I don't remember having seen this flower before. It doesn't really stand out but it's beautiful.
The very first time I see one.
Although I was not looking for them, my attention got caught by a strange plant growing on the side of the trail. Big shiny green leaves with dark spots...
I looked closer, hoping to see some future flower growth of some sort and didn't find any. And then it dawned on me. Those barely noticeable things on the sides were flowers, and they were those Fetid Adderstongues I had heard about, but never seen before. Very cool.
The only one we saw today...
Along Brushy Peaks trail. Not sure what that is. A seedling? A fern just getting out of the ground?
Along the Brushy Peaks trail. We would never have paid any attention to them if the brighter part of those fungi was white. But it was pink...
Lots of then already along the New Almaden trail
I am not sure what this is. Looks like trumpets coming out of the tree trunk
Seen along the New Almaden trail.
Stunning, beautiful red mushrooms.
This Banana Slug was roaming around on the Sweeney Ridge.
I saw this Great Blue Heron flying low, very close and he landed very close to the parking lot. Seeing him land was quite a sight!
Saw this cute little cactus between a few big volcanic rocks, in the northern part of the park, in the petroglyphs area.
This pretty coyote was roaming around Kelso Depot (Mojave National Preserve).
He came quickly to my car and then waited, just as if he was expecting me to give him food. He's probably used to tourists feeding him :-(
Not sure if it's a little plant or a future tree...
We saw several of those in a limited area.
Nice big mushroom. I don't know how to identify them.
The second newt of the day, really close to the first one. Even though he was not moving fast, I was not fast enough to get his head. He went back to his hole.
The first one of the season. I didn't expect to see newts that early. I thought it would be more February/March.
Interesting fungus that looks like (pattern-wise) the shell of an oyster.
This was the season. At this time of the year, those little creatures are everywhere, especially close to water.
This mushroom looked nice but I don't know what it is.
It was the season... Those common wildflowers can be found all over the place.
"Regular" blue-eyed grass flowers were all around us when a small cluster of white flowers caught my attention. The first time I've seen the white version of this common wildflower.
Possibly the only one Elegant Clarkia I have seen this year.
