Woody's Adventures

Search

Skip to content

About
Arizona Trail 2015
Colorado Trail 2016
Continental Divide Trail 2017
Pacific Crest Trail 2014
San Diego Trans-County Trail 2016

Search for:

Continental Divide Trail 2017

Continental Divide Trail Gear List and Food

Like this:

Like Loading...

Recent Instagram Pics!

Calochortus panamintensis, the Panamint mariposa lily, is a stunning and rare (CNPS 4.2) wildflower that grows in high elevation pinyon/juniper woodlands primarily in the Panamint Mountains of Death Valley. We found several populations of this awesome plant over the weekend, but the one in the photos were the coolest because their stems were super short and they seemed to be just blooming straight from the rocky scree they were in! One of the things I love best about this species is the super subtle lilac tinge on the edges of each petal. What a freaking awesome plant, growing in one of my favorite places on earth! #calochortuspanamintensis #calochortus #panamintmariposalily #panamint #mariposalily #panamintmountains #deathvalleynationalpark #deathvalley #pinyonjuniperwoodlands #cnps #calflora #californianativeplantsociety #californianativeplants #botanizing #botanyisbitchin #rarespecies #rareplants #liliaceae

Blepharipappus scaber, not the prettiest name, but a very pretty flower. Don’t just look at it as a white daisy thingy but really take a look at it. Look at how each petal is three lobed. Look at each disc flower, see how weirdly wide open they are. Check out those stamen columns, so deep purple they’re almost black and with a purple stigma emerging above them. This is a crazy cool flower. #blepharipappusscaber #blepharipappus #asteraceae #asteraceaefamily #flower #flowers #floweranatomy #botanic #stigma #anther #petals #compositeflower #compositae #natureupclose #macroflower

Bolandra californica is a rare (CNPS 4.3) member of the Saxifrageace that grows in wet crevices and cliffs in the Sierra Nevada Mountains where I was lucky enough to find one for the first time the other day! I only just barely explored this area, next week I plan to go back and get up to that massive waterfall and on the ridges and peaks around it (see photo 4). I just know there’s cool things waiting to be found there. #bolandracalifornica #bolandra #saxifragaceae #saxifragefamily #rareplants #californianativeplants #cnps #calflora #sierranevada #floraofsierranevada #botanyisbitchin #botany #iloveplants #plantsofinstagram #plantsmakepeoplehappy

An unexpected arthropod in the NorCal vernally wet canals, it’s a Lepidurus!!! Some of you may recognize this little critter because their very similar relatives Triops are a popular pet for children! Just like sea monkeys (brine shrimp) to which these are related, they live in temporary ponds or other standing water that dries up in the summer. Their eggs are extremely drought tolerant and can sit in a dried state for years at a time, waiting for the rains to come and refill their tiny vernal pools. Their eggs are essentially like plant seeds. Ready to go as soon as water is added. People utilize this interesting habit by collecting dried eggs (I’m sure from farming them, not from the wild) and then selling them with little packets of food and you’ve got yourself a really neat little pet. I definitely remember sprinkling their eggs into a little plastic water tank and then a few days later there were the little things twirling around and growing fast! Today learned that you can tell Lepidurus from Triops by the plate in between the two “tails”. Lepidurus will have this plate and Triops will not. #lepidurus #notostraca #triops #arthropoda #arthropods #crustacean #arthropods_anonymous #arthropod #vernalpool #nature #aquatic #neverstoplearning #becurious

