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.
I’ve been shooting an awful lot of spring wildflowers lately — but I figure that since they won’t be around much longer, I’d better appreciate them while I can. I’ve been learning to recognize quite a few of them by sight and to name them as I hike past. Hopefully at least some of this knowledge with stick with me […]
More images from Brown’s Ravine, April 2019.
The vernal pool dry season is underway, and it’s already gorgeous! I can’t imagine how the acres and acres at Mather Field must look; the small patch of nature at Phoenix Park in Fair Oaks is already busting out with native wildflowers like checkerbloom, frying pan poppies, gold fields, and downingia. I did look for the elusive vernal pool monkey […]