Small is Beautiful

During my walks one of my great joys is to find and photograph small things that might otherwise be passed by.

These discoveries feel like little surprise gifts - but I have to be observant and look closely.

Deer tracks are plentiful here, but when they're so well-defined and we share tracks, then I can picture a buck or doe on nightly grazing rounds. I wonder if they bother noticing human tracks? Probably not - no hunting here to cause alarm.

Now this little beetle seemed to be standing on his version of a soap box, ready to make an important announcement. Or maybe he was just showing off his fine red markings for a lady friend...





Another surprise is seeing these bright red manzanita leaves on the new growth of very young shrubs. This photo doesn't do the color justice. It can be brilliant and deepest maroon red, but usually these bits are only a couple of inches in height - easily missed.


One of the weirder finds on the cooler, shadier forest floor is what is called a Ground Cone (Boschniakia strobilacea). At first glance, they seem like dead pine cones, but if you look closely, they are quite something else.

I read that they are parasites that feed off roots deep below the surface. What we see on the ground is the head of a fleshy flower stalk with very small purplish flowers when in bloom. On one of my walks, they are everywhere beneath the pine trees.

I've had to postpone walks for the moment: We're having very hot weather and terrible, thick yellow smoke blown into our mountain valley from the large California wildfires. It's very hard to breathe outside. So for now, I continue to find photos of small treasures in my computer files.

I hope you find some interesting small things too.