When I tell other hikers on trail that I’m really into plants the response I get is almost always, “Dude! The other day I saw this bright red thing coming out of the ground! I don’t know if it’s a plant or a fungus or what!” Alas it is this magnificent bright red monster of a plant commonly called snow plant (Sarcodes sanguinea). Although it’s not at all rare, it’s very unique and well worth everyone’s admiration! I love this this plant acts in a small part as a gateway drug to curing plant blindness on the trail. Its impossible to not stop and investigate this weird life form. It’s also easy to see how one may think it’s a mushroom of some sort at first, but a close inspection reveals the many flowers compete with petals, stamens and a stigma (see photo 2). What is missing is chlorophyll, as this plant doesn’t photosynthesize at all, but instead steals sugars from fungi in the soil which get them via a symbiotic relationship with the conifers they associate with. Technically the sugars are still from photosynthesis, but obtained through an intermediate organism. Let everyone else do the work right? All they have to worry about is making those sexy flowers to attract pollinators and reproduce. Nature is freakin awesome. #snowplant #snowplants #sarcodes #sarcodessanguinea #parasiticplant #mycoheterotroph #botanyisbitchin #botany #botanist #hiking #pct2019 #pct #pacificcresttrail #forestfloor #cnps #calflora #californianativeplants #floraofcalifornia #pineforest #forestry

Collomia grandiflora is such a perfect little plant. The flowers are instantly recognizable with their unusual peach color that fades lighter with time. This native plant is found pretty much anywhere there are forested mountains in California. #collomiagrandiflora #collomia #polemoniaceae #planttaxonomy #botanyisbitchin #botany #calfora #californianativeplants #californianativeplantsociety #wildflowers #nature #ecology

These don’t even look real. Its the crazy flowers of Tellima grandiflora, commonly called fringecups. It is in the family Saxifragaceae, and like a many members of this family, it likes to grow in moist, somewhat shady situations such as along wooded creeks and seeps. This plant is can be found Northern California along the coast, as well as in a few pockets north of Redding and in the northern Sierra foothills where I saw this one. #tellimagrandiflora #tellima #saxifragaceae #weirdflower #plantsofinstagram #plantsmakepeoplehappy #californianativeplants #cnps #botany #flowers #wildflower #prettyplants #wildflowers #nature #forestflowers #plantecology

Erythranthe barbata, the bearded monkeyflower... I really wanted to see this species of monkeyflower on my hike and I was super excited to see some near the Kern River by Kennedy Meadows. Little did I know I was about to enter Erythranthe barbata heaven in the southern High Sierra. No joke, there have been fields of them! All along rivers, little creeks and just everywhere in the decomposed granite flats and slopes that abound in this area of the PCT. Monkeyflowers are possibly my favorite genera of California native plants. Their diversity never leaves me bored. There’s always another monkeyflower species to find! #erythranthebarbata #erythranthe #phrymaceae #monkeyflowers #monkeyflower #botanyisbitchin #botany #californiabotany #calflora #californianativeplants #nativeflora #sierraflora #pct2019 #pct #thruhike

A thru hiking addicted scientist is in love with the natural world.

Search for:

About Me

sheriffwoody

I'm 27 years old and have loved being outside since I can remember. As a kid I liked catching bugs and putting them in jars, examining them, and then trying to figure out what they were by looking them up in a field guide. I was enthralled to discover something, then be able to identify it and then learn all about it. My interest in all life forms hasn't ceased. Next I became obsessed with reptiles and amphibians, then plants then birds and now fungi. The interest in one subject never waned but was added to all the other subjects since in the real world they all interact. I know a vast number of plant, animal and fungi species and love looking for them and photographing them. I also love to share my knowledge, which is the purpose of this blog! I graduated from West Virginia University in 2012 with a degree in horticulture and then promptly began thru hiking the Appalachian Trail with my friend Buzz Lightyear in June of 2012 and finished in early December. Then April of 2014 I left for the Californian/ Mexican border by myself unsure of what to expect. What I found was the most spectacular landscape imaginable and among this wilderness I met some of the most interesting, friendly and fun people there are. I am very thankful to all of you who made this journey what it was, I came into a world of wonder by myself and left with a whole crew of friends and adventurers.

View Full Profile →

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

%d bloggers like this:

	sheriffwoody on Day 32. The Grand Canyon!
	Michelle on Day 32. The Grand Canyon!
	sheriffwoody on Day 7. Roadwalking
	carol on Day 7. Roadwalking
	Richard on Day 1. Views from the Start

Share this:

Like this:

A thru hiking addicted scientist is in love with the natural world.