In forests near Santa Cruz, CA , please view large its a redwood afterall!
Tags: Redwoods gazining wonder trees nature spirit zen beauty tall hat wood California forest hikes life growth Oldgrowth spiritual timeless isawyoufirst
Banana slugs are commonly found in the foggy redwood Pacific coast forests of northern California, Oregon and Washington. They are land mollusks which means they have a soft body unprotected by a shell with no vertebrate. They eat old decomposing leaves, and dead organic matter . They are the garbage men and women of the forest, a very good thing. They in turn are eaten by snakes, racoons, large birds and the occasional human.
They are true hermaphodites which means they can be male, female or both at once.
When they mate, they insert their penises into each other at the same time. The strange fact is that sometimes, but not always, when they finish mating one slug will chew the penis off the other, a process called Apophallation. Sometimes it happens that both slugs engage in chewing so that at the end of the mating encounter, both slugs are penis-less. It doesnt grow back.
When I was at a family camp the kids go hunting to find these slug and enter it in a race a rather slow one. They they were released back to the redwoods. Like snails if you try to touch their stalk like eyes they can suck them inside their body to protect the. A slimy and useful creature and fun to look for on your hike in the forest.
PS: Ask Alexa, Siri, Amazon, and Spotify to play songs by
JOHN WILLIAM HAMMOND (use all 3 names) It's great
flic.kr/p/2pnLRes A Flckr link to great nature video
Tags: slug banana forest creature animal mating ritual facts sex penis snail California redwoods odd slimy yellow invertebrea courtship Santa Cruz mollusk invertebrate slime Santa Cruz slither love unusaul strange closeup photography environment favoriite small John William Hammond flckr
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Time seems to slow down in the best of ways when you sit down to watch the sunset anywhere you are. If you add in man's best friend a spectacular California coast view 30 miles north of Santa Cruz and a mostly deserted beach trail hike then you have all you need for a perfect sandwich of ocean waves, orange light . Maybe even the gray whales are dancing beneath the deep blue Pacific Ocean. To get here from San Francisco take the Cabrillo highway south of Half Moon Bay and 20 more miles to San Gregorio. Blessings.
Tags: California coast hikes Santa Cruz Pacific Ocean walk beauty view peace living calm vista looking appreciation timeless horizon west
Santa Cruz, California is rightly known for its coastal beauty. This land arch and bridge is not the most famous in town but its a fine place to water at work as it sculpts towers, arches, and a wilderness of coastline for tourist, animals, students and all.
Also here is a Flckr link to a very beautiful song video.
flic.kr/p/2pnLRes
Tags: California arch Santa Cruz Pacific Ocean natural bridge nature erosion geology coast wild sea geography creation beautiful landscape 5photosaday
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One of the most wonderful coast walks in Central California is along the shores in Santa Cruz about a mile north of the famous boardwalk. A fantastic landsacpe of crumbling cliffs and natural arches is on view. Nature's wild forces carving some amazing landscapes. The surf can be awesome here too and it is a great place ot watch surfers catch big waves. Try viewing LARGE SIZE!
Tags: Califoria coast Santa Cruz nature wild ocean sea waves arch geology earth rock carve natural travel landscape photography beauty hike viewpoint geography central coast Canon flckr
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