iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

A year after planting this chapparal currant (Ribes malvaceum) has put on more than 3’ of growth & is flowering enthusiastically! As a west-coast native, it no longer should need irrigation as it’s adapted to a winter-wet/summer-dry climate. Bumblebees have visited it but were too shy for photos.

Photo of a chapparal currant (Ribes malvaceum) with pink flowers. Taken 2/27/26.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 29/08/2025

For comparison, the same view south towards #MtJefferson last July.

View looking south from ~6.4k' elevation above Paradise Park on Mt Hood, with Mt Jefferson rising in the far distance. Taken 7/18/24.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 29/08/2025

The Paradise Park loop from Timberline on #MtHood today lived up to its reputation today for outstanding scenery, although the view south towards #MtJefferson was very smokey.

View of Mt Hood from ~6.2k' elevation above Paradise Park, with a high-elevation whitebark pine to the left side. Taken 8/28/25.

View looking south from ~6.2k' elevation above Paradise Park on Mt Hood, with Mt Jefferson towards the left in the far distance but fairly obscured from smoke. Taken 8/28/25.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 25/08/2025

The big volcanoes (e.g., Mt St Helens, Mt Shasta, & Mt Rainier) get the bulk of attention, but the distributed volcanic fields between them are more attainable for novice adventurers, with some having non-technical ascents with terrific summit views.

Panorama from summit of Belknap Crater looking along spine of the central Oregon Cascades from north (left) to south (right), taken 7/11/25. Summit is a walk-up along a user trail from the PCT near McKenzie Pass (visible as the highway, OR-242, below).

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 25/08/2025

I can't fathom eating marmot, regardless of how it's prepared!

Yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris) near the shore of Thousand Island Lake in the Ansel Adams Wilderness in the Sierra Nevada, taken 6/12/12.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

A little Oregon Sunshine can be a joy in late spring and a favorite of native pollinators, but by late August it would be nice if the weather followed the lead of Eriophyllum lanatum and chilled a bit. #NativePlants

A close-up of flowers on Eriophyllum lanatum (commonly known as Oregon Sunshine), taken 5/31/25.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

I went up to Jefferson Park & Park Ridge last week via Whitewater Trail, which now goes through a pyrolytic hellscape. But the payoff was fantastic!

Mt Jefferson above a field of lupine along the PCT between Jefferson Park & Park Ridge. Taken 8/13/25.

Mt Jefferson rising above Scout Lake in Jefferson Park. Taken 8/13/25.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

Boundary West Trail from Hummocks near Mt St Helens is ~8+ miles/1.8k' gain. Palmateer Pt/Twin Lakes loop (~9 mi/1.5k' gain) & Chinidere Mtn (4+ mi/1.1k' gain) also have great views. Multnomah Falls/Wahkeena Falls loop (5 mi/1.6k' gain) is steeper but partially paved. All w/i ~2 hr from Portland.

View along Boundary West Trail in Mt St Helens National Volcanic Monument, approximately 3.5 miles from Hummocks Trailhead. Taken 8/2/25.

Hazy panorama from summit of Chinidere Mtn, with Mt Hood to south. burn scar from Eagle Creek Fire to west, and Mt St Helens & Mt Adams across the Columbia River Gorge to north. Taken on 7/23/25.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

Note that the alt-text for the first pair of smoke-filled photos should be switched (not that it mattered much that day). The view from Observation Peak, right off the #PCT (actually, on the easiest path for the PCT with the snow in late June) is awe-inspiring & among the best I’ve experienced! 3/3

Closeup of (l-r) Mt Shasta (14,162’), Black Butte (6,334’), & Mt Eddy (9,037’), taken 6/27/25.

Panorama of the Cascades & Klamath Mtns in southern Oregon & northern California, taken 6/27/25.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

And 11 months later, on a mostly sunny & smoke-free afternoon, #MtShasta, #MtEddy, & #MtMcLouglin reappear, along with the rim of #CraterLake! 2/3

View looking south-southeast from Observation Peak towards Mt Shasta (14,162’), Black Butte (6,334’), & Mt Eddy (9,037’). Taken 6/27/25.

