July 31, 2003

You never know what you'll see out in the middle of the trail. It might be a colorful inch-and-a-half butterfly...

...or a 3-foot gopher snake.


July is a dry time around the slough uplands, but the Bull Thistles are thriving. I think this is the best looking of the three thistle species that are abundant on the Reserve, the others being Italian Thistle and Milk Thistle.


Here's a closer look at the flower.


This is Parson's Slough as the tide is coming in – shorebirds a-plenty and lovely patterns of mud, light, and water.