Population What?

Dan and I were rather amused by this sign...

Not Quite our Mascot

I went to Berkeley High School, home of the Yellowjackets... this wasp is the first I've ever seen that was yellow and red (like a yellowjacket which, to be accurate, is a kind of wasp). Dan and I noticed this one sitting on a rock where we decided to have lunch at the 49 Palms Oasis while hiking in JTree. There were a LOT more that had built their nest in the 'beard' of one of the palm trees. No, we didn't count to see whether there were actually 49...

Elephant Guard

This rock elephant kept watch over our camp site while Dan and I were in Joshua Tree.

In from the cold

This is one of my favorite types of orchid; we've had it out on our front porch a long time, and it has been pretty happy, but 40s is too cold for it, so we brought it inside. I am going to try taking a variety of pictures of it, as it blooms. It happens to be sitting in front of a mirror, though this picture doesn't make that very clear, so once we clear off the dining table to give a better (i.e. neater) background, I may try some reflections...

Adonis

I am fairly sure that this is an Adonis Blue, which I caught outside my aunt & uncle's cabin near Lake Tahoe.

Lurking

I was the one lurking, really... this may be a Bay Checkerspot, which is an endangered species.

Brooding...

Lake Tahoe from Donner Pass

Intertwined

A house not far from ours has both a honeysuckle (or jasmine, I can't remember) and a gorgeous passionflower, growing on the front fence. It's on the way to and from BART, and when their in bloom, they're very pretty and they smell amazing.

Tall

Which way is up?