BOUGAINVILLEA PLANT

The bougainvillea [boo-gan-vill-ee-a] plant is a thorny ornamental vine, bush, or tree (up to 40 feet tall) with purple, pink, red, yellow, and white bracts, which are very thin and wrinkly. There are also some tiny white flowers scattered about among the bracts. This plant has very sharp and numerous spiky thorns. The sap from this tree can cause skin rashes. It can be pruned and is also drought tolerant. 

  Classification

Kingdom Plantae
Clades (4 of them)
Order Caryophyllae

Family Nyctaginaceae

Genus Bougainvillea

The bougainvillea plant likes warm climates. It is native to tropical forests in Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, and Argentina. Like most plants these days, it is found elsewhere in the world, namely Florida, South Carolina, California, Mediterrranean area, and southern India. The exact number of species of this plant has not fully established. The number ranges from 4 to 22 and reflects whether or not a lumper or a splitter was asked. The geologic time range of this interesting and beautiful plant is unknown.

Figure 1. Many wrinkly red bracts and some scattered tiny! white flowers on a bougainvillea tree.

Figure 2. A cluster of white bougainvillea flowers among red bracts.

Figure 3. Pink bracts surrounding the tiny white flowers of this plant.

GIANT KELP

Macrocystis pyrifera the “giant kelp,” is a common monospecific brown algae"plant" that can be up to about 200 feet (60 m) tall. It is not a true plant because it lack vascular tissue, roots, flowers, and seeds. It obtains its nutrients by absorbing them. It is the largest of all the kelps. Technically speaking, it is not a plant; rather it is a stramenopile.

It is common along the Pacific Ocean shoreline, from southeastern Alaska to Baja California. In cold, nutrient-rich waters, this kelp can grow at the rate of 2 feet (60 cm) per day, and is one of the fastest growing organisms on Earth. It lives in intertidal to shallow tidal depths. It anchors itself to the sea floor by means of a root-like tangle, called a "holdfast." Gas-filled bladders, located at the base of each leaf-like blade, provide buoyancy so the fronds can float vertically.

Figure 1. A typical kelp growth on the ocean floor, with a scuba diver standing next to, in order to show its relative size. This image was taken at the Aquarium of the Pacific in southern Los Angeles, California. 

“Giant kelp forests” provide excellent cover and habitats for numerous kinds of marine animals. It can also be used as food for humans.

The genus is widespread and is found in subtropical, temperate, sub-artic, and sub-anarctic areas: from Alaska to Peru. South Africa, southern Australia, and New Zealand (Wikipedia, 2026).

TUCKEROO TREE

It took me one year to identify this tree, which is growing in the front yard of one of my neighbors. I had to wait until this unusual tree bore its fruit. Then, I was finally able to make a positive identification . Otherwise, the size, shape, and overall features of this tree are not that distinctive.

The tuckeroo tree, technically known as Cupaniopsis anacardiodes, is native to eastern and northern Australia. It is also found in Micronesia, the Solomon Islands, and Fiji. It is considered to be an “invasive plant” in Pakistan and in the USA, where it is mainly found in the latter in Florida and Hawaii. 

This tree also is known as the “carrotwood” tree. It prefers rocky beaches, hilly scrublands, and rainforests. It grows up to about 36 feet tall (Figure 1). Its leaves are sort of rubbery-looking and fairly long. They narrow toward the base of the leave, thus it has paripinnate leaves.

Its fruit consists of semi-spherical, orange-colored capsules that can be tinged red (see Figure 2). The fruit attracts birds and butterflies.

  Classification

Kingdom Plantae

Clades (4 of them)

Order Sapindales

Family Sapindaceae

Genus Cupaniopsis

                                        

              Figure 1. A tuckeroo tree growing in southern California.

                    Figure 2. Leaves and fruit of a tuckeroo tree.

THE WHITE RHINO

This mammal is an odd-toed ungulate, whose wild representatives are mostly confined to southern Africa. These animals faced extinction in the early 20^th century, but, today, their populations are “hanging in there,” with many of these animals now in wildlife parks and in some zoos. Poaching remains a constant threat for those that live in the wild. 

  

                                              Figure 1. “White rhino” at a wildlife park in San Diego County, southern California.

Classification

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Chordata

Class Mammalia

Order Perissodactyla (= odd toed ungulates)

Family Rhinocerotidae

Genus Ceratototherium

Type Species C. simum

Rhinos originated in North America during the early middle Eocene time, about 40 million years ago. By the end of Oligocene time (23 million years ago), they had mostly died out in North America but some migrated into Africa. Subsequently, they evolved and spread into India, Sumatra, Indonesia, and Java. Today, there are three remaining species of rhinos in this general area and are represented by the Indian, Sumatran, and Javan rhinos. Also, during the Pleistocene Ice Age, some rhinos lived in northern cold regions in North America. 

Today, there are only five extant species of rhinos, and they live either in Africa or in the Indonesian region (some in the wild, some in wildlife parks, and some in zoos).

THE "TELESCOPE" FISH

There are only two species (Gigantura chuni and G. indica) known of this medium-sized (up to 26 inches long), deep-sea fish, which has magnified eyes, an elongated, scale-less body with silvery coloration, ribbon-like tails, and many needle-like teeth.

