I've been inspired by a few other bloggers that I follow to invite you to come along on a walk with me. One of my favorite spots is directly across the valley in Garland Ranch Regional Park. It is a wonderful spot at any time of the year, but from late fall through early summer is my favorite. We've had about 2 inches of rain in the last month (6 months really) so things are starting to turn green. In a couple of months the first wildflowers will start to bloom. It should be green and blooming until about June when everything starts going dormant because of our normal summer drought.
We had a clear cool day yesterday and my scale was telling me that I needed to get off my fanny, away from the computer and get some exercise. So, off to the park I went.
The start of the Buckeye trail.
The sun had already gone down behind the ridge by this time of the day so everything seems a bit gloomy.
An old oak trunk.
This old oak has seen better days. It has lost many large limbs but is still vigorous.
Snowberry
Lace Lichen festooned oaks on the Mesa trail.
Toyon berries
Peeling Madrone bark with Lace Lichen
I forgot the rosehips in the first time I posted!
Monterey Pine cone on granite
The gloaming on the Carmel River
Another beautiful sunset over Garland Ranch
The moss on the old oak truck is so pretty and I love all of the hanging moss.Your pictures has such wonderful textures in them.
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking us on this beautiful walk. I haven't seen hanging lichen before - it makes it look like a primeval forest - and the mossy old oak is lovely. Can you eat snowberries?
ReplyDeleteWhat magnificent trees! I don't think I've ever seen a snowberry before.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments everyone!
ReplyDeleteChaiselongue, I didn't know if snowberries were edible or not so I went searching for the answer. They are mildly toxic to humans (vomiting or diarrhea) but an important food for birds. And the flowers are a nectar source for hummingbirds. I found a great website that lists toxic plants, albeit with a focus on what commonly grows in California.
http://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/ce/king/PoisPlant/Tox-SCI.htm
Beautiful pics! Congratulations
ReplyDeleteThank you gintoino! And thanks for the original inspiration to share a walk.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful stuff! May I use your Buckeye Trail pic on the NCT News Blog? northcountrytrailnews.blogspot.com Credit and link back to here of course. Contact me at jhy at t-one.net
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