10/24/12 Not in San Diego (part 2): Yosemite! The Upper Yosemite Fall Trail
The clouds are threatening rain and there is a cold nip in the air as I cross the filthy but historic (or historically
[...]
plants
10/23/12: Not in San Diego: Yosemite! The Mirror Lake (Tenaya Creek) Loop
“Well, I’ve got a hike for you!” Did the ranger really say that or did I just imagine it? Whatever she said, the
[...]
Finding My Senses in the Blue Sky
The suburbs make me uneasy. They aren’t lively and diverse enough to be a city and aren’t wild enough to be nature. I
[...]
Grasshopper Summer
As I stepped through the dry crisp grass, grasshoppers manically scattered to the left and right of the path like parting waves of
[...]
Palomar: An Escape from the Lowland Heat
(August 19) Summer’s last sigh manifested itself in a scalding heat wave. Our plans to flee last week to Palomar were foiled by
[...]
Rose Canyon
A few minutes down the trail, we came upon a huge patch of wild roses. Most of the flowers were gone, but the
[...]
The Sumac Family (also known as the Cashew family)
The sumac family (Anacardiaceae) is a bit more diverse than the parsley family. Plants in this family can have trifoliate or pinnate leaves,
[...]
Dances of Bees and Lavender
There was no breeze, but the lavender flowers swayed to the warm hum of a halo of bees. As each industrious insect landed
[...]
The Parsley Family
Introduction I started casually studying herbal medicine and plants in November or December of 2011. One resource I use is HerbMentor.com (about $9/month)
[...]
Sea of Ceanothus
This afternoon we went to Silverwood hoping to see the Ceanothus Silk Moth. Phillip the resident manager had some bad news for us,
[...]