High Foothills Hike and Blueberries

I recently went for a hike in the pine forest of the foothills. I haven't done much outdoors in this habitat, so it was all new to me. Then I went to pick some blueberries at some farms in the area (east of Placerville).

I first noticed how red (nutrient-poor) the soil was

 And the trees were tall, maybe 70 feet+

 The contrast between the fire managed areas and those overgrown was stark on the ground. See the difference between above and below

 Some wildflowers, despite the recent heat

 This is a sugar pine, with very large pine cones (over 14 inches)

And here is one on the ground

 There was supposed to be a good view here...

 But it was just further down the trail

 I don't think this is a snow plant, but rather a coral-root orchid, but I could be mistaken

 A small bird's nest

 This is one of the many lakes at this elevation, providing power and water to the valley. Check out how full it is, with the submerged trees to the right

 Sierra peaks in the distance

 Mmmm, blueberries

Just up the hill are the bushes 

These raspberries will be ready in a few more weeks

The tape scares off the birds, as does that black box, which emits hawk sounds

The product of my labors, yum!

And a sunset to finish off

Orchids Vol. II - 2012 Pacific Orchid Exposition

As promised, another round of spectacular orchids. 

This time around, the Ft. Mason center held the expo with a golden gate theme. They raised prices, so  I won't be back, sigh.

 The displays were quite bountiful this year

 I'll go through a spectrum of color, starting with pure white

Strip it back

Add a little purple/violet

To a maroonish

And explode!

Hidden in the bamboo

This smelled divine

As did these, I could sleep with them on my pillow and die happy 

A tiny snail on a tiny orchid

Deep, deep red, my favorite, uncluttered, solid color

This one was puffy

 As was this, but lighter

Back to red

Spots

 Sharp yellow

Falling all over

Bright! Taxi anyone?

And green, this, cream and maroon were the colors of my sister's wedding

Curly

And the show-stopper

Orchid Overload Vol. 1

I've gone to the Pacific Orchid Exposition, the largest orchid show in the world, for the last several years. I'll probably take a break due to the price increases, but here are my amazing pictures of these exotic flowers.

I begin with some group shots

So many!

 This one was the size of my face!

And they had all these new ones with strange flowers

 Vampire orchids...

 Curly

 Great colors

 The show is held at Fort Mason, a series of warehouses with historical significance and lots of small businesses. The views are outrageous:

More to follow soon...