Mariposa Lily - a lone beauty on the hillside

Spring is a wonderful time at Santa Teresa park with dramatic wildflower displays.  It is fascinating to see the variety of wildflowers there.  Some,  like the Popcorn flower and the Jewelflower,  I have not seen on any of my hikes in other parts of the Bay area.  Photographs in the first half of this gallery were taken three years ago.  There is a dramatic variety of wildflowers seen - California Gilia, Checker-bloom, Cream cups to name a few.
The display of wildflowers this year is very different - dramatic poppy spreads, an unusual Chia color and the Buckeye butterfly.  It makes one aware of how much of a part weather and ecology play in the survival of these wild plant species.  This year we had much less rainfall, so the variety of wildflowers growing was much reduced.
After photographing these flowers, I was coming to the end of the trail, weary after a hot day.  I was looking forward to some shade and lunch, and hastening my step.  Suddenly a solitary splash of color on a dry hillside caught my eye.  It was one of the most beautiful displays of a Mariposa Lily I have seen.   It being a cluster of three made it all the more unusual and special, and made the entire hike worthwhile.
As I have spent hours identifying the flowers by name, it has been fascinating to study their shapes, colors and environment, and means of survival.  I hope these photographs will provide you with a window into the existence of these small yet vital elements of nature.

Mountain lion sighting - a rare and magical moment

As a photographer I am always looking to capture images of memorable moments, spaces and living beings.  Last weekend three of us set out to scour Mount Diablo Park for wildflowers.  I love this park - it has so many special things about it - beautiful rolling hills with spectacular views of the bay, some unique wildflowers like the Mt Diablo Globe Tulip, a variety of dragonflies, butterflies, etc.  I thought I had seen many facets of this park over numerous visits, but was in for a surprise.
As we drove into the park from the north side we were looking for a trail to hike on and photograph wildflowers.  From my window, in a ravine and on a path along the hillside, I saw what looked like a very unusual animal carrying something. We stopped and on closer examination saw that it was actually carrying a prey, a jackrabbit.  He was striding along with complete confidence, very comfortable in his own habitat.  By the time I took my camera out of the bag, he had gone down the slope and disappeared in the trees near the stream below.  Much to our surprise we saw another one just like him follow him, but he too was too quick for me to capture an image of him.  It was a double treat though!
After doing some research I concluded that we were lucky enough to get a very rare sighting of a pair of mountain lions.  We wonder if it was a pair taking care of a set of cubs and probably will never know.  On talking to the park ranger we were told  that it is very rare to see a mountain lion in the daytime(it was 11.36 am) so this was truly serendipitous. Especially so, knowing that their habitat is being destroyed and their population decreasing.  It is great that we are doing a lot at Mount Diablo Park to preserve their habitat.  Watching these animals roam free, made me wonder if I would ever be comfortable seeing them in captivity in a zoo.
And next time I go to a park, I'll remember to have my camera ready well before I reach it for that chance encounter with a special animal.  Wildflowers give one enough time to get the camera ready, but unexpected mountain lions don't!

Cliff Dwellings - a Window into an ancient United States civilization

      I had always had a deep desire to visit Mesa Verde Park, the location of the oldest and the largest collection of cliff dwellings in the United States.  These provide a look into the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo or Anasazi  people who lived here from 600 AD to 1300 AD.  Having always been intrigued by ancient architectural structures in different parts of the world, it was important for me to study this piece of history of the country that was now my home.
       At Cliff Palace, the largest cliff dwelling at the park, one can visualize a small township of people living in about 150 rooms.  Because of the proximity of the rooms, it is clear there existed a culture of co-operation and group participation.  This culture also displayed a level of sophistication - the dwellings were typically built on levels in a cliff, perhaps as a protection from the elements and invaders.  Kivas or ceremonial rooms were underground chambers used by Ancestral Puebloans to conduct healing rites or to pray for rain, luck in hunting, or good crops. They also served as a place for a group to stay warm as a fire was lit for rituals.  Overall the dwellings radiated an atmosphere of simplicity and peace. 
        It is surmised that these dwellings were abandoned due to a famine or drought.  Some inhabitants migrated to New Mexico and Arizona.  The modern pueblo people who live in these states today are probably descendants of the Anasazi people.
       There is so much one can learn from history today.  There is a  sense of wonder that people who did not have the kinds of tools and technologies we have today, were able to use ingenuity to build homes and survive.  It seemed possible for up to two hundred people to live in small spaces with simplicity and harmony, something which at times seems unimaginable in todays world.  It is refreshing to take a cue from a civilization like this.
       You can view the variety of images of this area here.

