Fire is a natural process is in California’s natural history. Once a wildfire has come and gone the landscape can be transformed into a sea of color, it’s not all doom and gloom. I investigated five fire following plants and tell the tales of how I stumbled upon them.
Marin County and Beyond! What this naturalist got up to in April
Wow, April was the month of wildflowers! Exploring from our home base in Mill Valley we camped, hiked and explored many different habitats in order to see as many flowers as possible. If you are curious and want to see a sampling of our finds and hear about the corresponding adventures, read on!
Two Months in Joshua Tree, What Two Naturalists Got Up To
For two months we lived in Joshua Tree huntin and searchin for all the plants, bugs, and wildlife we could find. It was a success! This is a post of my summary of what two naturalists got up to and found in the Mojave desert in Feb & March of 2021.
Charming Colors and Strange Structures of the Southern California Desert Flowers
Wow, while searching for flowering plants in the Southern California deserts can be tough at times there sure are incredibly beautiful plants! I explore and share stories of our recently found charming and unique shaped plants.
Spurge is the word . . . around these parts.
The deserts of Southern California have some incredibly interesting plants with unique structures and beautiful colors. In this post I explore the spurges and their cousins that I’ve found recently! Super neat plants!
Questions for a Cactus
The charismatic plant of the desert that cant be avoided visually, but intentionally avoided physically is of course the cactus! After hiking around Joshua Tree NP for weeks I had some questions for these funky fun plants.
iNatting Sheba Ridge in the South Chilcotin Mountains Provincial Park, BC
The South Chilcotin Mountains Provincial Park is a truly wonderful place to explore, botanize, and connect with nature. On this first backpacking trip in the park of 2020 we found oodles of flower, insect and mammal life lucky to call this place home. Can’t wait to return!
Moth Madness! Reflections from a Year of Mothing
Ever been curious about moths? Why do they congregate around my porch light? After a year or so of mothing I look into the science, and share our set up of how we attract moths to US!
Mushrooming and Mothing in Mendocino County, One Month in Gualala, CA
Mushrooming, mothing, beach combing, hiking, tidepooling, star gazing Mendocino County in California is a spot for endless adventuring! We spent one month in Gualala and absolutely loved it!
Bugs on Ice, A Quest To Find Insects in the Upper Lillooet Provincial Park
Looking for bugs on an snowfield? What an odd activity. Well we spent three days in a remote area of Southwest BC searching for insects trapped in the snow. What an adventure it was!
Fantastic Fruits of the Forest Floor
At this time of year in California mushrooms are popping out of the ground like mad! Their bright and various colors inspired me to take a look into why they are so colorful!
Unbe-LEAF-able Leaves
Sometimes little moments in nature just force you to put on the brakes and admire what you almost stepped over. This happens a lot to me, and today I wanted to share my little collection of beautiful and unique fallen leaves.
The Beetles of Bark, Beaches, and Brooks
When the fall slowly turns into winter in Central California it can get tough as a naturalist to find new intriguing species. Well I suggest you go for a beetle hunt! These are some beetles I found in perhaps some unexpected places.
One month in Lagunitas, CA. What this Naturalist got up to.
Cozy and cute Lagunitas, CA was our home base for one month this winter. Here’s some highlights of where we explored and what nature we observed.
Exploring and iNatting the Bridge River Delta Provincial Park
This summer Trevor and I explored some remote provincial parks in British Columbia for a project between BC parks and iNaturalist. The Bridge River Delta Provincial Park was our first iNatting trip, which included blood, sweat, and tears.
Chloe Van Loon's Nature Blog 