This low-growing plant was along the path at the Tijuana Slough Estuary, Imperial Beach, CA. I had never seen it before, but was attracted to the red color and the dainty flowers. Upon close inspection, I noticed the beadlike formations on the plants. I had thought they might be sticky, but they were smooth and firm. According to my wildflower field guide, it is Crystalline Ice Plant. The beads are actually water-filled cells that can be easily crushed. The flowers are about 1 inch across. 8/16/19 Judith Sparhawk
This Yellow-crowned Night Heron was photographed at the edge of the San Diego River. It was standing very still watching for breakfast to come by, then suddenly used its large bill to catch this crab or crustacean of some kind. This species of heron used to be quite a rarity in southern California, until several years ago when couple of breeding birds nested in Imperial Beach, adjacent to the estuary. Now, a few years later, they seem to pop up here and there in the San Diego area. They would still be considered rare, but I saw 4 (2 adults, 2 immatures) of them in 2 locations during my birding trip to San Diego last weekend. 8/15/19 Judith Sparhawk
This scarab type beetle was photographed at Tijuana Estuary, Imperial Beach, CA. The Fig Beetle is related to the Green June Bug which lives mostly in the southeastern United States, while the Fig Beetle is in the southwest. 8/14/19 Judith Sparhawk
