Eric, a colleague from Florida and I decided to take a hike in one of our favorite places in Malibu: Zuma Canyon. We’ve been there lots of times and we are never disappointed with the diverse life that we see. One time we saw yellow salamander, another time, a wild California orchid (I’m still hoping to find it again!)
For some reason this trip there were FROGS. And LOTS of ’em! These are California and Pacific Tree frogs. They are about 1 1/2″ in length and as you can see, are excellent at camouflage. I’d wager that this little population explosion was a result of last year’s deluge. I photographed seven of the many that we saw. If you want to see the rest, you can take a look at this little album at http://www.sendpix.com/albums/06030101/h6wxbho060/ . It’s only up until the end of March.
Be warned, the hills DO have ticks. Be sure to check for them when you take breaks and before you go home (ask me how I know…)