View on a clear day looking east from Observation Peak, with Mt McLoughlin (9,493’), Pelican Butte (8,037’), & Brown Mtn (7,344’) rising behind gap between Wagner Butte & Mt Ashland; Mt Scott (8,934’) & Union Peak (7,714’) in Crater Lake NP are visible to the left of Wagner Butte. Taken 6/27/25.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

How do you make 9000’+ mountains like #MtShasta, #MtEddy, & #MtMcLouglin disappear? Push a burning car into a bone-dry ravine & cause the #ParkFire. The view looking SSE & E from Observation Peak in the Siskiyous on a sunny but very smoky afternoon exactly one year ago today. 1/3

View looking south-southeast from Observation Peak towards Mt Shasta (14,162’), obscured by smoke from the Park Fire. Taken 7/29/24.

View looking east from Observation Peak (7,340’) along the spine of the Siskiyou crest towards Wagner Butte (7,255’) on left & Mt Ashland (7,532’) on right. Obscured in the distant smoke are Mt McLoughlin (9,493’) & the Cascade crest of southern Oregon. Taken 7/29/24.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 09/06/2025

To perhaps brighten your day, how about a calming flower on the bush anemone 'Elizabeth' (Carpenteria californica 'Elizabeth') in my backyard? Native to Fresno County in California, the plant requires absolutely no supplemental irrigation now that it's made it through two winters.

White flower on a bush anemone 'Elizabeth' (Carpenteria californica
'Elizabeth')

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

Lunch was at a viewpoint near Devils Rest, w/ snow-covered #MtAdams & #MtSteHelens providing a backdrop above the #CRGNSA. In 2017 the Eagle Creek Fire devastated the area, requiring the hard work of volunteers to reclaim trails, which was appreciated greatly while descending the Primrose Path. 3/3

Mt Adams (12,307’, on right) & Mt St Helens (8,365’, on left) above the Columbia River from near Devils Rest. Table Mtn is the flat-topped peak to the right of Mt Adams, and I-84 is visible approximately 2000’ below on the near (Oregon) side of the Columbia.

Looping back up the Primrose Path, through the scar from the 9/17 Eagle Creek Fire, about halfway down the descent from Devils Rest.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

No springtime hike in #CRGNSA is without wildflowers! Several red-flowering currants were in full bloom, but my favorites that day were the green-flowered alumroot growing along moist seeps trailside. 2/3

Close-up of blooms on a red-flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum).

Green-flowered alumroot (Heuchera chlorantha) at the base of a moss-covered basalt cliff.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

Last month’s sunshine provided multiple opportunities for hikes in #CRGNSA, including this improvised loop in the waterfall corridor. #MultnomahFalls gets lots of attention (& deservedly so), but two of my favorites that day were #WiesendangerFalls & #WahkeenaFalls, both less crowded w/ viewers. 1/3

Wiesendanger Falls (55’ high) in the morning light, accessed from the Multnomah Falls trailhead after an ~1k’ climb along the Larch Mtn trail.

Wahkeena Falls (242’ high) in the afternoon.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

The #camellia in my backyard has put on a stunning show this past month & is now dropping literal buckets of spent flowers daily (not that I’m complaining whatsoever). The small maroon shoots in front of it are the 'Cora Louise' Itoh #peony planted last spring that should bloom next month.

A mature Camellia japonica with red flowers in front off emerging shoots of a young Paeonia x 'Cora Louise'.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

The early evening light really brings out the pale blue flowers of this Pt Reyes California lilac (Ceanothus gloriosus ‘Pt. Reyes’) as it seeks to take over my adjacent driveway & neighboring sidewalk. A #nativeplant that requires no supplemental water but rather only pruning to keep it thriving.

A Ceanothus gloriosus ‘Pt. Reyes’, a groundcover cultivar of California lilac, in full bloom with pale blue flowers on a mid-April evening. The plant will get a trim after the flowers have faded.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

Eagle Creek in #CRGNSA was spectacular on a mild & sunny spring day during this past week’s hike, featuring gushing waterfalls & particularly stunning fawn lilies. The 2017 fire burnt many of the trees but did open up the views, and vegetation is recovering (including the flowering currants).

Close-up of some of the countless blooming fawn lilies, trailside near Twister Falls. This set of crossing falls has a small shelf that makes a wonderful lunch spot in the sun to appreciate the flowers and birds.

Wy’east Falls tumbling over a basalt cliff into a stream feeding Eagle Creek. This stream was crossed via a set of fallen logs given the relatively high flow.

Tunnel Falls, with a hiker exiting from the tunnel which carries the Eagle Creek Trail beneath the falls.

A blooming red-flowering currant above Eagle Creek in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Some of these plants encountered in the sun had many attendant native bees buzzing from flower to flower.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 12/04/2025

Sights from this past week's hike along the lower Deschutes River, including the loop over Ferry Springs. A variety of flowers blooming along a set of quiet trails. Not pictured: a 2’ rattlesnake & some large beetles, moseying across the trail & minding their own business (so I observed from afar).

Arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata) & silvery lupine (Lupinus argenteus var. heteranthus) blooming among the green grass on a hillside along the Ferry Springs trail.

The flora near Ferry Springs, including yellow-flowering Klickitat desert parsley (Lomatium klickitatensis), sage, and some burnt trees (probably from the 2018 Substation Fire that scorched this area).

A closeup of a vibrant patch of Klickitat desert parsley (Lomatium klickitatensis) growing out of the basalt bluffs above the Deschutes River Trail.

Silvery lupine (Lupinus argenteus var. heteranthus) in peak bloom along both the Ferry Springs and Deschutes River Trails were the stand-out flora on this partly-sunny early April afternoon.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

One of the daughter transplants from last fall’s 4-way division of an overgrown bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis) graces us with its beauty this spring. Its siblings also look vibrant, & surprisingly a 5th plant has sprung up at the original site. With a plan & hope, rebirth can happen!

An old-fashioned bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis) with its pink heart-shaped spring flowers, transplanted last fall underneath a Bloodgood Japanese maple. The maple’s leaf litter was left to decompose beneath the tree’s canopy.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 06/04/2025

Friday was picture-perfect to enjoy a hike to Dry Creek Falls, the Herman Creek Pinnacles, & Pacific Crest Falls on the #PCT in #CRNSA. Lots of birds (including a woodpecker & grouse) serenading hikers, & the trillium were particularly enchanting. Escaping the chaos to recharge always is rewarding.

Dry Creek Falls, tumbling 74 ft into a basalt amphitheater off the PCT in the Columbia River Gorge, definitely is misnamed.

A pair of white trillium (Trillium grandiflorum), an early spring-blooming wildflower native to the Columbia River Gorge and also known as white wake-robin, were at peak bloom along the PCT.

A snow-covered Mt Adams (12,281’) rising above the vicinity of Dog Mountain across the Columbia River in Washington, viewed from a scree-filled clearing on the PCT about a mile southbound from the junction with trail to Dry Creek Falls.

A red-flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) blooming in the basalt of the Herman Creek Pinnacles, reached by a short side-trip from the PCT between Dry Creek Falls and the junction with the Herman Bridge Trail. Just beyond these formations the PCT crosses the creek beneath Pacific Crest Falls.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

We each have one or more happy places to where we try & escape in times of turmoil. I’m blessed to have been able to visit some of mine, including this one (which I experienced in complete peace for 36 hrs) in a cirque far off maintained trails in #KingsCanyonNP in the #SierraNevada.

Photo of a nascent Glacier Creek draining Lake 11,672, looking south towards the peaks guarding Lake Basin. Palisade Creek, which the Pacific Crest Trail/John Muir Trail follows, lies in the canyon into which Glacier Creek tumbles. Taken 8/2/13.

Panorama of the early-evening alpenglow above Lake 11,672, with (left-to-right) North Palisade, Polemonium Peak, Mt Sill, Mt Jepson, & Palisade Crest. Taken 8/2/13.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

Something cheery to brighten a gray late-March day: after several years of pruning a shrub that had been butchered when I bought my house, I've now got a forsythia that has a graceful fountain shape. Neither a PNW native nor pollinator-attractive, birds do appreciate its cover & I its early bloom.

An ~10'-tall forsythia in the later stages of its early spring bloom

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

Earlier in March I was pondering replacements for these sea thrifts, which looked ratty and demand well-draining soil (I planted them in my yard’s native clay, albeit amended). Now they look much better, with nascent flower buds, showing patience & persistence are worthy attributes to cultivate!

Photo of a trio of year-old sea thrifts (Armeria maritima 'Rubrifolia'), oriented from most-to-least sunny spots. Foliage from a nearby ‘Green Globe’ artichoke (Cynara scolymus) is visible on the upper right.

Close-up of a reviving sea thrift (Armeria maritima 'Rubrifolia') showing flower buds (and a sprouting weed on the lower left, which this photo helped me to find & subsequently pull).

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

Doing his best Sgt Schultz impersonation giphy.com/gifs/mr-narr...

Sgt Schultz (from the TV show "Hogan's Heroes") saying his classic line "I know nothing!"

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

Lower Salmon River #wintersquash (Cucurbita maxima, 90d) has been an incredible performer in my garden: the vines grow well during a PNW summer, the hard skins of the fruits allow six-plus months of storage, & roasting produces a scrumptious creamy soup with the addition of only water. Bon appetit!

