A THORNY ECHINODERM

In my personal collection of marine invertebrates, I have a small echinoderm typically referred to as a  "star fish." [Of course, it is neither a star, nor a fish!] 

This echinoderm, which is somewhat unusual in that it is very  thorny.  is Amphiaster insignis Verrrill. This is the only species known of this genus. Its “arms” are very wide near the central disc area. In life, the body and arms are uniformly colored red-orange to red brown. The specimen shown here has been bleached by exposure to the sun. 

Amphiaster insignis is known from the central and lower part of the Gulf of California, to at least as far south as Panama (Brusca, 1980, p. 405, fig. 26.10). It is a common species.

   Classification

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Echinodermata

Class Asteroidea

Order Oreasterida

Family Goniasteridae

Genus Amphiaster

Type species: A. insignis

Figure 1. Dorsal view of starfish, specimen diameter 60 mm, thickness 12 mm.

Figure 2. Ventral view of specimen shown above.

Reference

Brusca, R.C. 1980. Common intertidal invertebrates of the Gulf of California, 2^nd ed., 513 pp.

ALSTROMERIA FLOWERS

This genus of flowers, which was described by a student of Carl Linnaeus, was named after the Swedish baron Claus Alstromer, a friend of Linneaus.

Alstromeria is native to South America, primarily in southern Argentina and central Brazil, and this flower ranges three degrees north of the equator to the southern tip of South America. Alstromeria is a long-lived perennial that is found in swamps, forests, savannas, grasslands, and, as well as, at altitudes (up to 2300 m elevation).

There are up to as many as 80 reported “species” (including subspecies and variants, as well as hybrids). How many of these are valid species remains to be determined. Common names include the “Peruvian Lily” and “Lily of the Incas,” but they are not lilies.

The color variation of this flower is (like most flowers) highly variable, with pink, yellow, red, white, purple variants. But they all have beautiful streaks (variable in color) on their petals or in their central areas. These streaks makes this flower memorable.

Their geologic time range of genus Alstromeria, based on molecular divergence dating, is late Cretaceous to the present. The early history of this genus was likely affected by geographic separation associated with the formation of the Andes Mountain Range, which actively began about 6 to 2 million years ago = Miocene and Pliocene epochs) (Wikipedia, 2026).

This plant has long-lasting trumpet-shaped flowers, that do well even after being cut (as long as their cut stems have a water source [in a container). Thus, this flower is used in floral arrangements. There are many cultivares, which can be pink, deep yellow, red, orange, purple, or white. There can even be bi-colored varieties. Additionally, their streaks of color are variable. This flower, which has six petals, is also known as the “lily of the Incas.” It is native to Chile and Argentina. Today, it can be found in Australia, New Zealand, and the USA.

Classification

Kingdom Plantar

Clades (3 of them)

Order Alstroemeriaceae

Family Alstroemeriacea.

Genus Alstroemeria

Type Species: A. pelegrina

In the USA, Alstrolmeria grows well is zones 8-10. They thrive in full sun, and they prefer well-drained soil. They are long-blooming perennials (i.e. they bloom from early summer to first frost).

They are drought tolerant. Also, its leaves grow upside down [= resupination].  Alstromeria readily attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. 

Figure 1. Alstromeria (pink variety). Image via a purchased bouquet.

Figure 2. Alstromeria (three colors). Image taken at Green Thumb Nursery in Saugus, California.

Figure 3. Alstromeria (red variety). Image taken at Green Thumb Nursery in Saugus, California.

THREE INVASIVE PLANTS IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD

This post concerns my neighborhood, which is in the city of Santa Clarita, just north of Los Angeles, southern California.

                                                                              1)  Arundo donax

This plant, which is growing in places within the Santa Clarita River drainage system, is also known as the "Giant River reed," one of the fastest growing plants in the world. It is a perennial bamboo-like plant from Eurasia. This plant can be as much as 30 feet in height.

Figure 1. Arundo donax (about 10 feet in height) growing in the Santa Clarita River drainage in southern California.

This plant reproduces from massive shallow-root systems; pieces of which get transported downstream by water flows to new locations, where it can re-root and spread rapidly. It is tolerant of both flooding and drought, and it can survive extended periods of exposure to high salinity.

