Sunday, April 26, 2015

More from Sunday morning in Boyle Ravine

 I can always count on Dandelions to be my entertainment centers.  Even in bad weather or on days when not many other wildflowers are blooming, the dandelions always have some sort of activity around them.  I've probably photographed at least two dozen insect and spider visitors on them and seen many more when I wasn't packing a camera.  Today was no exception.  Beetles and bees were plentiful.
 The Red larkspur, or Delphinium, started blooming on South facing slopes a month ago.  Noe they've begun to bloom in Boyle Ravine, with mostly dark and shady North-facing slopes.
 Boyle Creek isn't flowing as fully s it should be at this time of year, but thanks to the cool shade the moss still looks healthy.
 Soon, I'll be looking for insect life in the creek and new species of wildflowers blooming on the edges.
 The Stream Violet, Viola glabella, is so plentiful here that I'm surprised it doesn't appear in Jack Laws' popular field guide, The Laws Guide to the Sierra Nevada.
 Someone built a cairn on top of a stump, so my wife decided to decorate it a little with some lichen.
I guess this is a cairn, too.  A group project that has been here for a few years, always changing shape, but indicating a major intersection in this trail system.

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