Chloe Van Loon's Nature Blog

iNatting Big Creek Provincial Park, British Columbia

Ever wondered how I document nature in remote parks of British Columbia? This is the post for you. Bugs, bears, and botanical beauties!

Hunting Robber Flies (Asilidae) in the Chilcotin Mountains of British Columbia, Canada

Robber flies captured my attention over a year ago. They are charismatic, great hunters, and come in such a variety of colors and shapes. I’m sure after reading this post you’ll have a new appreciation for this diverse genus.

Northern California Plant Relicts, four plants still kicking it after millions of years

Ever wondered about what plants still exist from when dinosaur’s stomped around? I researched a little bit about four Northern California plants I found while living there in the spring of 2021.

Calochortus, The Coolest Lilies of California?

Have you ever found yourself oo-ing and aww-ing over a Mariposa Lily? Or a Cat’s Ear Flower, or a globe flower? Well you were looking at the Calochortus genus! It’s a beautiful and interesting genera, let me tell you a bit about it!

Five Fantastic Fire Following Flowers

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!