One acre of Arundo donax can consume 11.75-acre feet, or almost 4 million gallons of water annually (= an enormous amount of ground water). It competes with and kills native vegetation. It also ignites readily and can be fuel for devastating wildfires.

The City of Santa Clarita workers, who are currently actively fighting this plant, have to use bull dozers in order to go deep enough to find the roots and get rid of them. This plant is nothing to joke about! Planting Arundo donax in your yard is not a good idea! 

                                              

                                        2) "Tree of Heaven"

                                                        

Figure 2. The example shown here is a young plant (only a few feet high). This common name is also used for another tree, but the “tree of heaven” I am discussing here is Ailatnthus altissima. Unlike other members of this genus, this species grows rapidly. It is not a tropical plant. It is native to temperate climates in northeast China and Taiwan. This tree has large pinnate leaves organized in pairs opposite one another on the stems. It has bright reddish brown fruit in September. Some of its leaf stems are reddish. 

This plant grows in dense thickets, thus, the area that it grows in resembles a jungle. It spreads rapidly via wind-borne seeds and has underground roots suckers that can sprout from the parent trunk. This plant can also secrete a chemical into the soil and, thereby, making it toxic to other plants. It is truly an aggressive plant. Simply cutting it down can trigger heavy root suckering, which, in turn causes a single tree to grow into a massive grove! Its aggressive root system can also damage building foundations and sewers.

Note: This tree genus has a geologic record dating back to Miocene time (5 million yeas ago).

                                         3) Carpobrotus edulis   

This plant is also known as an "ice plant" (about 3 inches in diameter.) It is just one of several species of “ice plant” found in mild climates throughout the world, primarily near ocean shorelines. Also, it is a “creeping” plant that historically has been used to help stabilize slope along shorelines in the United States, the Mediterranean region, southern South America, South Africa, southern Australia, and also New Zealand. 

This plant also grows on a steep slopes in my southern California neighborhood, which is many miles inland from the ocean. This plant grows year around. Its leaves are dull-green or yellow green that can fade to pink with age. Its yellow flowers are produced in my area from March to October. It is a very adaptable plant that very effectively spreads seeds (hundreds per foot).

“Ice plant” is an invasive species in most places in the world. It threatens or endangers native-plant species near the coast by storing VAST quantites of water. But, its roots are shallow. In the rainy season, the added weight to the hill sides (even sand dones) typically causes landslides. Most people do not care, but if you live adjacent to the ocean and between your house and the ocean are steep muddy hills covered in iceplant…well, you might be in for some challenges.

There have been detailed botanical studies ice plants (Novoa et al., 2023). I could not find any mention about the geologic age of this plant, but I did find that it has been cultivated since 1690.

References

Novoa, A. + 15 other authors. 2023. Genetic and morphological insights into the Carpobrotus hydrid complex around the world. NeoBiota 89:135-160 (free download!). 

Wikipedia, 2026

THE FIGHTING ESCAROTS [“Slugs”]

The "Fighting Escarots" was a United States Navy Reserve Carrier Airborne, Early Warning Squadron [= a unit, originally designated for anti-submarine warfare].  Later, this unit was used for relief activities related to floods in the USA, for Search and Rescue support for space-shuttle landings, and interdiction of drug runners in the Caribbean Sea.

The nickname "Slugs" was a “tongue-in-check” moniker for the slower speed of the airplanes used for this unit, in contrast to the super fast fighter jets on the same carrier (ship).

 

The unit was established on July 1, 1970 and was deactivated on March 31, 2005.

The airplanes used were the E-2C Hawkeyes. They had a distinctive, large flat pad mounted on the top of the plane. This pad was used for tracking use (i.e., radar instrumentation).

I cannot remember how I came across this pristine shoulder patch (shown below) many years ago, but because I have always been interested in mollusks, I kept the patch and have taken good care of it. 

Figure 1. A "uniform patch" of the Fighting Escargots.

Figure 2. E-2C An Hawkeye air plane used by the "Fighting Escargots." (This is a public domain, picryl image). 

TWO FOSSIL SPECIES OF “HORN CORALS”

“Horn corals” are solitary rugose fossil corals of Paleozoic age. They are common fossils in certain parts of the world, for example, the eastern United States. This post focuses on two species of the fossil genus Lophophyllidium.

