after purchase, but harvesting disrupts their life cycle.
BOA CONSTRICTORS — IN PLACERVILLE?
Weeding in the garden, I turned over a rock. There it was, a little Rubber Boa (Charina botteae). Pinkish gray, about the size of a pencil, it actually looked like a large earthworm with a blunt head and tail. He/she was wrapped into a figure eight and scarcely moved when picked up.
A very docile, slow moving, and ubiquitous---these small snakes live all over the West from coastal areas to the High Sierra. Preferring cool temperatures and damp places, they travel mainly during twilight and dawn hours. “Travel” is perhaps a stretch; these snakes are homebodies that occupy the same vicinity or backyard their entire lives. And they can live upwards of 30 years. So you may have a long-standing neighbor that you have never met!
Their diet is small mammals such as mice and voles, as well as lizards and unwary birds. They can grow up to 2 feet or more, so the one I found must have been a baby. We have encountered an adult at 9000 ft. elevation on the talus slopes of Mt. Tallac. That fellow was larger than my garden friend, but allowed several of us to handle him/her without seeming distressed.
Keep a look out for these garden friends. They are NOT endangered and may very well be living in a garden near you.