Nature Study Outing :: First Signs of Spring

It is officially spring and feeling quite spring-like here!

We have had some great fungal finds lately! This one, which we think is some kind of Amanita, had the most interesting cap as well as a basal bulb.

And the kids in the group identified this one right away, thanks to John Muir Laws great set of California field guides. It was a perfect match!

The first wildflowers of the season are always a joy. So much hope in such little petals.

And the promise of many more on the way. I almost love the leaves as much as I do the blooms.

We have also been enjoying some legged friends. Last week at the trail we got to watch a couple dozen turkeys, including some very determined toms. No great photos, but I did get a nice shot of their tracks! Their footprints are probably six inches long.

And this guy was out on the little road with a few friends, rooting as happily as can be. You just never know what you'll see at Nature Club! :)

Nature Study This Month :: Sun and Storms

While the rest of the country experienced the polar vortex, we have had some decent winter storms off and on for the past couple weeks.

We took advantage of a break in the rain to take a nice walk at one of our county parks. Moody skies and lush hills describes our typical February landscape.

The most wonderful thing about this sun-and-storms weather has been the rainbows! We don't get sunshowers here that often, and I feel like I've seen more rainbows (and double rainbows!) this year than any other winter.

And speaking of unexpected sights: we even got some snow on the hills just above our town!

Later this week, I'll be at CM West :: Retreat at Old San Juan. The weather has brightened just in time: the forecast is chilly with sunny skies. Looking forward to wildflower hunting and refreshing wintertime walks in the foothills with friends.

Nature Study Outing :: A Bit of Rain in NorCal

From May through October, we have golden hills here in California -- which is a more poetic way of saying that everything is brown and dry. It doesn't rain for months and the landscape reflects that. There are still sights to enjoy, of course, if you have "eyes to see," and that is prime time for coastal beauty. But it's a long summer.

So we always welcome the rainy season with joy not just because the land needs it but because everything turns green again! Winter is really the start of our long spring, and it is such a beautiful time in the Bay Area.

It is amazing what a little rain can do to our favorite spots.

We enjoyed some fungi hunting last week. Lots of stem mushrooms and lichen, but the stars of the show were earth stars aplenty and witch's butter!

We also found this broken (half-formed?) cocoon on the inside surface of a big piece of live oak bark. Inside was a odd creature, half fuzzy caterpillar and half moth. It seemed to be dead or dormant. We had been reading in Headstrom's The Living Year about where you can find insects in the winter months, so this provided a curious example!

And I have to share one of our most unexpected finds from the past month: the remains of a deer. We have often found bones, but this was more...

There were vertebrae, hipbones, a jawbone with teeth, and two legs, all scattered about. One hoof was normal, but the other had this shovel-like protrusion, which from my reading, seems to be called foundering.

It certainly made its way into my journal.

We have daffodil buds, the first blossoms of the year, a refilled vernal pond, and baby leaves everywhere: vetch, lupine, filaree, sorrel. The fields will be bursting into bloom soon. Happy Spring!

Nature Study Outing :: A Special Hike

Usually I highlight the nature study outings I take with my children in this space, but today I thought I would share something different...

My husband and I had the chance to get away for 24 hours to celebrate our 15th anniversary! We took advantage and headed to Carmel, with a long afternoon at Point Lobos. This stretch of coastline is often foggy but still gorgeous. And it was so fun to get some nature study in sans kids!

First, the vistas...

Next, the wildflowers! They clung from every crevice in the bluff and lined the trails. I can't imagine what this looks like in spring if it was so beautiful in August.

indian paintbrush

california buckwheat

seaside heliotrope

The rock formations kept calling to mind my geology reading with the children.

We spent the rest of the time walking around Carmel -- the fog burned off, and really, that town could not be more lovely.

Hoping we won't have to wait another fifteen years to go on an adventure together!