Winter Solstice

 

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Flowers & Fungi

 

Iris #1

I don't know why I still feel surprised to see flowers in December, when fungi should be reigning and the clouds raining too. The iris, Stropharia, and Hericium are from Pt. Reyes, while the Armillaria (honey mushrooms) growing next to a drain were found in front of someone's house along my city walking route. Just yesterday I noticed some currants flowering along Sunset Boulevard.

Iris #2

Stropharia ambigua

Hericium coralloides

Armillaria mellea

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Reef Walker

 

Exposed Reef at Drake's Beach, Pt. Reyes

Semipalmated Plover

Plover in Backlight

P.S. I looked out the back window this morning, facing east, and saw a really weird cloud that appeared to be glowing. I couldn't figure out where the light was coming from. It wasn't moonlight, and it wasn't city lights. Only later did I learn it was a "noctilucent cloud" created by a SpaceX launch at Vandenberg before dawn, as reported on SFGate. I thought about taking a picture of it, but too much of the neighbor's roof was obscuring a clean shot. Now I wish I'd photographed it anyway.

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