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The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge. We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns.
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Here are my first three diaries:
Butterfly Valley, California Pitcher Plant October 26, 2024
Butterfly Valley, Winter Visit Jan 14, 2025
Butterfly Valley, snow and mud April 3, 2025
🙄
It’s just possibly misleading to state that I got something new from this trip, as if to infer that the three previous trips were just the same ol’ same ol’, because that isn’t true. However, this trip I did see something that would not have been possible to see on my previous trips, due to the season of the year.
This trip I went specifically looking for wildflowers, wild orchids, and lilies in bloom. [Here’s another link to flower photos] [And another for more info] Well, I didn’t find them. Much. Still a bit early, I’m thinking. Very likely better luck on the next ride, in two or three weeks, I’m thinking, first of June or so. Give them time to come out. What I did find and could get good photos of you will see below.
This trip I also got some wildlife critters ‘n crawlers that are only now coming out for the year. Read on.
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As is often the case with us guys, when we’re in the woods we just gotta stop and pee, mostly just because we can, ya know? And in my case it’s because by the time I stopped to take a break I’d already gone over eight miles on my e-bike and my peanut bladder needed the evac. As I’m standing behind a tree, well off the road, I get my first photo op. And, for what it’s worth, I’ve never photographed this insect before.
(Western) Sculptured Pine Borer; Chalcophora angulicollis
About 2cm in length
It flew and landed on this logged tree stump just as I was standing there so I pulled my camera and snapped a couple of photos, just because, well, it is wildlife, yes?
Finishing up, ahem, “business”, I was just about to continue on the way when this Western Fence Lizard sklithered into view. Yeah, I just made up a silly word, a portmanteau, skitter and slither. Feel free to use it with your friends; they will definitely look at you funny. And probably take away your adult beverage; they’ll be thinking you’ve had enough.
Especially if you then pull one of these out of your pocket and shake it at ‘em. 😁
Just as I approach the boundary of the official botanical area, these Pacific or Mountain Dogwood appeared in abundance. I snapped a quick photo and only after getting home did I realize there are beetles on the petals. Bonus.
With no further diversions I finished the leg into the valley proper, stripped off layers of jacket and helmet and hat, and began the circuit walk around the valley.
First bird (and almost the only one). Look at center.
Dark-eyed Junco.
Now, as I’ve said, I wasn’t here specifically this trip to look for birds as is my usual wont. This time it was flowers, but as I’ve also already said, I didn’t find what I had hoped to. Small matter, the outing alone is always worth the time, and besides, it’s not like I have any obligations to be anywhere else or do anything else. “I’m retired. I’ll do what I damn well please.”
So, I did find wildflowers, not lilies or orchids, and this photo is the best I could bring home (with one exception, you’ll see). And, for the life of me I can’t positively identify this species. But iNaturalist suggests Showy Phlox, and that seems right.
I hadn’t walked more than a few paces after parking the e-bike at the trailhead and this Pacific Chorus Frog was daintily hopping to get away from my presence. I circled around, a couple of feet away, and zoomed in with my camera. This frog was about 2.5cm long. Itty bitty thing.
Walking the perimeter of the valley, I took this one reference photo. This is looking north from the southern lobe of the valley. This is a marvelously serene and at the same time vivacious place.
In this video, I mistakenly tentatively identify the dragonflies as Common Whitetail. The ones I got the photos of are Four-spotted Skimmer.
Four-spotted Skimmer
Underside view. Lucky to get this shot.
After walking nearly all the way around the valley perimeter trail, I sat down to rest and wait for possible bird appearances. While sitting there this wonderfully vivid very small moth, about 1.5cm in length, wingspan about 30mm when full open, settled down to rest too, for a brief minute. After getting home I looked it up in one of my field guide books, and now know it to be the Riding’s Forester moth.
And there it goes! Off to ???
Before I could get up and get back to my bicycle, this American Robin gave me a closeup inspection. If a Robin is what I can get, I’ll take it. The wood structure is a very recently emplaced construction, a boardwalk across one end of the meadow, to allow visitors to access the wettest parts of the bog, and especially to be able to view the California Pitcher Plant up close while minimizing human impact from walking directly on the very wet and marshy ground. In some places you’d sink right in to your knees at least, like a quagmire.
Here’s that boardwalk, by the way, back on my April visit. That stand-aside section to the left in the photo is exactly where I photographed the Robin, above.
With that my visit to Butterfly Valley was at its end, except I had one more spot to check out, back down the road on the way out, Bear Grass Glade. When the Bear Grass blooms, it is really marvelous. Here is a photo of the Bear Grass back in October 2024. You can see the center stalk of the flowering part, but it is withered brown.
And what it could look like when full (not my photo):
And what it did look like yesterday. This is the “new” part of this whole diary. What a treat for me. This stuff is just way beautiful. And it isn’t even come in full yet. That’s why I really want to get back there soon, to try to catch these blossoms in their fullest splendor. And, of course, look for orchids and lilies.
Now, to finish out and explain the “mysterious” title photo. This is a spot on the road where the road goes through a cutting. At this point Butterfly Valley is only about another half-mile up the road. This place is nothing particularly special, but for some reason someone at some time felt the need to put up a unofficial sign, calling it out. It does have some semi-official recognition as “Rubble Gap”, and immediately adjacent to this spot there is a wet gully, full of ferns and mosses. So, maybe the sign was put there so you’d know you were at the right place if you were looking for the fern gully. Otherwise, ya got me.
But I’m danged if I can think of why the word “gap” wasn’t included. 🤨
Good trip. About twenty-four miles round trip, and by the time I get home my bicycle butt is tired. But it’s a good kind of tired.
That’s it from me. What’s up in your world, nature-wise? Please let us know down in the comments, and include your location, and any photos you’d like to share if you have them.
