If you are very lucky, and you come early in the morning, you might see an occasional deer in Placerita Canyon State Park – but it does not happen that often. In our case at the park, it really is true that the grass is greener on the other side. The property on the east side of the park is Disney...

While it makes little sense to base the end of winter on a groundhog, the difference between a groundhog and a marmot can be confusing – and don’t even think about adding in the woodchuck. The true groundhog lives on the eastern side of the U.S.; the animal we see in the Sierras is a yellow-bellied...

A friend was complaining about bird identification a few weeks ago. “I go outside and I can recognize a scrub jay and a mourning dove, but that’s about it. There are all those little birds fluttering about, and I have no clue what there are. How do I start to learn about them and recognize one from...

You might have wondered about my absence from this column space for the last few weeks. I am sorry if you missed my column, but I broke my right wrist. Being “very” right-handed, writing a column using two fingers of my left hand was not going to work, in spite of any good will on my part. At least...

You smell them more often than you see them. My daughter lived in San Pedro, and a long, narrow canyon crossed the neighborhood. It was full of vegetation, bamboo and green leaves, and a few skunks were living in this perfect hiding place. They would appear at night when we were taking the dog for a...

This story has many chapters, and in years to come, I think it could make a thick book. Recently we entered a new episode: Goodbye boulder pinch points, hello split-rail fences. Let me refresh your memory about the previous chapters so you can keep up. The Placerita Canyon Nature Center was always a...

“To inspire a passion, awareness and respect of the environment, and to preserve and protect for future generations the history and ecosystem of Placerita Canyon.” This is the mission statement for the docents and volunteers at the Placerita Canyon Nature Center. We have found that nature education...

Halloween was a lot of fun, and we are still munching on the leftover candies – but we are starting to check recipes for Thanksgiving, buy gifts for Christmas and think about what to do for New Year’s Eve. Our life is carefully regulated by those different holidays as well as the birthday celebrations...

Dave Stives is an “animal whisperer” at Placerita, a rare and incredible human being who knows how to handle and care for any wildlife, especially if it is injured and needs help. He has a special sense of the need that an animal has, even without seeing it directly. He seems to know in advance what...

Fall has started. I know it is hard to notice in Southern California, but even if the days are still warm, you might have to put a blanket on your bed because the nights are much colder. It’s time to get back in the habit of refilling your bird feeders with seeds. In the summertime, the food supply...