I was going through my pictures from our trip to California last May and, I could not help but marvel at the colors. When we made our way south, along the coast on Route 1, we started noticing large, dense carpets of bright pink flowers along the side of the road near beaches. That night at the Inn where we were staying, the manager told us that they are Iceplants and are now considered weeds. In fact, the plant was brought from South Africa (where it is native) in the early 1900s to stabilize soil along railroad tracks, hold drifting sand and control erosion. It was also used as an ornamental garden plant but, because of its resilience and the way it reproduces it has become an invasive species. It poses a serious ecological problem, forming vast monospecific zones, lowering biodiversity, and competing directly with several threatened or endangered native plant species. If you want to learn more about the iceplant go to:
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| Iceplants at sunset in Monterey, CA |
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| Vibrant colors at the beach near Monterey, CA |
While we were along the coast, I expected to be able to see wild sea otters; they are so cute. Well no luck, even if we looked in all the places they are supposed to hang out and, even if I kept looking at the sea while driving hoping to see a little brown spot in the big blue ocean. However, we saw seals with their pops and cormorants. Did you know that there is a scientific debate about the real reason why cormorant spread their wings on shore? Most people think that it is to dry them after diving under water for fish but, it might not be so, or at least not the only reason. If you are interested you can read this article.
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| Cormorant on a buoy at the Monterey Warf, CA |
Can you believe the colors in this picture ?
Here are a few sunset pictures for those who don't have color overload yet.
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| Shades of purple, Monterey, CA |
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| Shades of orange, Monterey, CA |
Ah la belle vie au bord du Pacifique! Le son des vagues qui se fracassent contre les rochers de la côte pendant ce coucher de soleil si calme en apparance. Quel contraste!
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