Thursday, June 16, 2011

SFSIDMABNBA: Part 4

In March, we went on a Nature Conservancy hike to the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve. It's lovely, a real taste of what undeveloped Southern California must have looked like.
We had to tread carefully because the paths were covered with these little fuzzy dudes.
The Reserve has vernal pools--pools caused by the topography (ancient lava flows) that only fill with water in the spring--some of the largest in the country; they're filled with creatures, including endangered fairy shrimp.
Lots of wildflowers along the trail...
This woodpecker was hard at work doing what wood peckers do: pecking wood...
...as you can see, he and his fellow woodpeckers have filled this palm tree with California live oak acorns--always nice to have snacks available for later, don't you agree?
These are holes wherein Native Americans ground corn and grain...
We had a nice lunch under a gorgeous tree, listened to meadowlarks, and learned about moutain lion tracking. A truly lovely day! Every time we go for a hike, I'm reminded how much I really love it...

1 comment:

Andy's Attic said...

That looks like a great place to visit. Those wildflowers are so lovely. Much beautiful scenery.
Annette