Crimson Columbine (Aquilegia formosa)
Although we spent last weekend riding around on bikes and sailboats, rather than out in the hills, we are reliably informed that crimson columbine is now coming into bloom. So we’re making it our Wildflower of the Week. A member of the Buttercup Family (the Ranunculaceae), this hummingbird favorite is native to western North America, from Alaska to Baja. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by xasauan
Pacific Hound’s Tongue (Cynoglossum grande) Read the rest of this entry »
3 Comments | Big Sur, Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers | Permalink
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The 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 »
2 Comments | Big Sur, On Foot, Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
As 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 »
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More than 20 volunteers turn out for a Ventana Wilderness Alliance sponsored work day on the Little Sur Trail. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by xasauan
Coast 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 »
1 Comment | Big Sur, Diablo Range, Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Checkerbloom (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 »
1 Comment | Big Sur, Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers | Tagged: canada geese, Carmel Bay, East Molera, Little Sur, Pico Blanco, Pt. Lobos | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Cardamine californica on Blue Rock Ridge.
Cardamine californica, otherwise known as toothwort, milkmaids, or bittercress (which is what “cardamine” means), is a beautiful early season wildflower that has been quite prominent in our area so far this year. Read the rest of this entry »
The sun sets over Soberanes Pt., bringing yet another week without rain to an end.
The ground is drying out, there’s no rain in sight, and the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center is calling for drought through at least the end of March. Read the rest of this entry »
4 Comments | Big Sur, Carmel River, Fire, Flood & Apocalypse, Politics, Santa Lucias, Water | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Pine Ridge Trail near Bad Gulch
The high winds at the end of November brought down an immense number of trees in the Santa Lucia mountains, leaving many trails looking more or less like this. Hundreds of trees, in fact, have fallen on the Pine Ridge Trail between Big Sur Station and Sykes (the most heavily traveled section of trail in the Ventana Wilderness). Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Big Sur, On Foot, Santa Lucias | Tagged: Big Sur, November 2011 wind, Pine Ridge Trail, Sykes, Trail Maintenance | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
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