Pacific Hound’s Tongue (Cynoglossum grande) Read the rest of this entry »
Fooling Around on Skinner Ridge & Devil’s Peak
February 22, 2012The views of Pico Blanco and the ocean from Skinner Ridge are at their best in the winter, when the black oaks (Quercus kelloggii) are leafless. Read the rest of this entry »
Monterey Bay Backroads Bicycling
February 20, 2012Somewhere near Aromas
An unusually dry February means an unusually nice February for grabbing a bike and hitting the backroads of Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties. Read the rest of this entry »
Wildflower of the Week: Western Wakerobin
February 17, 2012As anyone who read our previous post could easily have predicted, Western Wakerobin (Trillium ovatum) is our Wildflower of the Week. T. ovatum flourishes, as indicated by the photo, in damp forests – which, around here, means redwood forests. They reach the southern end of their range, along with the redwoods, on Big Sur’s South Coast. Read the rest of this entry »
Fixing Up the Little Sur Trail
February 12, 2012More than 20 volunteers turn out for a Ventana Wilderness Alliance sponsored work day on the Little Sur Trail. Read the rest of this entry »
Wildflower of the Week: Paintbrush
February 9, 2012Coast Paintbrush (Castilleja affinis) in Garland Regional Park
Paintbrush, or Indian Paintbrush, is one of the most easily recognized wildflowers in California. It’s found pretty much everywhere and if you spend much time outdoors you probably know it when you see it. Yet determining the species (let alone subspecies) of a given plant can be challenging. While all paintbrush may look pretty much alike to the casual observer, botanists have recognized upwards of 200 individual species – and subspecies beyond counting. Read the rest of this entry »
Wildflower of the Week: Checkerbloom
February 1, 2012Checkerbloom (Sidalcea malviflora)
There isn’t a lot in flower out there yet, but one thing that quickly responded to the mid-January rain (at least along the coastal terraces) was checkerbloom. This member of the Mallow family generally prefers open meadows, but is also quite common in the pine forests of the Monterey Peninsula. Read the rest of this entry »