a little wild   (a small slice of wildlife)

A light snowfall last night made this morning a good time for a walk.

House finch:

I try to take a photo walk at least once every calendar month.  December was a bit of a failure in that regard, but I wanted to start the new year off right.  A rainy day meant lots of yummy droplets, and a healthy flow in the brook.

A four day backpacking trip, through REI.  Incredible experience!

The afternoon sun bleaches the land, so it’s probably not surprising that some of the best photos are sunrise and sunset.  Plus, during the day, the guides were driving us mercilessly, so who had time to take photos?

Morning sunlight through a dried Joshua tree branch:

How is it that I haven’t been to Rattlesnake Hill before?  Anyway, it’s just been preserved for nature, and to celebrate I made my first trip.

When you look under a rock around here, you often find little strands of silk.   I don’t know if they are fungal or insect/spider in origin.  They often have droplets on them, perhaps water but possibly not.  Always a great view.

The pine needle circles!  I had a previous photo published as Earth Science Photo of the Day: https://epod.usra.edu/blog/2018/11/pine-needles-sunlight-and-concentric-circles.html

Who knew fern leaves decayed so beautifully?

Chironomidae midge

Cyclosa conica

The days are getting shorter.  The trees are raging against the dying of the light.