Safe snow play in the Central Sierra

          El nino has been delivering upon its promise of a wet winter here in the Sierra Nevada. With the abundance of snow, many people are heading up into the mountains to recreate and enjoy the beauty of winter. It is wonderful to bring someone to the snow for their first […]

Belted kingfisher. photo courtesy of John Benson (source: Flickr).

Enjoying our local wildlife – an encounter with the belted kingfisher

If you live in the Central Sierra Nevada foothills, you may be familiar with one of many intricate “ditch” canal systems that are laced among our forests. Local water companies currently use these canals as a way to convey water from rivers or reservoirs to their customers. Often there are well-established dirt trails following these […]

A pacific chorus frog waits for its next meal amongst its fellow insect-eaters, the sundew plant. Note the sticky red-tentacles of the sundew which lure and then trap its insect prey. Photo by James Patrick Kelly.

The Amazing Pacific Chorus Frog

The Pacific Chorus Frog, Pseudacris regilla, aka tree frog, has always been a creature of curiosity for me. As each winter ends the song of the chorus frog announces the coming of spring, when the nighttime temperature reaches above 40 degrees. I get excited the first night that their call rings through the air (which […]