Santa Clara County is a special place for me.  After arriving in 1965 safely tucked in a cardboard box between my parents, my residency has only been interrupted by education.  At this point, I have called this valley home for around fifty years.  That’s a lot of life lived in one place!  The abundance of … Read more

Whenever I travel to the Pacific coast of Southern California I inevitably take a few moments to admire the Channel Islands.  There’s just something inviting about them, something that beckons me to take a closer look, and perhaps finally plan a long-delayed visit.  Perhaps its like the curiosity I have about my European relatives.  While … Read more

There has been much talk lately in the news about California’s stagnant population. For the first time in our state’s history, new immigrants and births have been balanced by folks leaving. Among the emigrants’ complaints are housing prices and cost of living. Few – if any – would list our climate as a motivating factor … Read more

As we enter the winter season, our eyes are naturally drawn in appreciation to native evergreens. Their vibrant green reflects the winter sunshine as they are invigorated by the first rains of the year.  Among the evergreens we catch the bright red glow of clusters of toyon berries.  Robins and cedar waxwings will enjoy the … Read more

Talk to me about plants, and you’ll find me referring to many types as “one of my favorites.”  After a while it may seem that I have so many favorites that the designation doesn’t mean much.  They’re all my favorites, those native plants of ours. That said, some do stand out.  California’s bushmallows of the … Read more

Have you ever discovered a native plant growing naturally in your neighborhood? There are many that have managed to maintain a foothold during wave after wave of human-driven land transformation. In Santa Clara County, one immediately thinks of toyon, Heteromeles arbutifolia, coast live oak, Quercus agrifolia, and Telegraph weed, Heterotheca grandiflora, as conspicuous survivors. These … Read more

  The rose family, Rosaceae, is one of California’s most diverse group of plants. Found throughout the world with thousands of members, the rose family also fills California with over three hundred respresentatives. Although we are all used to to the multi-colored hybrid roses that fill our neighborhoods, most members of the rose family bear … Read more

Santa Clara County is home to about 11 species from the genus Ceanothus, commonly referred to as California lilac.  As with many ceanothus, our local species are found in dry, mountainous settings usually in ample sun.  Their glossy evergreen foliage is covered with white or blue flowers in spring.  While many ceanothus are available in … Read more

In the morning of June 5 we continued down Higgins Creek toward Lost Valley Creek.  After several creek crossings we arrived at the open meadows of Lost Valley and lost the trail entirely.   Since we knew the direction we needed to go we decided to bushwhack our way.  This involved pushing through dense chaparral … Read more

We spent the evening admiring the aerial acrobatics of a healthy bat population and then enjoying the starfield in this remote area.  In the morning we noted that our camp at the head of the Tan Oak Creek drainage was at the eastern edge of a recent fire.  The burned trees were still standing, usually … Read more