Lately I’ve been shooting a lot of spring wildflowers; but I’ve also been having a lot of fun shooting another springtime feature, the many small creeks that feed into Natoma and Folsom lakes. I can’t always find out the names of these tiny (and often temporary) waterways, and they’re not always easy to access — especially with so much poison […]
If I’m hiking near Lake Natoma or Folsom Lake in the springtime, there’s just no way I’m going to pass by the gorgeous wildflowers without making a photograph. Some of these flowers I’ve come to know by name, but others remain a mystery to me. I consider it a bonus if I can identify them online and find out that […]
There’s something irresistible about the California golden poppy — I really love this time of year when they start blooming all along the bike trail and by the side of the roads. I found this specimen yesterday afternoon when the clouds rolled in, bringing rain and a thunderstorm. I went back today and found that same poppy with its petals […]
I found these yellow flowers growing along the park road near Dotons Point. As pretty as they look, Bermuda sorrel (Oxalis pes-caprae) is considered an invasive and noxious weed which can cause the death of grazing livestock. That’s not much of an in issue here on the grounds of Folsom State Recreation Area — but it does go to show […]
I don’t need a stair-climbing machine in my house to get a good workout; I can walk or drive a fairly short distance and find some great hills to climb. And the springtime, before the weeds dry out and become full of stickers, is a perfect time to enjoy some of these near-vertical trails. It also helps me keep some […]
The Canada geese weren’t a big surprise, but I didn’t expect to find a pair of egrets visiting the vernal pools at Phoenix Park (near the bluffs in Fair Oaks). I wasn’t able to get too close, and since I was only passing through the park on my way toward Lake Natoma, I decided not to stick around and try […]
I’ve been climbing an awful lot of hills on my hikes lately, but that’s partly because the view is so much better from up high. Here are a few of the literally breath-taking sights I saw when I spent the afternoon wandering along the bluffs in Fair Oaks a couple of days ago.