Gina

Hi Friends! I started a separate social feed to share bite-size discoveries, local events, and tips to spark your curiosity about nature. Hope you'll follow me on this new journey. I'll post my other social links on Facebook once they are up!

Hey local peeps! 🎉 Come join us for a pottery sale filled with handmade goodies from students (yes, I’m selling too!) and our awesome teacher. Shop small, support local, and snag some one-of-a-kind holiday gifts!

📍 2384 Rupert Drive, San Jose
#ShopLocal #PotterySale #Handmade #HolidayGifts #SanJose

Thank you for keeping us updating and fighting for your constituents. Why is there such a resistance to follow the law?

Pacific Madrone (Arbutus menziesii) produces berries that persist into winter, providing an important food source for birds and mammals.

#WinterBerries #Berries #Nature #Wildlife #Madrones #California #LearnAboutNature #DiscoverPlants #NativePlants #WildPlants

🎃 Had fun making this pumpkin. It still needs one last touch—any guesses what it might be?

#GlazingTrails #CuriousPotter #MadeWithCuriosity #PumpkinSeason #HandmadeCeramics #HandmadePumpkin

Rock Wren Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology The small, industrious Rock Wren blends right into its pale grayish brown landscapes of western North America. Rock Wrens constantly hop around rocks, investigating crannies for insects and spiders, w...

Rock Wrens (Salpinctes obsoletus) often build walkways leading to their hidden nest cavities. Sometimes these pavements become elaborate, with hundreds of objects—including human-made ones—though their true purpose remains a mystery.

#BirdBehavior #AvianArchitecture #Nature #Wildlife #California

Bewick's Wren Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology If you come across a noisy, hyperactive little bird with bold white eyebrows, flicking its long tail as it hops from branch to branch, you may have spotted a Bewick’s Wren. These master vocalists belt...

A young male Bewick’s Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) learns to sing from neighboring adult males while coming of age in his parents’ territory. His song develops with subtle differences—a note changed here, a syllable there.
#Wrens #BirdSongs #CaliforniaBirds #DiscoverBirds #Nature #Wildlife #California

When you follow a leader, consider what would lead you to withdraw your support.

If the answer is nothing, your integrity is in jeopardy. Our highest loyalty belongs to principles, not people.

No leader deserves unconditional love. Commitment is earned through character.

Northern Pygmy-Owl Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology The Northern Pygmy-Owl may be tiny, but it’s a ferocious hunter with a taste for songbirds. These owls are mostly dark brown and white, with long tails, smoothly rounded heads, and piercing yellow eye...

When Northern Pygmy-Owls score more food than they can eat, they stash it away—tucking prey into tree cavities or even impaling it on thorns, a trick more often associated with shrikes.

#NorthernPygmyOwl #BirdBehavior #CaliforniaBirds #Owls #Nature #Wildlife #California

Manzanitas (Arctostaphylos spp.) flower and fruit when water is plentiful. To gauge upcoming conditions, they form flowering shoots at the tips of spring growth that stay dormant until the next season—like a tiny “big toe” testing for moisture.

#Manzanita #DroughtAdaptation #Nature #Wildlife

Owls fly almost silently thanks to unique feathers. Serrated leading edges and soft trailing fringes break up airflow, while velvety plumage with tiny hairlike extensions further muffles the sound of each wingbeat.

#Owls #SilentFlight #WildlifeFacts #DiscoverBirds #Nature #Wildlife #CaliforniaOwls

Elegant Tern Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology The Elegant Tern is a sleek seabird with a stiletto-like orange bill, a shaggy black crest, and a blush of rose-pink to the underside during the breeding season. It nests in just a few colonies in Cal...

In late summer, young Elegant Terns (Thalasseus elegans) trail their parents on fishing trips, quietly following until a fish is caught—then breaking into loud begging calls. They often drop to the water’s surface to receive their meal before taking off again.

#Terns #BirdBehavior #Nature #Wildlife

Fifth-instar Monarch caterpillars (Danaus plexippus) stop feeding and often wander away from milkweed in search of a safe pupation site—sometimes traveling up to 10 meters before forming their chrysalis.

#Monarch #Pollinators #ButterflyLifeCycle #Milkweed #WildCalifornia #Nature #Wildlife

The Eccentric Sand Dollar (Dendraster excentricus) is a cousin of sea urchins and sea cucumbers. It uses tiny spines to scoot along or burrow into the sand. This shows its exoskeleton — you might find washed up on the beach.

