Gooseberry Wizened



Dried and prickly, a few berries survive the birds and the heat.

Manzanita



A starkly beautiful and stately specimen.

Tarweed Season

Holocarpha heermannii is everywhere with its vivid gold and distinctive odor.

Bay Berries Grow Large



Apearing now amongst all that lush laurel green.

From Little Acorns



The live oak acorns are bursting forth.

Ant Complex



These are much larger than the ants that come in the house. The unusable chaff is strewn around.

Looking North



A clump of buckeye and bay and some interesting clouds.

Another Mysterious Entrance



Whose front door is this?

Ghostly Branches



Dead trees against the dead grass.

Quail Trails



Dancing in the dust.

Summer Sunset



Frustrating to never capture the beauty of the sunset in photographs or words.

A Rattlesnake Summer



Snake found on back patio on the hottest day of summer. Dog attempted to engage with him.

Live Oak Acorns



Beginning to form in late summer.

Dry Creek Bed



Where water once flowed, now it's just rocks.

Mountain Penstemon



An unexpected treasure, a last wildflower in the meadow. The penstemon are plentiful in the area we cleared a few years ago. I'm waging war with the invasive tocalote in the hope of making room for more wildflowers.

Still Mule's Ears



Raggedy from the bugs but still spreading daisy goodness.

Vivid Manzanita



Providing wonderful contrast.

Who Lives Here?



Holes of all sizes appearing around the ranch under rocks and trees.

Unidentified Late Summer Flower



Past flowering in the remains of the meadow.

Bugs on Flower



This flower is only seen in one place on the ranch. It blooms in July and attracts a large insect. A buzzing sound accompanies the bloom.

Bay Laurel



Umbellularia Californica forms berries while providing lush green.

Gooseberry, the Berries



Ribes menziesii is losing its leaves, leaving just berries.

Gooseberry, Ribes Menziesii



The gooseberry is survivng the heat by losing most of its leaves. This voluntary defoliation will get it through the dry season.

Live Oak Adorned by Clematis



Cascades of mountain clematis "mop heads" transform the live oak.

Carpenteria



Thriving in this drought year and blooming late into the summer, there are still blossoms on the Carpenteria Californica.

Chapparral Summer



Typical foothills landscape, lots of live oak and yerba santa and, of course, poison oak.

Whisker Brush



Yet another case of lingering wildflowers, linanthus ciliatus floats in a sea of dead grass.

Lichen Peeking Out



Always something interesting emerging from under a rock or a log.

Poison Oak Grove



The garnet tones of the leaves of three among the pine needles and granite.