The Summer of Stoneflies

The summer of 2022 was our most stonefly-y summer yet. After making a connection with a stonefly expert – Dave Burton the previous summer – we were on the hunt, with our eyeballs dialed into these prehistoric-esc insects. Autumn Needlefly Despaxia augusta Purcell Needlefly Pomoleuctra purcellana LEFT: This Autumn Needlefly was swept from stink currant along a...

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Deadfall & Falling Over Dead, iNatting the Tchaikazan-Spectrum-Yohetta Loop

Mid-August of 2022 hubby Trevor and I took a leap of faith and completed the Tchaikazan River, over Spectrum Pass, Around Dorothy Lake, and through Yohetta Valley loop. It would turn out to be one of our favorite trips, and so-called “honeymoon.” This blog is a trip log, which may prove useful for those interested...

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Itchy in the Itchas. iNatting in the Itcha Ilgachuz Provincial Park

Float plane. Woodland Caribou. Artic-like tundra. Old cabins. Interesting Insects. Those are just some of the things we experienced on a recent backpacking trip in the interior of British Columbia. Take a read, or just look at the photos of this trip log in the Itcha Range of the Itcha Ilgachuz Provincial Park, which we...

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Oooo La La Orchids, Costa Rica Blog pt. 3

“We’re going to Costa Rica to look for orchids.” Orchid hunting is probably not the first reason you’d think to travel to Costa Rica for. Most people go for the jungle, wildlife watching, the beaches, the “adventure” activities, or bird watching. While we definitely went to look for birds, wildlife, and other plants, orchids were...

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Three Months in Fernbrook, What Two Naturalists Got Up To

From the end of January till the end of April 2022 we lived in an adorable Airbnb in Fernbrook, CA. This tiny unincorporated community is next door to Ramona, in San Diego County. When talking to San Diego locals no one had heard of Fernbrook, which just illustrates its tinyness and its seclusive nature.  We...

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Nature Journaling, Monday to Friday: Backyard Flowers

I had a mad craving for some nature journaling last week. So I took to our current “backyard” in the outskirts of Ramona in a small community called Fernbrook which is in the county of San Diego, California. Nature journaling is a super-duper way to connect with nature, at the landscape or macroscopic level. Journaling...

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Naturalist Trip Log, Costa Rica, pt. 2

Orchid hunting, bird stalking, and insect photography were just some of the endeavors husband Trevor and I did while traveling around Costa Rica from late 2021 to early 2022. This blog is a trip log of what we got up to, photographs of who we saw, and a few short stories. Instead of a short novel, which I’m prone to write, I decided to organize this blog like a Q & A, hope you enjoy…

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What’s going on with these lichen-covered leaves? Costa Rica Blog Pt. 1

The gloriously lush jungles of Costa Rica. This photo is from the La Fortuna area. Walking into a tropical jungle for the first time is overwhelming. While I’ve been lucky to do so in a few countries over the last five-ish years the wonder and amazement never fades. One characteristic that puts a twinkle in my naturalist’s eyes is the abundance of foliage. LUSH green leaves, frons, moss, lichens, of the diverse plant life, appear…

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