Birds Nesting, Insects of all sorts, Oxnard, Catalina, and Joshua Tree!

I love Southern California. I can't say that enough. From Desert to Ocean and everything in between. I am very fortunate to live here and get to see this beautiful state. I have just been certified through The Los Angeles Coastal California Master Naturalist Program.  It was a wonderful opportunity to learn about the natural process that have created out state from geology, to climate, ocean currents, and habitats. We had great field trips including Catalina, JPL, and the California Science Center. I highly recommend the program.  

I have participated in Earth Day with a photo exhibited (and for sale) at the Greenly Art Space in their exhibit BLUE. The  art works explore issues such as oil pollution, over-fishing and global warming's effect on the health of our oceans.  I submitted a photo of a brown pelican. The brown pelican story shows how human interaction on land can have a far reaching impact even into a vast ocean environment.   Brown Pelicans ate contaminated fish and the pesticide disrupted their hormones. When they laid eggs the shells we so thin that the weight of the parent broke the eggs. But this is also a comeback story and a story of how human interaction can help. The federal government listed the California Brown Pelicans as endangered and banned DDT in 1972. The Brown Pelicans populations have made a comeback. 

I also participated in Earth Day at the local aquarium. I wrote six pages of background information on earth-friendly gardens, butterflies, monarch migration, and the monarch-milkweed connection. I staffed a table for one of the days.  My photos of local butterflies were displayed on a monitor for both days of the exhibit.

I hope my photos share the beauty and diversity of California and I encourage you to connect to nature, wherever you are.

Watch the slideshows or click on the links to look through at your own pace.

Enjoy the show! 

Local stuff: http://kimssight.zenfolio.com/new_april_2015 

Monthly butterfly count: http://kimssight.zenfolio.com/irc_apr_2015

Oxnard: http://kimssight.zenfolio.com/oxnard_apr_2015

Catalina: http://kimssight.zenfolio.com/catalina_scmi_apr_2015

Joshua Tree National Park, Black Rock Campground http://kimssight.zenfolio.com/jtnp_apr_2015