nature
Friday, December 29, 2006 - 7:05pm
Here's another shot from that dive at Point Lobos. This guy is some sort of rock cod (maybe ling cod?) that I ran into at about 30 feet. Continuing with our discussion on interesting camouflage techniques, here's a cool example. Notice that there's a lot of red in this photograph. The coral is red, the fish is red, even those weird little shellfish stuck to the rock are red. A common thought would be that since everything is red, the fish must be camouflaged; however, that's not exactly the case.
Friday, October 27, 2006 - 4:44pm
Spot the butterfly yet? This guy was one of a kaleidoscope of Golden Hairstreak butterflies that I watched erupt from the ground, fly around for a bit and then apparently disappear as they land. The ground was covered in similar-colored leaves so that you really couldn't tell what was a leaf and what was a butterfly... which is, of course, the point if you happen to be a butterfly with an evolutionary will to survive.
Tuesday, August 8, 2006 - 7:52pm
Here's one more from my vacation to ECCO. The Common Buckeye. I wonder how the animal feels about having the word "Common" in its name. Humans are by far the most common primate. What if we were called "The Common Human"? Well, I'm glad the Buckeye is common. It's really pretty. The markings on the upper wing surfaces are quite striking. If they weren't so common, they'd probably be considered one of the most beautiful butterflies in the US.
Sunday, July 30, 2006 - 11:57pm
Here's another photograph from my trip to Family Camp at ECCO. They have this great pond on site that is just SWARMING with dragonflies. I've never seen so many concentrated in one area. I've never seen so many different species in one area either. Off the top of my head, I can think of nine species of dragonfly (not including damselflies) that make their appearance. This one, the Widow Skimmer, is by far the most common. In fact, there are more widow skimmers here than all the rest of the species combined.
Sunday, July 23, 2006 - 6:04pm
Ah, is there anything more generic than a time-lapse photo of a cascading waterfall? Probably not, but I don't care; it's pretty. This particular cascading waterfall is an upper section of Luis Creek.
Monday, June 12, 2006 - 10:55pm
Check out this little guy. It's cool when animals cooperate with you. I didn't even have to pick him up and place him on the rock. He decided to take a stroll of his own accord.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006 - 11:34pm
This is one of my favorite places of all time. I have a few, believe me, but this place is special. This is Kirkwood. Specifically, this is the top of the mountain, the double-black diamond lift, The Wall. The top of the lift (at the upper right of the photo) sits at about 9400 feet above sea level, with Thimble Peak above it towering to over 9800. I've skied here most of my life and if I'm extraordinarily lucky, I'll be skiing here with my kid when I'm my dad's age.
Friday, April 21, 2006 - 11:00pm
Remember what I said last time about showing the beauty that everyone else missed? Here's one. This is an American Rubyspot damselfly; not dragonfly, damselfly. You can tell because when it lands, it sticks its wings up and to the back. When dragonflies land, they stick their wings straight out to the side. Also, damselflies tend to be smaller. In any case, isn't he a elegant?
Friday, April 14, 2006 - 11:27pm
Can you believe this place? No, this isn't some mythical postcard studio, this is a real place. Humboldt Redwoods State Park is on Rt. 101 south of Humboldt proper. As you drive up 101 along the Eel River, you can take a side-road called the Avenue of the Giants, which brings you through some of the largest, oldest Coast Redwood trees in existence.
Wednesday, April 5, 2006 - 7:13pm
This photo was taken in May 2005 right across the street from our house. We had an unbelievable butterfly migration that passed right through Woodland.
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