Turtle pond

The name of this lovely spot on Rattlesnake Bar is actually Avery’s Pond, and I’ve shared some photos of it before (from a previous hike in 2016). But on a nice warm spring day, you’re bound to spot plenty of large turtles sunning themselves on logs here — that is, unless the turtles see you first! These particular turtles are […]

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Purple milkweed

I had no clue what plant this was when I first photographed it, and Google’s image search didn’t provide much help. Part of my trouble was that I couldn’t guess what the flowers would look like once the buds opened. So I waited for about a week and then went back to check on developments. This purple milkweed (Asclepias cordifolia) […]

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Tree swallow

I was hiking the Rattlesnake Bar trail on Folsom Lake with the Big Guy when I was lucky to find this handsome male tree swallow who didn’t mind sitting still for my camera. I had never seen this type of bird before, but after checking out the video from All About Birds, I’m certain I’ve heard them plenty of times.

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