Hidden Villa

What can I say? I love everything about the place, from visiting the farm animals to the fantastic trails to the historic Duveneck house. This time of year the lichens and fungi attract attention... mine, at least...

After the rain

A dry winter in NorCal so far, but we got a splash the last day or two. Foothills Park is vibrant and starting to spring...

Two varieties of Hericium, on nearby logs... H. erinaceus...

... and H. coralloides...

Moss, yerba buena, and miner's lettuce among downed bay laurels...

Moss (Dendroalsia?) likes the weather...

Lichens are likin' it too...

Silk tassel (Garrya elliptica), peak bloom... up close the flower looks like a chain of lacy bells...

Bay laurel doing what it does best...

Something yellow and slimy...




And some wee club-like fungi, sharing space with some wee ripe puffballs...

Only in the California Native Plant Society Bulletin...

"Making friends with mosses and liverworts adds panache to one's naturalist mojo." Far be it from me to disagree... I just might have to sign up for the new statewide Bryophyte Chapter!

Your FSA/OWI Photo of the Day

Russell Lee was one of the best New Deal photographers, but clearly dude couldn't tell a lichen from a moss...

Jackson County, Oregon. Detail of moss-covered rail fence. Russell Lee, 1942.

Here it is, your moment of Zen...

... or eight seconds, to be precise. Look, don't make fun of me, it's my first video taken by phone. Turn up the volume for soothing drip-drops...