Fruits ripen on a White flowering currant, Ribes indecorum
Closer view of flowers on a Hoary leaved ceanothus, Ceanothus crassifolius. I suspect I was trying out my extension tube to see how close of a view I could get.
Flowering Hoary leaved ceanothus, Ceanothus crassifolius
A wandering stem of a Wild Cucumber (Chilicothe), Marah macrocarpa, whose tendrils seem to mimic a very long-legged insect crawling through the air.
The thick, wavy leaves of a Sugar bush, Rhus ovata, with flower stocks covered in unopened buds, who will shed their red coverings when they blossom.
Ramona (Woolly leaf) ceanothus, Ceanothus tomentosus starting to bud
A longer exposure of that stream, as it cascades over rocks, shows its flow as a blur in an otherwise sharp photo.
Water flows towards the trail in a temporary stream that I presume only occurs during the wetter times of the wettest years.
base of a newly sprouting Southern tauschia, Tauschia arguta, the dried stalk of which is in the previous photo.
Last year's seed head from a Southern tauschia, Tauschia arguta
Underside close-up of the nightshade flower.
Probably Parish nightshade, Solanum parishii, but that plant's leaves are usually more pointed (acute), while these look blunt (obtuse).
Southern tauschia, Tauschia arguta
Moss grows green in the golden sun
Green moss mounds into the sun on a boulder face that otherwise slopes away from it
Close-up of a pool of water under a boulder. Somehow the pictures never capture the true thrill.
Dad stands next to a pool of water under a massive bolder that fascinated him
Sun catches a few wisps of clouds against the grey sky, while a turkey vulture flies overhead.
Close-up of the horseshoe loop where the curls of a Wild Cucumber (Chilicothe), Marah macrocarpa tendril change direction
After the tendrils of Wild Cucumber (Chilicothe), Marah macrocarpa grip onto something for support, as the plant adds tension to the tendril, each end curves in opposite directions, producing these horsesshoe shapes where the curl changes direction.
A Wild Cucumber (Chilicothe), Marah macrocarpa, produces flower spikes as it grows.
Thick veins contrast against sunlight shining through leaves of a Coffeeberry, Frangula californica, plant
Thick veins contrast against sunlight shining through leaves of a Coffeeberry, Frangula californica, plant
Close-up of flowers on a Wart-stem (White coast) ceanothus, Ceanothus verrucosus
A snow shower falls near an antenna site on Vulcan Mountain
White flowers dapple this Wart-stem (White coast) ceanothus, Ceanothus verrucosus, as white snow decorates the mountains beyond
A butterfly blends in with dead leaves on this Manzanita
The previous panorama was intended to be stitched together with the photos in this panorama of Cuyamaca Mountain, but I underestimated how much that tree in the middle would interfere with the stitching.
Hey, I already did Vulcan Muntain....
A turkey vulture flies somewhere in the miles between us and a sunny hill to the north, as a cloudburst partially obscures Palomar Mountain beyond.
Cloudbursts, possibly snow showers at higher elevations, are visible to the north
Acorn on a California scrub (Torrey's hybrid) oak, Quercus Xacutidens
... whereas this log has been decaying for so long that it is now more fungus than oak.
This tree must have fallen relatively recently, fro how fresh the exposed wood is.
A wider view of the same plant
This was planted along an early portion of the trail. It doesn't appear to be anything native that I can recognize. Its leaves look like ranunculus leaves, and its flowers remind me of barberries.
Parked along the 67 near the Mt. Woodson trailhead, we can see snow covering mountains to the east. I'd guess this is Laguna Mountain.
We stop at Wright's Field for a quick geocache. A Turkey vulture circles around us.
A raven glides through the cloudy sky
A few unripe berries on a Toyon, Heteromeles arbutifolia.
Mushrooms grow out of mulch placed along the road
An Anna's Hummingbird chases an insect - presumably the little white dot near it (or maybe that's the one that got away)
Acorn woodpckers in a tree in someone's yard by where we parked
Golden-hour sun turns lush grasses covering fault-folded hills golden-green near Warners Ranch on the S2
Snow blankets Vulcan Mountain's east slope as sun catches plateaus of grasses along the mountain's peak ridge
Brittlebush, Encelia farinosa flowers are illuminated by late-afternoon sun sneaking between dark clouds in June Wash
Greg photographs a Common phacelia, Phacelia distans in front of some brilliantly lit Brittlebush, Encelia farinosa
A painted lady refuses to stay still long enough for me to get a good photo of it on this Common phacelia, Phacelia distans
A painted lady nectars on a Common phacelia, Phacelia distans
The same White flowering currant, Ribes indecorum, from a more dramatic angle