Wild Hyacinth

Wild Hyacinth, also known as blue dicks, Dichelostemma pulchellum, blooming in open grassy meadows on the Santa Rosa Plateau.

Mylitta Crescent Butterfly

Mylitta crescent, Phyciodes mylitta, stopping by some flowers for a sip of nectar. Santa Rosa Plateau.

Winter Vetch

Winter Vetch, Vicia villosa, blooming in the meadow at the Santa Rosa Plateau. There were thousands of them spread out throughout the meadow, dancing like little purple butterflies in the wind. Most Vetch species are from the Mediterranean reagion although there are some 15 species native to the U.S.

Mutant Ninja Squirrel!

Mutant Ninja Squirrel in motion! California Ground Squirrel, Santa Rosa Plateau, California. Have you ever noticed how amazing, unnoticed details show up when you review your pictures on the computer? I snapped this photo way back in March. This was just a CA ground squirrel back then. On closer examination, I found that the little guy has a forked tail! Now squirrels appear to communicate both through their chirps and through active tail shaking. So, does a forked tail work any better? More intimidating perhaps? This guy was rushing off to confront another squirrel competing for the territory so perhaps...hmmm...beware squirrel who speaks with forked tail?! (If you didn't get the joke/slash reference to early American history, never mind...).

Ground Pink

Limnanthus dianthiflorus, Ground Pink, Santa Rosa Plateau. Wow. Thousands of flowers covering the hills. It's been a banner year for wildflowers.

Yes, It Snows in California!

Santa Rosa Plateau. Nice view of the snow-capped mountains from the Santa Rosa Plateau. It makes for quite a contrast of climates from the semi-arid, grassy, cactus-laden plateau with ancient, gnarled oaks to the snowy peaks of nearby mountain tops.

Checkered White

Checkered White on mustard flower, Pontia Protodice, Silver Meadows, Santa Rosa Plateau, California. Okay, I gave another shot at identifying butterflies. This is my best guess anyhow.

I was standing in a field of rye grass. You could hear the rustling as the wind gently rippled through the dry, seed-laden stalks. Butterflies of myriad colors would flutter by, landing periodically to gather nectar from the flowers or to rest upon the grass. Peaceful huh?

So imagine me with this big old 500mm lens, just snapping pictures of these butterflies as fast as I could "will them" to land on something! I was having fun. There were a lot of blurry pictures as the wind seemed to sway just about everything. Of course, the wind might be the reason why some of them landed in the first place so there's a silver lining on every cloud.

Nuts for Nuts

Male Acorn Woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivorus, Silver Meadows, Santa Rosa Plateau, California. What a beauty, huh? These little guys stash acorns into holes in an old oak tree, often referred to as a "granary tree," which they use to tide them over until Spring when bugs become available. If you look closely, you can see the holes in the bark where the little colony of woodpeckers has pounded in acorns into the soft oak bark. You can also see that the acorns are mostly gone except for perhaps a little tidbit in his beak and that the transition to the bug menu must be ongoing. These birds are found in oak forests up and down the coast and also in parts of Arizona, Texas and Mexico. I saw one once up near Palo Alto many years ago but these are the only ones I've seen since then. Perhaps, if people would leave the big old oaks on their property, we would see them more often. On the other hand, can you imagine if they decided that your house made a better granary than the oak tree (OMG!)?

What would happen if people went vegetarian every Winter and carnivore each Spring? Historically, perhaps it was the other way around for early man, prior to developing agriculture and grain storage.