A Saturday with no obligations! I head off to the Ventana Wilderness with no particular destination in mind …
The parking lot for the trailhead at Los Padres Dam is gated for some reason these days, so it’s necessary to park down the hill at the Forest Service Station. Read the rest of this entry »
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Carmel River, Fungus, On Foot, Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers | Tagged: Big Pines Trail, Cachagua, California newt, Cardamine californica, Carmel River Trail, Cynoglossum grande, Danish Creek, Gray squirrel, Helvella, Los Padres Dam, Los Padres National Forest, mountain lion, Ramaria, Rattlesnake Trail, tick, Ventana Wilderness | 
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Posted by xasauan
Trail under coast live oaks (Quercus agrifolia) on Big Sur’s East Molera Ridge. Quercus is derived from the Celtic quer cuez, meaning “fine tree.” Read the rest of this entry »
5 Comments | Big Sur, Fungus, History, Plants, Santa Lucias | Tagged: acorn, black oak, blue oak, coast live oak, lithocarpus, phytophthora ramorum, quercus, Sargenta-ruc, SOD, sudden oak death, tanbark oak, tanoak, valley oak, whispering oaks | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
There’s no sign, but the Little Sur Trail begins at this easily recognized gate on the Old Coast Rd. Just take the Old Coast Rd. north, a little under 4 miles, from its south end at Andrew Molera State Park. Read the rest of this entry »
4 Comments | Big Sur, Fungus, Insects, On Foot, Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
On January 1, 1980, Jeff Norman, then 29, moved into the Overstrom homestead, Alta Vista, in Big Sur. Overlooking the ocean from a 2,700-foot-high perch on Michael Ridge, and accessible only by trail, Alta Vista was an ideal location for observing and experiencing the beauty and power of the natural world. Jeff lived at Alta Vista until his death, at age 56, on October 31 2007. All structures associated with Alta Vista were burned to the ground eight months later in the Basin Complex Fire. Read the rest of this entry »
7 Comments | Big Sur, Fire, Flood & Apocalypse, Fungus, History, Insects, Plants, Santa Lucias | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Big Sur Gold: New Year’s Day in the Throne Room of the Chanterelle Gods.
A very happy New Year to everyone, from all of us at Xasáuan Today. We wish you could all join us in feasting on these chanterelles tonight – although we imagine many of you have all the chanterelles you can handle as well.
If the first day has been any indication, the coming year should be a good one!
See you in the woods …
1 Comment | Big Sur, Fungus, Santa Lucias | Tagged: cantharellus cibarius, chanterelles | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
There’s nothing quite like the sight of chanterelles (Cantharellus californicus) pushing up through wet leaves. Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment | Big Sur, Fungus, Santa Lucias | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
The rain is falling, the ground is wet, and the mushrooms are pushing upward.
Coccora (Amanita calyptroderma). Highly esteemed by many, but closely resembles its deadly poisonous cousins – unless you really do know the difference, do yourself a favor and don’t try it. Read the rest of this entry »
Delicious Agaricus augustus bursting from the fog-drenched ground Read the rest of this entry »
Seaside Paintbrush (Castilleja latifolia) blooming on the South Shore. Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Fungus, On Foot, Plants, Wildflowers | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
What better way to welcome the new year than to pick some chanterelles (Cantharellus californicus) … Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment | Big Sur, Fungus, Santa Lucias | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
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