COVID19 flourishes, politics rages, tempers and patience flare. Two lovely people passed away within four days of each other, not of COVID19, but succumbed to chronic illnesses. One was our friend Wanda Bell. Wanda was the wife of my husband's shipmate on the Pilgrim. She was a strong supporter of the crew. Among many of her wonderful attributes and contributions, was her prolific knit cap making.  She supplied the crew with watch caps, made caps for newborns, and sent hundreds overseas for our troops. My other friend was Richard James. I knew him from the Nature Center. He passionately shared his love of butterflies and native plants. I learned so much from him, including patience and kindness. The world is richer for having had them. They will be missed by me and many others whose lives they touched.

I never knew my maternal grandfather. He died well before I was born. My mother recently told me something he used to say. "All heat, but no light". During this time of communal anger, this phrase resonated with me. We need to find and be the light. I have always found light in nature and the community of people who share that passion. My birding zoom chat group has been a great joy to me, with humor and knowledge sharing. I always enjoy the passion of my entomological friends. I have made new connections with other naturalists through on-line sharing. With my past routines and opportunities disrupted, I am finding more time for exploration and a deepening involvement with my naturalist activities. I hope you can find your light.

This has been a good time to switch over to insects. In the beginning of the month I co-led the NABA butterfly count at the Nature Center. Because of COVID19 it was not public, and we made changes for social distancing and mask wearing. We held it in honor of Richard. This is an event he proudly led for many years. I think it very special that the California Dogface butterflies appeared this year. Richard had planted False Indigo specifically for them, and finally the population he had reared and cared for seem to be doing well on their own. My friend Mike, who also volunteers at the nature center, planted a butterfly garden in the regional park. It is thriving. In addition to a flutter of butterflies, native bees, wasps, lady beetles, and grasshoppers have called it home. My entomological society speaker (via Zoom) was an expert on Red Imported Fire Ants (RIFA). I got to tag along with him and Mike to photograph some finds on an ant expedition. No RIFA, but some other interesting species. The Palos Verdes /South Bay Audubon Society has started holding dragonfly surveys. This year was the first of what hopes to be an annual event. I explored Harbor Lake with two other socially distanced, masked enthusiasts. An exciting find for me, at another local park, was an Ashy Gray Lady Beetle. I had known of this one, but this is the first one I have seen.

Bird activity locally was slow, but picked up in the end of the month with migrating shorebirds. I made several trips to the lower LA River and to Dockweiler Beach. In addition to those that pass through, some who nest here have young. Black-necked Stilts and American Avocets are very aggressive and chase after any would-be predators.  And who can resist taking too many pictures of snowy plovers! One interesting exchange was a Hutton's Vireo feeding a Southern Green Stink Bug to a Brown-headed Cowbird. Cowbirds are brood parasites. They lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, who then raise them as their own. We finally got to go back to our Wetlands Bird Survey. Not many bird species there right now, but so good to get out.

My photography group (which only meets intermittently) had a challenge this month to photograph water droplets. Challenges are good to try and learn new things. I learned how to use my flash remotely.  It required a lot of patience, batteries, and a mop. I was in short supply of all three. I'm not sure if I will do it again, but I got some interesting results.

With all my other activities, I didn't make as much time for art. I did play with embellished acrylic monoprinting on paper. Abstract landscapes are a stretch for me.

I hope this window on nature brings some light into your world.

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Watch the slideshows or click on the links to look through at your own pace. Links open in a new tab.

Enjoy the show! I always appreciate corrections to ID's.

Local Stuff:    https://kimssight.zenfolio.com/new_jul_2020

Wetlands Survey:    https://kimssight.zenfolio.com/hellman_jul-2020

Abstract Water Drops:    https://kimssight.zenfolio.com/water_drops