The Fall Season in Red Rocks Country, Colorado

         The Aspen trees are so prevalent in Colorado that there is even a town named after them.  Fall in south Colorado is made even more dramatic with red rock landscapes in the background.  The landscape in Colorado is very different from California even though some of the trees may be similar.  Photographing in fall also becomes more of a challenge because of frequent high winds.  At a time like this I am grateful for digital technology which enables me to take some images without a tripod in strong winds.
         It is fascinating to see how the trees rejuvenate after a fire.  The Aspen trees in fact show a tendency to reproduce well after a fire, getting nourishment from the  charred vegetation. Another interesting observation about the Aspen is that it reproduces by cloning sending out suckers from existing root systems.    It is yet another example of nature finding a way to survive and propagate.  The golden shimmer of Aspen leaves fluttering gives them the familiar name 'the Quaking Aspen' and is a truly dramatic part of the fall landscape.
       When I am busy photographing, I am often caught up in the majesty of the moment, admiring and capturing the scenes I see.  It is only after I return from a trip that I have a chance to reflect and analyse some of the impressions I took.  On further analysis I find that I have not only captured beautiful scenes but learnt a little more about natural selection, geology and geography also in the process, a great bonus.
      You can view the gamut of fall scenes in Red Rock Country here.

Fall in the Western United States

     The fall season in the western part of the United States has a drama of its own.  Unlike the east coast which has a varied tapestry of colors, in the west the sweeping golden color of the Aspen trees form tunnels and passages of gold.  Lake Tahoe, more popular for summer and winter visits, has a quiet calm and beauty about it at this time of the year.  I was pleasantly surprised to find so much to photograph on one October visit with friends.  I also found a dramatic color display along the Stanislaus river in Gold Country, California.
   A uniqueness about the fall season in the west is scenes of snow-capped mountains with splashes of color in the foreground.  The snow starts falling as the trees start turning color, giving us the indication of the passage of time and the changing of seasons.
   Photographing the fall scenes showed me that there is beauty everywhere and at all times - you just have to look for it.

The fascinating Geology and Geography of Grand Staircase Escalante

           As I photograph different areas of the remote Grand Staircase National Monument in Utah, I am grateful that it was declared to be a protected area in 1996. It protects a huge area of southern Utah encompassing the Grand Staircase in the west, Kaiparowits Plateau in the east and the canyons of the Escalante. The Grand Staircase is a geological formation spanning eons of time and is a territory of multicolored cliffs,  mesas, buttes, and canyons.

           It seems sacrilegious to mine for coal in these beautiful cliffs, which is what had once been intended for this area.  The unusual rock formations at  Devil's playground and the painterly colors at Kodachrome Basin Park and the Toadstools are truly geological wonders.   It has been a real pleasure to wander through these varied scenes each representing a different geological time, in a small area.  This area will draw me back again and again.  I hope to both capture what I see and study this area's geology in more depth.

Kaui - rugged, untouched and beautiful

           The Hawaiian islands mean different things to different people.  To many the pristine beaches are wonderful for family vacations and swimming and surfing.  To others, the beautiful oceanside resorts are a place to decompress and escape from the vagaries of the everyday routine.  And to the outdoor enthusiasts, the rain forests and other rugged areas have a rich choice of hiking.  That is what I have always loved about Hawaii - that anyone can find something to love in these islands, and in spite of the occasional crowds in popular places, there is a place for everyone.
           Not being much of a swimmer myself, to me the beach is often a place for reflection and looking to photograph the best sunrise and sunset.  I have found Hawaii to have some of the best sunsets of all the places I have photographed.  On a recent trip to Kauai, I wanted to focus on the more untouched areas.  I am glad that a large part  of the Napali Coast has been preserved and one has to work a little hard to see parts of it.  Having always had a love of exploring canyons, I finally found a chance to hike around the less traversed Waimea Canyon in Kauai.  I found it to be very beautiful and different from the Grand Canyon, even though it is often called the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.  It was carved thousands of years ago by rivers and floods that flowed from Mount Waialeale's summit.  With a lot more trees, varied vegetation and red volcanic ash, it has a character of its own.  It was well worth the strenuous hike to observe different parts of it.
            We often watch helplessly as many beautiful places in all parts of the world get destroyed with too much careless urbanization.  One can only hope that Kauai will remain as it is.