Toad in the Hole

Western toad painting by Carl Dennis Buell

Birding and other pleasures and aggravations, in Berkeley and beyond, by Ron Sullivan.

Caught Red-Handed

(Gloves in a school garden.)

It rained in earnest all day yesterday; showers and blue holes in pied clouds so far today.

Feels good. In all my years here I’ve never seen the landscape—the grasses, the understory plants, even the trees—look so brown and discouraged and brittle as last month. I’ve lived here long enough to have seen a couple other droughts, too.

What we need now of course is lots of gentle steady rains, not flash-flood landslide downpours. It’ll certainly be interesting watching what Angel Island does over the next few years, on the side that burned last month.

Posted by: Ron Sullivan

Responses

1 | By: kathy a on November 3, 2008 at 08:09 AM

love your story about the school gardens! i had no idea my friend was head honcho of such a cool project.

still raining! no monsoon-force rains!

2 | By: Kate G. on November 3, 2008 at 09:06 AM

Nice shot!

Have you guys been over to Angel Island yet? I imagine seeing you there with some kind of naturalist press corps pass ribboned around yer necks. I’m just saying…

3 | By: Ron Sullivan on November 3, 2008 at 09:16 AM

Thanks, Kathy! We got a kick out of it—and him. Got to meet his parents briefly too, when we went over for a visit to the school garden’s harvest fest um last Sunday I guess it was.

Kate, yeah, we want to follow the progress of the island this year and I guess invoking press magic is how to do it. Haven’t seen it yet but I think something night be sprouting as soon as a month or two from now. This might be a chance for the native plants to get the jump on the exotics, too. Now that’s a proposition I’d like to test.

4 | By: Sally Mack on November 3, 2008 at 10:19 AM

More rain, today, too! Bike riding is SO much fun in the rain. Of course, you have to be prepared for it, rain gear, lights, and all.

Boy, oh, boy, wouldn’t I like to go out to Angel Island with my camera. But, alas, no press magic for me. . . Please keep us posted if you do go out.

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