Woolly Mule Ears, wyethia mollis. These were in northeastern California.
Bullseye!
A preferred food of the woolly mammoth, I’m sure! If not, it should have been.
Wild Wednesday … Woolly Mule Ears
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Wild Wednesday … Indian Paintbrush
My brushes never looked this good!
Indian Paintbrush
Wild Wednesday … Mystery Wildflower!
A lavender wildflower. Does anyone recognize this flower? I took the picture in the Indian Valley of the Northern Sierra.
My forester/botanist office neighbor, Tom, knew it right away. So did Lisa, a FB friend. It is Spiraea douglasii or it’s common names are Douglas’ spiraea, hardhack steeplebush, steeplebush and rose spiraea. It’s a native of the western US and Canada and is commonly used a landscape plant. Who knew?
Wild Wednesday … My Stalker!
My wild-eyed stalker!!!
I have a stalker. I don’t know what it wants. It just stares through my office window with that wild look in it’s eyes.
Forestry Friday … Mountain Thunderstorms
Looking across Indian Valley at a mountain thunderstorm. We’ve had many storms, already this year. Fortunately, they’ve been moisture laden. Dry lightening is a huge concern in the Sierra Nevada, especially in a dry year like this. Our long term weather prediction is for high thunderstorm activity in July and August. Hopefully, a healthy dose of rain goes with it.
A downpour coming across Lake Almanor.
Unfortunately, thunderstorms are so spotty when it comes to rain. As of yesterday “sleepers” started popping up all over Northern California. The sleepers are the smoldering lightning strikes that flare into a full blown fires when the temperatures rise and humidity falls.
Most of the lightning fires have already been extinguished by the fire services, but there are always a few that get away. Today we are suppose to reach 103 F in the valley and 108 F tomorrow. Despite the rain, it’s fire season in Northern California.
Wild Wednesday … The Killdeer
Killdeer in colored pen and ink, and in person. 
Forestry Friday … Spotted Pine Sawyer
The Spotted Pine Sawyer in pen and ink.
The spotted pine sawyer beetle is in the longhorn beetle genus. If you hang out around enough log landings you’re bound to see them. This one flew into my truck.
Be careful how you pick them up. They have strong mandibles and are happy to bite you.
They reproduce in dead and dying trees. Their larvae will bore into the log, thus reducing its value.
The larval form is a borer that damages the wood.
A log deck in the wood is a natural attractant for the beetles. If the logs sit in the woods too long the beetles will get into them.
Spotted Pine Sawyer, Monochamus galloprovicialis.
Wild Wednesday … Seeing Stars
Shooting Stars
Just One Last Thing
Gallery
This gallery contains 10 photos.
Originally posted on Sneaking Bliss:
A phone call at 5:30 a.m. at our house is either from the East Coast (3 hours ahead) or someone needs help. At the first sound of Bernice’s voice, I knew Walt was in trouble.…
Forestry Friday … First Trip to the Woods
Bliss is a forester’s dog and this was her first day at work.
It’s her job to go to the woods. There’s no time like the present to start training her.
On her first day she got to play in numerous rivers and visit the redwoods. Not bad for a day one. I documented her day in the gallery below.
Bliss was nine weeks old on this outing. We needed a few breaks on the way to air out.
It’s always good to stop somewhere with a nice view. We were traveling through the coastal range.
Forester dog training 101, you have to be able to climb over logs! She wasn’t sure, but she mastered it.
Camera straps are apparently for “tug o war!”
Hollow trees are fun! I think she wanted to take this old Pacific Madrone home.
We have to deal with traffic jams out in the boondocks too.
Our destination Honeydew, California!
After visiting the logging job we stopped for a drink in the Mattole River.
She was my first dog to visit the Mattole River, and she got to do it on her first trip.
Bliss loves sand! It makes her play like crazy.
Under the big trees.
A girl has to pee, even in the redwoods.
Pacific Coast Iris, Iris tenax.
After posing, she’s ready to roll!
Leaving the big trees behind.
Another drink, this time from the Eel River.
This girl loves her sand! She plays on the banks of the Eel River.
Work is exhausting.
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