Tower 45 Terroir: Holocene Days

On Monday mountain bike rides up Albertson Fire Road, she sometimes stops at a high point along the way where the utility tower, so-called Tower 45, holds court on the flattened top of a ridge. Here she can take in a 360 degree view of the valleys below and of the mountains near and distant.… Continue reading Tower 45 Terroir: Holocene Days

November: Hill and Hawk Canyons

The light in autumn has its precise angles. It offers a sharpness, a clarity not encountered in the haze of summer. But fall, when life folds back into itself, to die or become dormant, to rest and rebuild, is a season that may appear to lack complexity, as if some of the depth that was… Continue reading November: Hill and Hawk Canyons

A Long-horned Bee: Subgenus Synhalonia

A male Synhalonia warming up for flight

Long-horned bee species that are active in the spring to early summer are in the genus Eucera. Synhalonia is the only subgenus of Eucera present on the North American continent. Synhalonia comprises 55 species, with most of them occurring in the western states. The three bees featured here might be of the same species, but… Continue reading A Long-horned Bee: Subgenus Synhalonia