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.
The Marvelous Millipedes of Marin County
Rummaging around in the dirt and flipping logs can reveal many natural wonders. Millipedes are often found scurrying around, so here’s a little description and photos of the common ones I’m finding while living in Marin County, CA in November of 2020.
You’ll Never Guess What This Yellow Fluff Ball is! Ft. Asterocolax gardneri
Tidepools are truly a place of endless entertainment and wonder. Once again I was stumped what this yellow succulent fluff ball was. I never thought it would be a parasite!
My New Nudes, aka my Newest Nudibranch Lifers from the November 2020 King Tide
November 2020 king tides brought great conditions to find marine invertebrates here in California. Read about my newest nudibranch lifers found amongst the rocks and algae along California’s central coast.
The Micro-Architect Worm Ft. The California Sandcastle Worm
If the term ‘microarchitecture’ excites you, you’ll want to read all about these marine worms. Yup worms. Lavender colored worms. Enough said.
Dock Fouling Fun! An adventure with bird poop & nudibranchs
Dock fouling is a great activity that an naturalist should try! This past weekend I found many great creatures, and this is a little write up about some of the critters I saw.
Cutest slug that you ever did see! Ft. The Northwest Onchidella
I found the CUTEST little slug while tidepooling, but was clueless to what it was at first! Read along to find out what interesting characteristics it has!
Best Gall Hunting Spots in the South Bay Area
Galls are incredible structures in nature formed by an interesting relationship between an insect and it’s plant host. If you are interested in trying to find these beauties in the South Bay Area, read on!
I caught a cougar, a grizzly, and friends. . . on a wildlife camera.
A small project to capture all the wildlife around me was successful! I even managed to get a cougar on the cameras! As well as many other great insights into the critters of SW BC.
Chloe Van Loon's Nature Blog 