Natural History Wanderings

Fennel/
Foeniculum vulgare

Today we walked the Richmond Bay Trail between Pt. Isabel and Shimada Friendship Park.We started just after high tide and the birds were scarce at first. This is the slow time of the year for birds. It did pick up as the day went on and we had twenty-two species. The highlight was seeing a Western Kingbird. Our first sighting ever on this trail. I have now have a lifetime total of 99 species on this trail. Other highlights were two Black Oystercatchers, Caspian Tern, and my first summer sighting of a Spotted Sandpiper in the Bay Area. Today’s bird list: Bird list for Richmond Bay Trail 8/10/14

Butterflies seen were Anise Swallowtail,Common Checkered Skipper and Cabbage White. The most abundant plant in flower was Fennel/Foeniculum vulgare, an alien plant that naturalizes in disturbed areas and provides habitat for the native Anise Butterfly. There are many plantings of native and noon-native plants along the trail. Natives in bloom were Gumplant, California Poppy, Seaside Daisy, Yarrow, California Fuchsia (Zaushneria), and Matilija. Poppy.

Common Checkered Skipper (male)