My favorite part of spring-like weather this time of year is the appearance of many types of birds, each sporting unique and colorful plumage. I shot most of these images along the Hinkle Creek Trail; the bluebird, magpie and mallards were seen at Phoenix Park. Above, not a perfect capture, but I like it because this female Lesser Goldfinch seems […]
We are now in the midst of summer, and while the sizzling temperatures have eased — for the moment — every day seems to bring warnings of new wildland fires somewhere in California. Per my weather app, the nearest active fire to me this afternoon is 44 miles away. Yesterday though, the Sac Metro Fire Department responded to two separate […]
After having spent the majority of the morning going through my recent images of spring wildflowers, trying to firmly identify each of them, I can tell you without a doubt that I would have never amounted to anything as a botanist. I’ve been using three books and two computer apps, and I’m still not completely sure I’ve got all of […]
The vernal pools appear dry, but the wildflowers are popping up everywhere. On my visit the other day, I saw mostly purple Vetch, yellow Hawkbit, and White Hyacinth. But as I continued to look, I also spotted Vernal Pool Goldfields, Little Quaking Grass, Checkerbloom, Valley Tassels, and even Downingia. The signs of life are definitely there to see, if you […]
It’s starting to look and feel more like spring again here, so these spring backyard blooms from the photo album are a perfect fit! In fact, most of the remaining pages are dedicated to colorful flowers, and I’ll do my best to identify them — but no guarantees that I’ll get them right. I believe most of the pinks this […]
I realize 2019 isn’t that long ago, but I’m sometimes surprised as I go back through my image files at the photos I’ve never used. Of course there are plenty of images that aren’t good enough to use (I have loads of those, and I’m sure I’m not the only one). But my pictures this week are ones that seem […]
Spring may have arrived, but it doesn’t look too much like spring when I look out my window this morning! We’ve got a winter-type storm moving through, with gusty winds, gray skies, and cold rain. To be honest, I’m enjoying the break from the record high temps we had at the end of last week — especially since I’ve been […]
I have returned many times to Rattlesnake Bar on Folsom Lake for the hike to Avery’s pond. Last Thursday I shared a few 2006 images from this beautiful area, so this week I’m jumping ahead 10 years with photos from a hike we took on April 1, 2016. I previously posted some of these pictures back in May 2018 (see […]