A Lower Salmon River winter squash before halving & roasting at 325 F for 90 min.

The soup formed upon roasting & pureeing w/ water using an immersion blender, enough for two weeks of lunches.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

Swimming Bear Lake was ruggedly picturesque after a drizzly day before & an easy-to-navigate side trip from Heart Lake on the High Divide loop. Apparently, the namesake bear & their fellow bruins were gorging on ripe huckleberries that summer morning, but who could blame them? #OlympicNationalPark

A panorama of Swimming Bear Lake at the base of a ridge separating the lake from Heart Lake in Olympic National Park (taken 8/16/24).

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

Revisited the Minarets after my previous cross-country attempt, this time from the opposite direction, & found the hidden Class 3 slot. Persistence paid off, & luck mattered: a sketchy snowfield on the slope above Iceberg Lake likely would have forced a turnaround on the earlier try! #SierraNevada

Photo of early morning sun on 7/29/13 illuminating Iceberg Lake outside of Mammoth Lakes in the High Sierra. The use trail on the left peters out as it climbs the steep slope above the left shore of the lake; this slope frequently is snow-covered this early in the summer, as it received bountiful winter snows and is shaded from the sun. Cecile Lake lies in a shallow basin behind the low point above the talus field descending into the far shore of Iceberg Lake.

Photo of a section of the field of stunning wildflowers blooming among the rocks on the steep slope above Iceberg Lake. Without any impassable snowfield to negotiate, further happy adventures awaited that day, but it was well worth the pause to stop & appreciate the majesty of the scene.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 10/03/2025

Grateful to see a year-old Oregon sunshine (Eriophyllum lanatum), the third tried at this spot, emerging from its winter dormancy, w/ its survival likely aided by planting on a raised mound amended significantly w/ pumice & mulched w/ river rocks above the underlying heavy clay. #Nativeplant

Woolly sunflower (Eriophyllum lanatum), early in its emergence from winter dormancy & before cleanup of dead stems & flower stalks from last year’s growth & bloom. Taken 3/1/25.

The same woolly sunflower (Eriophyllum lanatum), a week later with further growth, after cleanup of dead stems & flower stalks from last year’s growth & bloom. Taken 3/8/25.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

For the life of me, I simply couldn’t figure out how to climb these rocks on the cross-country route between Minaret Lake & Cecile Lake. That afternoon discretion was the better part of valor, but the next morning’s sunrise above Minaret Lake was a fine consolation prize. #SierraNevada

Rock wall where the Class 3 route climbs from Minaret Lake to Cecile Lake outside of Mammoth Lakes in the High Sierra. I spent more than an hour staring at these rocks & trying to find something I could manage before turning around. Taken 8/21/11.

Alpenglow at dawn illuminating the Minarets above my campsite at Minaret Lake. Taken 8/22/11.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 04/03/2025

Time to offer something pleasant today! Healthy plants take advantage of a few mild false-spring days to unfurl some green leaves & signal they are primed to produce some blooms in the upcoming months to captivate insect pollinators & vertebrates alike. #Nativeplant

A trio of native Henderson’s checkermallow (Sidalcea hendersonii), consorted by native woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca) & non-native garlic chives (Allium tuberosum). All of the checkermallow were planted last spring, with the larger one in the middle having an approximately 8-week head start. Taken 3/1/25.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

The end-of-winter harvest of parsnips, as last year’s raised bed dedicated to Apiceae & Amaranthaceae gets rotated out, will provision a significant number of meals the next couple of months. This bed, perhaps weakest in my rotation, also produced a bountiful yield of celeriac & beets this winter.

Photo of ~9 lbs of parsnips (some more than 18” in length) after harvest from a ~6 sq ft portion of a 10”-deep raised bed on 2/28/25.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

Sometimes you install a plant, it grows for a while, but then the plant gives up. Do you do so too? No! You think about whether your original plan was sound and, if so, you try again, modifying your approach as seems reasonable. Today’s case study: Chapparal currant (Ribes malvaceum). #Nativeplant

chapparal currant (Ribes malvaceum), planted Apr ’24 in my PNW backyard; it dropped its leaves on schedule in late summer but never leafed out this winter as it should have. Taken 2/20/25.

Procured replacement chapparal currant (Ribes malvaceum), a more established start than last year’s as well as from a more reliable nursery, looking very healthy. Taken 2/20/25.