#SandDollar #Echinoids #OceanLife #Nature #Wildlife #CaliforniaCoast

Jumping spiders (family Salticidae) may be tiny—usually less than 15 mm—but they’re mighty hunters. Instead of spinning webs, they stalk prey in daylight, sneaking close before springing into a spectacular leap.

#JumpingSpiders #Spiders #CaliforniaSpiders #Nature #Wildlife

Pacific Glasswort (Salicornia pacifica) thrives where few plants can—using saltwater as its main source of water. It tucks excess salt into tiny vacuoles at the tips of its stems. When those fill up, the segments turn red and fall off, taking the salt with them.

#SaltMarsh #Nature #Wildlife

Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea) thrives in wetlands and riparian zones with rich, moist soils. It’s remarkably flood-tolerant—able to withstand water above its root crown for up to seven years.

#RiparianHabitat #FloodTolerant #CaliforniaPlants #Nature #Wildflowers

Just posted a bunch of new pottery I made in the last month!

Brush Rabbits (Sylvilagus bachmani) have some clever tricks for staying safe. They can sit motionless for ages, but when danger strikes, they dart away in a zigzag at 20–25 mph.

#Rabbits #CaliforniaWildlife #Wildlife #Nautre #FastAnimals

Blochman’s Leafy Daisy (Erigeron blochmaniae) is a California endemic found only along the San Luis Obispo and northern Santa Barbara coasts. It grows in sand dunes and coastal hillsides—habitats that are shrinking due to development.
#CaliforniaEndemic #NativePlants #Wildflowers #Wildlife #Nature

Did you know bobcats play a key role in regulating small prey populations, like rodents and birds? This helps reduce the spread of diseases like Lyme disease. Like pumas, humans threaten bobcats due to habitat fragmentation and rodenticide usage.

Saltgrass (Distichlis spicata) is highly salt-tolerant, excreting excess salts onto its leaves and stems. It often forms dense stands, sometimes spreading clonally.

#Saltgrass #NativePlants #SaltTolerant #Wildlife #Nautre #CaliforniaPlants

Northern Flicker Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology Northern Flickers are large, brown woodpeckers with a gentle expression and handsome black-scalloped plumage. On walks, don’t be surprised if you scare one up from the ground. It’s not where you’d exp...

The Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) can climb trees like other woodpeckers, but it prefers foraging on the ground. Its main food is ants, which it digs up and collects with its long, barbed tongue.

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northe...

#Woodpeckers #BirdBehavior #Nature #Wildlife #California

California Thrasher Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology A long-tailed, lanky songbird with a deeply curved bill, the California Thrasher is a key species of California chaparral. This relative of mockingbirds is an exuberant songster, and both males and fe...

Most California Thrashers (Toxostoma redivivum) spend their entire lives in chaparral, a fire-adapted habitat. Their populations peak about 20 years after a burn.

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/califo...

#Thrashers #Chaparral #BirdWatching #CaliforniaBirds #Nature #Wildlife #California

Bewick's Wren Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology If you come across a noisy, hyperactive little bird with bold white eyebrows, flicking its long tail as it hops from branch to branch, you may have spotted a Bewick’s Wren. These master vocalists belt...

Courting Bewick’s Wrens (Thryomanes bewickii) usually form monogamous pairs. Even after the female begins incubating eggs, the pair often forages together—a behavior that may help the male guard his mate from rivals.

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bewick...

#Wrens #Nature #Wildlife #California

Downy Woodpecker Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology The active little Downy Woodpecker is a familiar sight at backyard feeders and in parks and woodlots, where it joins flocks of chickadees and nuthatches, barely outsizing them. An often acrobatic fora...

Downy Woodpeckers (Dryobates pubescens) often join mixed-species flocks in winter, gaining safety in numbers and better chances of finding food.

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Downy_...

#Woodpeckers #BirdBehavior #DiscoverBirds #Nature #Wildlife #California

Yes! I keep discovering new ones!

My favorite oak! It host so many cool gall wasps!

Northern Pygmy-Owl Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology The Northern Pygmy-Owl may be tiny, but it’s a ferocious hunter with a taste for songbirds. These owls are mostly dark brown and white, with long tails, smoothly rounded heads, and piercing yellow eye...

The tiny Northern Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium gnoma) is a fierce daytime hunter with a taste for songbirds. Its piercing yellow eyes scan for prey as it waits quietly to strike. Songbirds often mob these owls to drive them off.

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northe...

#Owls #Nature #Wildlife #California