R: Red-flowering Currant.
Today I got to CCSF a little early to do a bit of Naturing and see if that Great Horned Owl might be in the area round sunset…
First things first. I didn’t hear it or see it before or after my class ended, like last week. I figured it was a long shot. My guess is that it doesn’t roost that close-by if it was there after 9pm. I think they can get pretty far between sunsetish (when they start taking off) and 9pmish. Spotted some Monterey Pines, looked in vain, and hung out there leading up to and at sunset. No hoots. Ah, well!
I took a quick glance at iNat to see what kinds of things had been seen on campus, in case it’d be worth my time. Turns out there’s a decent amount of fungi there! And of the most intriguing ones I saw observations for, I spotted them all quickly and near each other and under Monterey Pines.
First, spotted Peziza cups in small clusters, then Redhead Russelas (I think), then a precious American Fly Agaric growing quietly at the base of a tall Pine protecting it from harm, then A TON of Western Black Elfin Saddles (how I love them!), then a couple amber-colored mushrooms buried under a bush housing all the Elfin Saddles that I couldn’t get to without harming the bush, then finally a large brown specimen – Bitter Brown Leucopax, perhaps?? True guess, that one.
This was all on the North side of the Science Hall!
Also in the area were Yellow-rumped Warblers and American Robins and these bizarro red insects all flying up and down in the Golden Hour sunlight! Octodrone, any idea??
As for flora, a small but lovely Red-flowering Currant bush was showing off, Blackwood flowers were giving off an intoxicating scent, and some Pride of Madeira was being taken advantage of by a Hummingbird who sped away from me alltoofast.
This was all in about half an hour or so. Spotted a worthy clustering of tall trees towards the ballfield area that I might go check out next week… Who knew I’d have such convenient Naturing options before class!
The Afternoon Naturalist 