Shipley Nature Center in November

It's still beautiful. There are even still bees and butterflies flying around, though in fewer numbers than the summer.

I love this tree. The boughs are just open enough to let light in, just close enough to keep things mysterious.

The docent couldn't help us figure out what these were. She has a thick folder full of pictures she's hoping a mycologist can help her identify one day.

I can confirm, however, they are just as slimy as they look. No, I wasn't quite brave enough to touch them, but I was with a child who was (Don't worry: She was also old enough to understand "Don't stick your fingers in your mouth afterward"). The slime pulled away in long strands, much to her delight.

The fritillaries are hanging in there. There were actually even a few straggling monarch caterpillars, though it's hard to say if they will get enough to eat.

By the way, if you want to know where all the chrysalis are, the person you want isn't the docent. It's her grandson. He gave us quite a tour, telling us not only where they were but what kind of butterfly they would be ("It all depends on what color they are.")

The squirrels were feeling very active that day. They were up, down, and all around.

There are even still spiders.

Squirrel at Shipley Nature Center

Just hanging out and watching passers-by.

A Squirrel in a Palm Tree

Look who has decided to visit our palm tree.

I wonder, how long has s/he been there? Is this a new resident, or a visitor? Should I do anything about it? Could I do anything about it if I decided I wanted to?

Squirrel

No one has told this squirrel that people aren't supposed to feed wild animals. I'm not sure how much anyone has explained the whole concept of "wild" to him, for that matter, or that he'd care if someone did.

Squirrel!

A squirrel enjoys a midday meal at Bolsa Chica.

Rattlesnake and Squirrel

I saw the squirrel first, standing on his hind legs and waving his tail.

Then I looked down.

The rattlesnake was pouring himself across the path in a leisurely fashion.

I froze.

The rattlesnake kept on going. So did the squirrel; to my astonishment, it followed the snake across the path. It kept a respectful distance, but stayed right behind, watching to see where the snake was heading and stopping every so often to wave his tail again.

I waited until the squirrel settled down and started eating seeds before heading on my way.

Sorry about the wobbly camera. Snakes move so incredibly smoothly, I really wanted to catch that. The squirrel shows up about 50 seconds in. I saw the squirrel earlier, but took stills first.

Edit: Looking around at pictures (Most of which are, not so strangely, titled "Rattlesnake" without any sort of species name), I'm tentatively concluding that this is a Southern Pacific Rattlesnake. Anyone got any clues as to how I could find out more?

I stopped over at the Friends of Bolsa Chica office on Warner, but they couldn't tell me what sort of rattlesnake it was. They did identify the really impressive spiders (Argiope Argentata)I saw, so if arachnids interest you, check over at Spiderwatch for some pics.