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 […]
Most of the photographers hoping to capture the lupine at Folsom Lake right now seem to make a beeline for Beeks Bight, accessible through the Granite Bay entrance on the north fork. Very much like last spring, when we had a genuine superbloom, the social media posts have popped up and the news helicopters have been hovering. Visitors have been […]
Lately it seems like everybody in my area is going crazy over the purple lupine at Folsom Lake, so naturally I had to go and find some alternative wildflowers. Besides the Douglas iris which I found near Gualala growing almost as thick as the lupine at Folsom, there were so many other shapes and colors. Some of them were familiar […]
I didn’t see a great variety of vernal pool flowers when I visited Phoenix Park last Tuesday, but the aptly named Goldfields are blanketing the depressions, accentuated by a few pale pink Checkermallow. I also noticed (but didn’t photograph) quite a lot of yellow Fiddleneck and Butter ‘n eggs, and the small invasive pink-purple Filaree are literally everywhere. My personal […]
The disappointment of seeing ever-lower water levels at Folsom Lake on each successive visit is only just counterbalanced by the abundant wildflowers and the fact that, so far at least, everything looks very green and fresh. Now is the best time to get out hiking, before everything dries up and the temperatures start climbing beyond the magical springtime range into […]
It takes roughly an hour to make the long, winding drive from our house out to Peninsula Campground at Folsom Lake, although sometimes it feels more like half the day. The last 11.5 miles take you along a twisting one-lane road full of blind corners; I’ve had more than one close call when someone came rocketing toward me, using the […]
The only thing I enjoy more than capturing the big scenic shots with my camera is finding the extra little bonus details. That’s what makes the beauty of nature really come alive for me.
