This four legged apprentice helps with insect control, ants in particular. She looks like she's gonna provide more helpers soon. Five lined skinks lay eggs, so they might arrive in August. I have had generations of these guys living in the backyard for years. Happy to have them.
I thought I would post a couple of pics "in memoriam". This last week some misguided public works employees were told to move some boulders in a dry canyon in Orange County, CA during record heat.... and the end result is 36K acres and rising of burned forest. The last fire to hit the east side of the Saddleback mountains was 2018 - this fire could not have been more perfectly staged to destroy the land that the 2018 fire had missed. All gone. Not only the forest, but the trails, the cabins, everything.
I rode the Holy Jim mountain bike trail numerous times. It is now gone. But in the theme of "four legged helpers" here are two photos of two different dogs making the 10 mile run up to the ridge and back. 2250 feet of climb. They loved it... though Dash used to crowd me on the descents
Rocket posing as the most beautiful Border Collie of all time
I had to put a red backpack on Dash because people thought she was a coyote
All those trees... all the green... are now gone. But perhaps in 50 years it will recover.