Friday, April 15, 2011

Hot Spots in Northern California

Hot spots for wildflowers this weekend in Northern California: Table Mountain(link to Sac Bee article) near Oroville, Butte College Wildlife area (nearby Table Mtn. off of Clark Rd.--no pets at Butte WA), and South Yuba River State Park (docent-led tours on weekends). The aforementioned areas are all public access areas but remember to respect the rights of property owners whenever you view wildflowers. Visit Cwildflowers.com for more spots in CA and throughout the US.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Wildflowers aren't the only thing...

When we aren't taking pictures of wildflowers, our second favorite subjects are birds and last weekends outing reminded us that wildflowers aren't the only things to capture when we are on photo-trips. We were on Bear Valley Road and ahead of us on the side of the road was some commotion, it looked like a larger bird flapping its' wings. As we got closer we realized that it was two birds and they were mating. But the real shocker was the type of bird: Geococcyx californianus (AKA Roadrunners)! Unfortunately, we had not yet unpacked the cameras and by the time we got them out only the male was visible, and just barely at that. The lesson: always have the camera ready as there might be more sites to capture than stationary wildflowers!

Saturday, April 9, 2011

On the road to Leesville

Tidytips
Tidytips, lupines, poppies and goldfields are starting to bloom on the road to Leesville, CA. The blooms are about two-weeks behind last year, but promises to be a real eye-popper! Remember, respect property owners rights while viewing wildflowers.