/photo/ Recent content in Take a hike with me on Josie Lesage Hugo -- gohugo.io en Mon, 28 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000 /photo/sbi2022/ Mon, 28 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000 /photo/sbi2022/ Santa Barbara Island In 2022, I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to help the National Park Service (NPS) with their annual vegetation monitoring on Santa Barbara Island. This island is the smallest of the channel islands, and lacking the cute island foxes known from the other NPS islands – but it’s still a real treat to get to visit it. To get there, we took a helicopter. This was the first time I’d ever taken a helicopter, and for a short while, I was pretty sure I had made a career mistake and should have been a pilot instead… but then I realized there are no plants in helicopters. /photo/colorado2021/ Wed, 28 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0000 /photo/colorado2021/ In summer 2021’s brief lull in the COVID-19 pandemic, I went on a vacation to Colorado. I saw many cool insects, plants, and rocks - the landscape out there is lovely. These are some highlights from that trip. Denver As a plant nerd, I have to recommend the Denver Botanic Garden. It’s a gorgeous botanic garden with many charming sub-sections. And where there are well-loved and blooming flowers, you’ll also find insects! /photo/matilija2020/ Tue, 01 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000 /photo/matilija2020/ The Matilija Wilderness As a part of my survey work in the Thomas Fire Scar for the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, I visited the Matilija Wilderness in 2020 and 2021. It’s one of 10 wilderness areas in the Los Padres, and home to some gorgeous streams, cool plant communities, and peaceful backcountry camps. The Landscape The Matilija Wilderness is home to some of the headwater forks of Matilija Creek, a persistent stream that runs through the rugged landscape – making it a great place to backpack or visit waterfalls.