This pesky invasive that looks like a giant dandelion when in seed is a recent introduction to the Sagehen Basin.
Please help us eliminate them by pulling them out by the root and putting in the trash to avoid seed dispersal.
Beautiful jewel beetle with shiny black raised patterns.
We've seen several this week and in past years. Their visits seem to be associated with fresh wood chips in the parking lot.
P. occidentale and californicum are on the basin plant list, so it's likely one of these.
Purple blossoms; two plants growing in tall grass under a willow near the creek.
These trees are becoming rare in the basin as fire is suppressed and evergreens advance.
Those that remain get abused by sapsuckers who damage the thin bark in order to attract nutritious insects.
Brown morph, about 3-cm, cute :)
We don't see many frogs here at Sagehen. When we do see Chorus Frogs, they always seem to be in rather dry and frog-unfriendly places like Wyethia meadows, a highway undercrossing, or under my door stoop, like this one.
There are two species here at Sagehen: D. rotundifolia, and D. anglica.
They were just emerging on this date, about the diameter of a dime. They'll get about as big as a silver dollar.
Butterfly ID is hard for me! We have both Crescents and Checkers on the same flowers, but I'm pretty sure this is a Crescent...
Swallowtails tend to be a bit uncommon at Sagehen. But this year, I saw dozens of these Pales puddling near the fishhouse.
I also saw several of the yellow Tiger Swallowtails.
This was a fantastic sighting! These frogs haven't been spotted in the Sagehen basin for many years.
Walter and I both saw at least two frogs.
A luscious thicket of the infertile stems.
Three small patches under the drip-line of pine trees in the dry meadow across the creek from the Lower Camp.
This invasive grass turns reddish-purple when the seeds are ripe. It's easy to pull out. Please do so, and throw the plants in the trash to prevent seed dispersal.
Like watercress, which it resembles, Cardamine grows in shallow, still water and sometimes produces a beautiful, tiny white flower.
