When I go hiking and looking for pictures, animals and lovely scenery are usually on the top of my list of things to shoot. But no matter how great my “big” landscape images may come out, I always tend to feel  something is missing unless I find that little extra something as well. What it might be varies from trip to trip, and I never know what I’m looking for — but I always know when I see it. One day it might be an incredibly lucky shot of a colorful bird; another time it might be a king snake sunning itself on my path. Or even just some quirky little scrap of something that seems to suggest a entire story of its own. Discovering that extra little something makes each of my expeditions special and adds to the fun.

Cluster lily among yellow Menzies fiddlenecks

Lycianthes rantonnetii (blue potato bush)

Raphanus sativus (Wild radish)

I didn’t expect to find cactus growing on the bluffs above Lake Natoma