Growing in clusters at the top of a bristly, 1-2m, gray-green stem, the flowers of telegraphweed (Heterotheca grandiflora) are a striking yellow.
The plant is native to California. From a Fall run at Sage Ranch.
Rabbitfoot grass (Polypogon monspeliensis) along a vernal stream course in East Las Virgenes Canyon in Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve (formerly Ahamanson Ranch).
This grass is not native to California. From a run in October.
After chugging up the long climb, I pause on the crest of the hill. Open space surrounds me. In a nearby oak, small birds twit and twitter, preparing for the night. In the distance coyotes yip and yell, an announcement on one hilltop, and an answer on another. A cold ribbon of wind brushes against my leg.
I take a deep breath and smile. At sunset the day melds to an end, becoming rich with sights, smells, and sounds. In the moment, senses converge and thoughts coalesce.
There is form in the oak’s twisted limbs. A dove dives from its branches, and I turn for home.
Related post: Return of the Afternoon Sun
More delicate than the finest holiday crystal, the leaf segments of this coffee fern (Pellaea andromedifolia) are covered in tiny spherical water droplets. The largest of these droplets is about the size of the head of a pin, the smallest perhaps the size of a grain of salt.
Initially green, coffee fern turns various shades of red, brown, or purple with age.
From a run in the Boney Mountain Wilderness in Pt. Mugu State Park on Saturday.
Some related posts: T-storms and Trail Work, Return to Hidden Pond