Classification

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Cnidaria

Class Anthozoa

Subclass Rugosa

Order Stauriidae

Family Lophophyllidiiae

Genus Lophophyllidum

Figure 1. Lophophyllidium spinosum, 1.5 inches long.

This “horn coral” species, which is found mainly in central North America, is Pennsylvanian age (about 320 million years old). It is cone-shaped and the wrinkled outer wall of its exoskeleton is covered with distinct small spines.

_________

Figure 2. Lophophyllidium proliferum, 1.5 inches long. 

This species of “horn coral,” is also found mainly in central North America, is Pennsylvanian to Permian age and, therefore, slightly younger in geologic age than L. spinosum mentioned above. Lophophyllidium prolilerum has a central columella (a central column on the upper surface of the specimen that projects upward) but does not have spiny ornamentation; rather it has closed spaced riblets (without any spines). 

Undoing Some Common Confusion

For years, I have never really taken the time to understand the difference between Baking Soda and Baking Powder. One of these is a chemical derived from mineral deposits (think geology!). The other is a man-made substance. Read on to learn or understand the difference between these two common ingredients used in baking.

                        BAKING SODA (= A NATURAL MINERAL)

It comes in an orangish box with strong arm holding a sledge hammer

This substance is also known as bread soda, cooking soda, brewing soda, or bicarbonate of soda.

Baking soda consists of sodium hydrogen bicarbonate, a bona fide evaporate mineral (NaHCO3) that occurs in nature as either the mineral nahcolite or the mineral trona. Nahcolite deposits are found in the USA, Botswana, Kenya, Uganda, Turkey, and Mexico. Trona is mostly found in the Green River basin in Wyoming, USA.

Baking soda does NOT contain an acid, thus it needs something acidic [lemon juice, vinegar, etc.] added to it, in order for it to work properly in making baked goods, like  bread, cookies, etc.

Baking soda is mainly used as a leavening agent as it reacts with acid (vinegar, yogurt, butter milk) to produced carbon dioxide in the process of making bread and cookies, etc.). Baking soda can also be used for cleaning stains, to neutralize acids, a browning agent for crisping in baking, a tenderizer of meat, an effect deodorant, and is used for water treatment.

         BAKING POWDER  (= A MAN-MADE FORMULA)

 

Usually comes in a white thin can with red lettering.

This is a generalized name pertaining to baking material (used for leavening purposes) with a variable chemical composition (i.e., it does not have a precise chemical formula). It is a mixture of sodium bicarbonate and a weak acid (already “built in”) that reacts to release carbon dioxide. Thus, baking powder does not need the addition of any acid.

So, for now you understand. But, will you remember the difference? If you are like me, probably not.

ZION CANYON

Zion Canyon, which is in the southwest corner of Utah, was designated as a National Park in 1919. This park, which has a floor elevation of 4,300 feet, has some spectacular vistas of massive, mostly redish sandstone cliffs, but also some in pink, red, or cream colors. Most the outcrops that make up these cliffs consist of the Navajo Sandstone of Early Jurassic age (approximately 185 to 190 million years old). These sandstone beds formed via massive windblown storms in an ancient desert. Today, these deposits consist of relatively soft sediments that easily erode into deep canyons.

Zion Canyon area was originally a relatively flat basin near sea level 270 million years ago. This basin gradually sank, with erosions from the surrounding area dumping large amount of sediment into this basin. This resulted in its top surface being near sea level. Over time, the depositional environment fluctuated from shallow seas to coastal plains and eventually a desert with large amounts of windblown sand. Uplift later caused these accumulated sediments to be as thick as 10,000 feet. The uplift is still ongoing today. [note: The bottom layer of rock at Bryce Canyon (see one of my previous posts) is the top layer at Zion.

To read more about the geologic history and see some really excellent summaries and stratigraphic columns that “tie together” this whole region (from the Grand Canyon to Bryce Canyon), please see nps.gov The Geology of Zion. If possible, take a field trip to see the geology for yourself.

A trip to Zion Canyon could be combined with a trip to the Grand Canyon and to Bryce Canyon. [Regarding the latter, which also in Utah, see one of my latest posts---Sept. 13, 2026].

                                    Figure 1. Zion Canyon.

                                      Figure 2. Zion Canyon.

                                       Figure 3. Zion Canyon.