Summer has Arrived...
What a strange season! It's almost 4th of July and yet I am only just starting to see flowers blooming at 5000ft and above. We are about a month behind.
Take Your Camera for a Walk
Go out and walk around the river areas or local parks. Take some photos to practice your close-ups or landscape shooting. Then review your photos, and read your flora guides.
The Law’s Field Guide is a surprisingly comprehensive reference for such a small, packable book. It includes just about all the common (and many not-so-common) things you‘re likely to stop and look at — from oak galls to animal scat! Certainly it will help will with its quick guide to flower families, and even a pretty complete list of bugs and birds, and most common butterflies.
If You Find a Plant that isn't Familiar, Here's How to Find an ID:
First and foremost, really look at the plant and make a few notes. Look at the flowers (assuming it’s blooming!) and count the petals, the stamens, pistil(s), and note the sepals. I have a "Ten Plant Parts You Should Know" page that will help if these are new terms.
Touch the leaves; note the leaf edges, note how the leaves are arranged along the stem (opposite each other? alternating?) Make a note of what you see as the most distinctive characteristic of the plant. Is it aromatic? rough like sandpaper? sticky? You might want to use a cheat sheet to remind you of the details that will help you look things up later.
Second: take a few good pictures! I see plenty of out-of-focus shots that resulted from a person not familiar with how to set their digital camera for a close-up (like from 24" or less). Even if you stand back, get the camera focused and shoot: 1) a flower shot, 2) the entire plant, or at least something with leaves showing; and 3) a general habitat shot (like was it shady? sunny? what else growing next to your mystery plant?) Check the photos as you take them. Blurry? Erase it and shoot again.
Later, in the comfort of your home, the cheat sheet and a few photos will help you zero in on at least the plant family, perhaps even the species.
When you use your plant guide and arrive at a conclusion, you can check Calflora to look up the botanical name (don't forget to set the area to El Dorado County) and see pictures that will help confirm your notion. You can also check What grows here. Still stumped? You can send me a photo and I will try to help.
