The Inspiration for Floralore...
"A scientific interest in at least certain features of our natural environment, as for example the trees, shrubs or herbaceous plants, directs one to useful and agreeable intellectual activity. Accurate and detailed knowledge of even a small area lifts the possessor out of the commonplace and enables him directly or indirectly to contribute to the well-being and happiness of his community."
— Willis Jepson, Trees of California, 1921
Thoughts on Enjoying Nature on a Tight Budget...
Gas prices are falling back into the range where it isn't quite as painful to fill up after a day of getting out into Nature. You need to enjoy some time chasing flowers, or butterflies, or birds. Carson Pass is only about an hour's drive away, and that is about as far as you need to travel to have a marvelous day outdoors. I myself have been having a great time simply driving up Iron Mountain Road. I find plenty to look at. In fact I have been enjoying the area so much that I only just made my first trip to Carson Pass on 3 August! Normally I'd have been there six times already. I've been poking around on Silver Fork Road, along with a few other stops on Iron Mountain Road where I can expect to find good butterfly results.
And of course there are many places that are close enough to zip out for a look-see: granted that it's hot and dry around Placerville but what about Wrights Lake? And nearby Lyons Creek, both offer a nice hiking experience with a great array of typical Sierra plants. Better if you can go on a week day as Saturdays will see loads of people looking for parking.
Personally, I'd still see that at least one or two "exotic" trips would be worth the price of a tank of gas. Mt. Shasta or Point Reyes would be special. But if you choose to stick around within 25 miles, there is obviously a lot of variety to enjoy around the Ice House area and Bassi Falls.
Check out this stunning book: Laws Field Guide to Sierra Nevada
Without hesitation, I suggest this book could be the only book many people will need to learn about the flora and fauna of the Sierra Nevada! Not only does it cover everything: fungus and lichens, butterflies, moths, insects, birds, fish and mammals, but it even ends with plates of the night sky for each season!
If you want just one book to carry in a daypack, this is the one. It isn't a full guide to flowers, but it has illustrations and interesting details about a long list of the flowers you are most likely to find around our central Sierra. As for bugs and birds? If I'd had this book last year I would have identified the Spotted Sandpiper that I had never seen before.
Add butterflies to your list of fun things to look for! Anyone who loves to explore and photograph flowers should take a closer look at butterflies. I have to wonder why I never paid much attention to them, accepting that they made photos of flowers more interesting; I’ve been cheating myself by not wanting to know what I was seeing. Now that's changed; last year I started to collect photos and learning to ID them. I'm hooked. I already know that this season is going to be mainly about the butterflies, with flowers as the supporting cast.
It should be easy to add to my butterfly list; there are only 132 butterfly species flying around El Dorado County, and just 236 species in the whole state! I started late in the season last year (August) and still found about 30 species*. It is at least equally as much fun to find, then identify these wonderful additions to one's Nature wanderings.
I highly recommend the book Butterflies through Binoculars which is loaded with excellent photographs of the bugs we will see in this part of the world. While the Laws Field Guide does in fact have 10 pages of great butterfly illustrations, you will likely find that you will need to take photos and then compare them later. Sure, many butterflies can be identified in the field, but when you start looking at fritillaries you will see the need for a good photo for comparison.
I'm loving my new Pentax Papilio 8.5x21 Binoculars which focus down to 18 inches. These things are amazing! Like having a microscope to view the close-up world, butterflies, birds, and even flowers are more fun with these. If you enjoy viewing birds through binoculars, you can't imagine how truly spectacular it is to view a butterfly from five feet away and see the details as no photo will reveal. If you think these are an expensive luxury, imagine the long-term pleasure you will have with these along; go ahead, spend the money.
A Light Snow Year...
As I drove toward Carson Pass last weekend I was quite surprised at how little snow was still on the slopes! The picture shown here was taken amybe three years ago, and at about the same time in summer. So today the only snow remaining is a small patch just under the first peak on the right of the main summit shown here. So much for my plan to go overnight to get a sunrise picture. I guess I'll need another locatiuon. 
Welcome to Floralore!
The intent of Floralore.com is to encourage you to be curious, to observe Nature, and to grow in your understanding of the Nature that surrounds us, from the home garden to the forests, and even to the dinner table! Take a look at some produce items in the grocery store and see how they relate to the plants you find around here.
What is Floralore all about? There are many interesting spects of El Dorado County and the Eldorado National Forest. To get an overview of what the site contains, visit the next page...
[back to top]
