I realize it’s still autumn. But does this look like December 5? Our trees are still crimson, gold and amber — attributed to minimal rain and a mild autumn. We’re bracing for a storm next week which might send these leaves tumbling. But for now, fall lingers just outside my door. These photos were taken…
Yellow Star Thistle and the Reticular Activating System
Invasive plants and motivational seminars collide in my world. If you’ve ever attended a goal-generating seminar, you’ve probably heard the term Reticular Activating System (RAS) tossed around. It’s used in motivational circles to describe our physiological capacity to pay attention. The RAS is part of a large network in our nervous systems, controlling consciousness, sensory…
The Goldfinch and Thistle (A Pub With No Pints)
The Bay Area has a thistle problem, or so we hear, but goldfinches weren’t complaining on our hike yesterday. Here’s a photo of that Artichoke Thistle (Cynara cardunculus), taken last week in Tilden Park: And a few photos taken in Briones, where ongoing eradication has taken out bunches of the Artichoke Thistle in the grasslands:…
Everyday Translucence
I was filling up the compost pail and decided the items on my fridge deserved a photographic tribute for the good works they do.
The Art in Bull Kelp
I never appreciated kelp until, 1) I first saw this particular monster of a kelp, and 2) I saw close-ups of kelp shot by better nature photographers than I — capturing the golden palette of this gargantuan plant.
A Day in the Life of a Corpse Flower
Well, more than a day actually . . . It’s supposed to smell like rotting flesh, hence the name. But during our visit with the corpse flower (Titan arum) at UC Berkeley Botanical Garden, the plant was nice enough not to pulsate and stink up the joint. The smells come in pulses, often more pungent…
