California maiden-hair
Adiantum jordanii
Pteridaceae

If I had a garden of my dreams, this is the one native fern I would definitely include. I suspect it would require quite a bit of moisture and could be challenging to grow in an artificial setting. That's Garland's waterfall in the background of the third photo, which had water running after a week of decent rain. Interestingly enough, this is not CA's only maiden-hair fern; there's another called southern maiden-hair (Adiantum capillus-veneris) that looks a lot like cilantro, the herb staple of many salsas.

habitat ~ 06/15/09 ~ McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park

McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park

June 15, 2009

I would definitely go back to this park again! We managed to snag the very last campsite. Amazingly I discovered it simply by looking online for state parks with showers. The falls are prettier than any picture I can capture. We loved seeing the halo in the sky through the trees. We'd like to think it was a circumzenithal arc for its cool name, but ours had red on the inside. That's Lake Britton, btw.

habitat ~ 05/13/09 ~ Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park
May 13 - 15, 2009

I am so glad we went before Memorial Day for the waterfalls and dogwoods. It didn't feel too crowded to me considering it's Yosemite and compared to the packed summers I remember from 20 years ago. Although, my husband would have preferred more solitude.

ps 10/08/11 - For the record, Mirror Lake is considered more a pond than a lake.

Garland Ranch waterfall
April 8, 2006

This is the most water I have ever seen here thanks to lots of rain this spring.