While driving through Baja California the Boojum tree, and the tall and lanky cacti really stood out in the diverse landscape. If interested in exploring their desert adaptations or just admiring the photos, this post is definitely worth your time.
Tag: Botany
California’s Flaming-Trumpet, Collomia rawsoniana
Some botanical trips take us to the most random and remote parts of California. This beautiful and elusive plant was no different! The Flaming-Trumpet, Collomia rawsoniana is truly a botanical beauty!
Floral Friday: Ramshaw Meadows sand verbena, Abronia alpina
A sand verbena in the alpine of the Sierra Nevada Mountains? What? It’s pink and purple, and forms a beautiful little cluster? Read all about this fascinating plant worth a backpacking trip to meet. Let me introduce you to Abronia alpina.
Floral Friday: Spanish Needle Onion, Allium shevockii
This blog post documents an adventurous quest to locate the Spanish Needle Onion, also known as Allium shevockii. Despite unforeseen setbacks like a flat tire, we eventually found the plant on June 4th. The Spanish Needle Onion is a rare species found in a limited area of the Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains in California, growing in metamorphic talus outcrops within specific forest communities. A fantastic flower to start of the “Floral Friday” blog series.
Tidy Tips, an overlooked California superbloom superstar
Ever heard of the flowering plant called ‘Tidy tips?’ If so you’ve probably visited a superbloom site this year in California. If not these adorable flowers of the genus Layia are sure to delight your senses. Learn about four species in this blog post, afterwards you’ll be itching to go find some for yourself.
California’s Forgotten Corner? It’s a Naturalist’s Paradise
Do you know who and what adventures await you in the most southeast corner of California? In my opinion, it’s a naturalist’s paradise in spring. Don’t skip out on this unique area of California.
One iNaturalist Observation a Day, 2022 Edition
What does the daily practice of making one iNaturalist observation a day look like? Take a read of this blog post highlighting one observation per each week of 2022. Insects! Fungi! Wildlife! Plants! Costa Rica! Canada & California! Perhaps you’ll be inspired to start your own streak of observing something in nature every day!
Oooo La La Orchids, Costa Rica Blog pt. 3
Would you travel to Costa Rica to hunt for orchids? That’s exactly what we did, and found an incredible diversity of species, structures, colors and sizes. From the 2-3 mm flowers to ones the size of tennis balls the world of orchids is one to admire and fascinating to learn about.
Three Months in Fernbrook, What Two Naturalists Got Up To
Ooooo boy, spenidng three months in San Diego County lead to many interesting observations and adventures. Take a read of the mysterious critters we documented!
Nature Journaling, Monday to Friday: Backyard Flowers
Looking for a way to combine your creative side with an interest in botany or nature? Nature Journaling is the activity, the practice, the mindfulness activity for you! Each day Monday to Friday I journaled a flowering plant that was currently blooming in my backyard in Fernbrook, CA.
What’s going on with these lichen-covered leaves? Costa Rica Blog Pt. 1
While walking through the jungles of Costa Rica I noticed how most leaves had moss, lichens, algae and liverworts on the upper surface. What’s the story here? That’s what I investigate today.
Why So Many Yellow and Purple Flowers?
Why were all the flowers I was seeing in Central CA yellow and purple in color at the end of summer? Take a read to see what I discovered, or didn’t . . .
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.
Chloe Van Loon's Nature Blog 