Figure 1. The head and mouth of an adult-stage mouth of Gigantura indica (public domain image via the Smithsonian Institution).

These fish live in cold waters, in deep-sea (500 to 2,000 m depths) that underlie warm tropical to subtropical surface waters.

"Telescope" fish use their large eyes to help capture their prey in very low-light conditions. "Telescope fish," furthermore consume all available prey, regardless of size! They basically have raptorial feeding that is similar to moray eels.

Figure 2. Adult-stage head and eyes of Gigantura indica. A public domain image via the Smithsonian Institution.

The larvae (nearly microscopic in size) and juveniles (a few inches long) (Figure 3) of these types of fish undergo remarkable transformations, with two stages of transformation that are very different-looking. In fact, for 80 years, scientists did not know that these early-stage forms represented Gigantura indica.

Figure 3. A late-juvenile stage of Gigantura indica (“telescope” fish). A public domain image via the Smithsonian Institution.

  Classification

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Chordata

Class Actinopterygii

Order Aulopiformes

Family Giganturidae

Genus Gigantura

Type Species Gigantura indica

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Information about this fish is rather scarce. For the only overview I am aware of, see the online article entitled “The Remarkable Teleoscope Fish”--by D. Olson at:  http://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/fish/remarkable-telescopefish

THE CALIFORNIA CHORUS TREE FROG

This small animal (thumb size about 1 to 1.5 inches long) is a master at hiding, not only because of its small size, but also because it has considerable color variation (tan to green). That makes it hard to find these frogs in trees, where they live and broadcast their presence via loud mating calls. They also has small green “bumps” on their back (these are too small to call this animal is a toad). They all have distinctive dark strips on their legs. They make trill sounds (similar to some insects). 

 Figure 1. The "California Chorus Tree Frog," Pseudacris cadaverina?, found in a backyard in Saugus, southern California, Los Angeles County. 

Chorus frogs are native to North America, ranging from southern Canada down though the continental United States (including Los Angeles County) as well as in Baja California (Mexico). 

Although they are found in trees, this frog is primarily a ground dweller and spends most of its time in thick grass, low vegetation, and leaf litter.

  Classification

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Chordata

Class Amphibia

Order Annura

Family Hylidae

Genus Pseudacris (note: there are many species)

Type Species P. nigrita

Reference

Wikipedia, 2026

THREE INTERESTING FISHES

 SHINER SURFPERCH

This fish, known as Cymatogaster aggregate, is the most abundant surf-perch along the west coast from Alaska to Baja California, Mexico. They can live up to nine years and are shallow-water dwellers that like to “hang around” piers and pilings.” They can live in kelp beds, bays, estuaries, and they can even tolerate brackish water. They are commonly used as bait for fishermen trying to catch larger marine fish. Some people eat these surf-perches because of their mild, white tasty flesh. 

These common fish usually are silvery color with yellow vertical bars crossed by dark stripes. They are typically small size (about 8 inches length) but can be up to 14 inches long and weight about four pounds. Some individuals can be almost solid black.

These fish live in "schools" and eat small crustaceans and other invertebrates. Females give birth to live young, rather than laying eggs.

    Classification

Kingdom Animalia

Phlyum Vertebrata

Class Pisces

Order

Family

Genus Cymatogaster

Type Species 

Figure 1. “Shinner Surfperch” [Cymatogaster aggregate]; this specimen 8 inches (20 cm) length. Image via the Aquarium of the Pacific in southern California.

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THE YELLOWTAIL DAMSELFISH

The generalized (common name) of “Damsel Fish” includes several different subfamilies of fish are mostly found in tropical oceans, especially in the Indo-Pacific region (including Indonesia and the Philippines). A few species can even live in brackish or fresh water.

The specific damselfish that is the focus of this blog post is Chrysiptera parasema, also known as the yellowtail damselfish. This fish prefers to live “schools” in sheltered lagoons and inshore coral-reef areas. They like depths between 3 to 50 feet deep. 

Juveniles of this fish initially have bright yellow color. When the fish becomes an adult, the coloration of this fish shifts to a vibrant blue color over all of the body, except for the tail (=caudal fin), which remains vibrant yellow. Adults can be up to 12 inches long.

  Classification

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Chordata

Class Actinopterygii

Order Blenniiformes

FamilyPomacentridae

Genus Chrysiptera 

Type Species C. parasema

Figure 2. The yellowtail damselfish via the Aquarium of the Pacific in Los Angeles, California.

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THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA STEELHEAD FISH

This is an endangered species, and there needs to be the immediate removable and/or modification of man-made structures that interfere with this fish’s migration to and from the ocean. If these modifications are not done, then the future of this fish is in great jeopardy. (see www.nmfs.noaa.gov and search the kewords “southern California steelhead.”

The upper elevations are where adults of this fish spawn eggs (in gravel). These eggs eventually hatch, and young fish develop. At the age of about 4 years, these young fish migrate into the ocean (at least theoretically), but man-made dams, etc. interfere with these migrations).

Figure 3. Southern California Steelhead fish.

Image via the Aquarium of the Pacific.

Reference For All the Above Fishes:

Wikipedia, 2026