Remembering Mendocino
Memories and details from visits to Moat Creek and Stornetta Public Lands, near Point Arena, in 2022.
Arizona vistas
From big horizons to tiny colorful blooms along Interstate 40 in central Arizona, June 2023.
Tiny wings
Not all my photos of insects were a great success on my most recent trip to Lake County, but I am pleased that I spotted my very first Lorquin’s admiral. According to Wikipedia, these handsome butterflies are very territorial and sometimes go after larger animals rather aggressively; luckily, this one was in a peaceful mood! On this outing I also […]
Winging and singing
It’s a tough life as I try to make the most of my handful of days on the Mendocino coast. While I’m having a blast shooting the profusion of wildflowers and spotting new (to me) butterflies, I’m missing out on the chance to just sit and gaze at the ocean for hours at a time. Difficult choices, but I’ll try […]
We want… a shrubbery
Neither of these two flowering shrubs are native to the areas where I found them; the snowbells originate in China, Korea, and Japan, so I can’t help wondering how this one came to be in bloom above the shores of Folsom Lake. The Pipevine Swallowtails don’t seem to mind the taste of something exotic! Although these shrubs are actually native […]
Once more, from the top
I shared some photos a couple of days ago showing the view from up on the ridge above Folsom Lake as seen on the last day of March — but I forgot to include the three pictures I shot with my phone. I also managed to forget about my earlier visit to the same spot on March 14. So here […]
Up the hill
We try to drive up to the mountains at least once a year in the summertime; it’s a great way to get out of the house and away from the valley heat, if only for a few hours. I don’t believe we made one of these day trips last year, but a couple of days ago we headed “up the […]
A Swallowtail story
I got the chance to learn something about the all-too-brief lives of California Pipevine Swallowtails last Friday while hiking along the south fork of the American River at Folsom Lake. It was amazing how these beautiful butterflies were literally everywhere around me, on just about every wildflower. The California Pipevine is a rare subspecies of the Pipevine Swallowtail, found only […]
Western Tiger Swallowtail
It took me quite a few tries and several trips to the river before I finally managed to capture one of these gorgeous butterflies with my camera. It seemed like the Western Tiger Swallowtails were happily taunting me, always turning up after I had put my camera away, hovering around just out of reach as I fumbled to get my […]