Russian Ridge
Here are some pics from a visit to
Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve on Monday.
Views from the trail.
California fuchsia is one of the few flowers still in bloom.
Star thistle = spiky owie.
A brilliant yellow bigleaf maple leaf.
The trail.
Dead California asters.
Dead milk thistle.
Poison oak is brilliant red in the afternoon light.
A tiny western fence lizard basks at the side of the trail.
A California bay laurel leaf near Alder Springs.
This praying mantis seems to be saying, "Oh, really?"
This leafless buckeye is full of seed pods.
A deep brown acorn on the trail.
Most of the hillsides are dry and exposed to the sun, but a few ferns manage to keep a foothold in a couple of gulches.
More dead California asters.
Dead annual grasses form a golden carpet on the hillside.
The view back up the trail from Alder Springs.
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