Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

A month or so back I did a wildflower post focused on desert wildflowers, and promised to get to the alpine flowers in another post. Then I got distracted... so here is a collection of alpine flowers from the Washington Cascades and a few from the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. These first 2 are more sub-alpine flowers, found in the forests. I'm not actually sure what this is. This is a saprophyte--it gets nutrients from the soil, not photosynthesis.     This one grows in wet places, both above and below tree line, and in both mountain ranges. Shooting star. In fact, most of these flowers grow in both the Cascades and the Sierra, though some show variations between. This one, I think, is Cascades only. At least, I don't think I've seen it in the Sierra. Pasque flower. The gone-to-seed stage.  Believe it or not, this is the same flower, in bloom. I wish I had a picture of the in-between stage, because it looks totally different again. Sadly, none of those shots came

In honor of Valentine's Day this week, I'll share some of the many flowers that my husband, rather than bringing to me, and gone with me to see. I like it better that way. (I don't promise I haven't shared any of these photos before). First the desert. Most of these are from Death Valley or Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in southern California. Brittlebush, the old reliable. There's usually some in even the driest years. Brown-eyed primrose Sand verbena Phacelia Beavertail cactus. Into the heart of the beavertail Prickly poppy in the Panamint Dunes, Death Valley NP Desert primrose, Eureka Dunes, East Mojave Natural Preserve. On second thoughts, I think I'll let the mountains wait until another time! Have a great weekend, and my the flowers in your life be as nice as these. ©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2018 As always, please ask permission to use any photos or text. Link-backs appreciated!

Today's Photo Friday post is photos taken on a recent visit to Ashland, Oregon (mostly on a dayhike at Grizzly Peak). Mostly, though, they were me learning to use a new camera, the Lumix DMC-ZS100. The change of camera cost me a bit with regard to the macro, but the test was to see if the additional clarity (it has a much larger sensor than my previous Lumix) would compensate. It looks like it does, though it requires a little more work in post-processing. Note: this isn't a camera review. For that, check out the assessment by a pro at Photoseek.com . We were visiting a friend, and in training for a pack trip, so instead of spending a lot of time in town, we went for a hike (we did go wander around downtown afterwards, but I didn't take photos). We drove about 20 minutes out of town and did a very popular 5.5-mile loop on Grizzly Peak. Wildflowers were still blooming with enthusiasm. The meadow made this feel a lot higher than it is. Mt. Ashland is just visible behind the t

It's been a long time since I did a photo special, but I have some good shots to share from a late-March visit to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, in southern California. The area got some hype this year about a super-bloom, and while it was maybe a bit exaggerated, we certainly found good flowers, and far more than we've seen in recent years. The drive down from San Francisco is a long one, but it was nice to see the hills covered in green (and a fair number of California poppies). We began our trip with something new (for us): a 60-mile bike ride that took us up into the hills to the west, to have lunch in the town of Julian before a glorious descent back to the park (and the heat). Pre-sunrise breakfast before starting to ride. We needed an early start to beat the heat and the traffic. Started right off with the looooong climb out of the valley. This was just the beginning. After the first  dozen miles, we got a respite in Ranchita. Where they seem to revere Bigfoot (more on