My Driveway, the Way Back

 Yesterday's post included photos taken on the way down my hilly driveway.  Today I'm showing some items I saw on the way back up the hill.  At the foot of the hill there's a great crop of Snowberry. This hardy shrub grows up to well over the height of any Plumas County mountains and, to me, is one of the more attractive features of the forest underbrush.

 The leaves on the California Black Oak in my immediate neighborhood aren't looking so good - with a few colorful exceptions.  I think the dry winter and summer took a toll.  However, as is typical of deciduous oaks, when they experience a stressful season, they produce an even better crop of acorns.  You might call it "the audacity of hope."
Here's one of the more colorful leaves I found on the ground.  In most areas, the oak leaves turn a rusty orange, but in a few places, such as the vicinity of Oakland Camp, you can find some bright red ones.

 A leaf that always impresses me, especially when lit from behind, is a relative of our Buckbrush, Deerbrush, etc., and is variously called Cascara Buckthorn and Cascara Sagrada, among other names. Its closest relative nearby, also in the genus Rhamnus, is the Coffeeberry.

 Birds and trees both leave things behind.  I found this Steller's Jay feather and Black Oak acorn next to each other and found the arrangement attractive.  In the lower right, there a small oak leaf, still green.  For some fun detective work, click on this photo for a close-up view and see how many other species you can find in the photo.

 Upon returning to my yard I was greeted by the bent over birch tree whose days are numbered.  When the first snow arrives, I'll need to decide whether or not to give it one more winter's reprieve.