New chapparal currant (Ribes malvaceum) after planting in my PNW backyard. Taken 2/28/25.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

Getting to the summit of Lemei Rock (5926’) required a Class 3 climb up a crumbly east face, but the view of the southern Washington volcanoes on that early September day offered a reward well worth the morning’s effort. #Cascades #MtAdams #GoatRocks #MtRainier

Photo (taken 9/6/23) of north-trending summit ridge of Lemei Rock, with Mt Rainier (far left), the Goat Rocks (distant middle), & Mt Adams (far right) dominating the vista in the southern Cascades of Washington state. Route to the ridgeline was the gully towards bottom of the image.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

There more to #CraterLake #NationalPark, Oregon's only national park, than just the lake!

View from the summit of Union Peak (7709') in Crater Lake National Park, looking north towards rim of Crater Lake (near horizon on right), with Mt Thielsen rising above the rim and Mt Bailey (near distance) & Diamond Peak (far distance) visible to the left of the rim. Brown patches depict where wildfires have scorched the wilderness areas of the park. Taken 8/25/19.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

When you’re traveling a rocky path on a late-winter day, never forget to appreciate the life around you while paying attention to your next steps and not getting mesmerized by what’s in the distance. #GrandCanyon #GrandCanyonNP

View of a distant North Rim of the Grand Canyon while descending the Supai Group to the Colorado River from the South Rim along the Hermit Trail in Grand Canyon National Park (taken 3/1/08)

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

A green, brown, & blue vista looking north from the summit of South Twin, a relatively easy climb (entirely on trail) near Waldo Lake in Oregon’s #Cascades. Smoldering wildfires near Bend are visible; the view south was much smokier that September day.

View from the summit of South Twin looking north towards prominent peaks of the central Oregon Cascades, including (from l-r, starting under the rock overhang) Bachelor Mtn, Irish Mtn, Scott Mtn, Mt Jefferson, Three Fingered Jack, Mt Washington, Belknap Crater, The Husband, Little Brother, The Wife, The Three Sisters (Middle, North, & South), Broken Top, Ball Butte, Cultus Mtn, & Mt Bachelor. Smoke from two wildfires can be seen to the right of Mt Bachelor. Taken 9/20/24, after the wildfires had begun to be contained subsequent to some rain.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

I wasn't relying on the big, beautiful Pacific Ocean to keep me safe from sharing the fate of this now-eviscerated seal & becoming bird food; rather, I kept my eyes peeled for attacking sneaker waves & shared what I had seen w/ friendly fellow hikers along California's Lost Coast

A dead & partially scavenged seal washed up on the shore of northern California's Lost Coast, guarded by a pair of sea gulls, on a foggy day (taken 7/16/10)

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 18/02/2025

While walking through my garden this AM I found these three patches of emerging Henderson's shooting stars (left photo). After they died back immediately after planting last April, I doubted they would return -- but I didn't give up on them! Photo on right is of their Sierra relatives. #Nativeplants

Emerging Henderson's shooting stars (Dodecatheon hendersonii, aka Primula hendersonii), a spring-time perennial wildflower native to foothills on the West Coast. More info: https://xeraplants.com/plants/dodecatheon-hendersonii/. Photo taken 2/18/25.

Flowering Sierra shooting stars (Dodecatheon jeffreyi, aka Primula jeffreyi), a summer-time perennial wildflower native to higher elevations in California. Photo taken 8/15/10 along the PCT near Muir Pass in the Sierra Nevada.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

After enduring a harsh winter, this bighorn sheep was rewarded with a peaceful, easy feeling in the warm July sun overlooking a field of wildflowers and others of their flock at the side of the dirt road to the summit of Mt Washburn #Yellowstone

Mature bighorn sheep resting next to wildflowers at the edge of the double-track trail on Mt Washburn in Yellowstone National Park (taken 7/28/06)

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

Appreciating the quiet this morning after the snowfall with a resident mourning dove (upper right, on the fence between my ceanothus & neighbor's cedar) #Nativeplants

Scene after a few inches of snow overnight (taken 2/14/25). Highlights within fenced yard clockwise (from lower left): Iris douglasiana, juvenile Cercis occidentalis, Symphotrichum subspicatum 'Sauvie Star', Ceanothus roweanus 'Cynthia Poston', x Chitalpa tashkentensis 'Pink Dawn', Camellia japonica, Epilobium canum 'Catalina', Salvia x jamensis 'Nachtvlnder', Grevillea 'Neil Bell', & Agastache 'Rainbow Sorbet'.

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 12/02/2025

My young red-flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum), planted this past October, got the memo that solar spring is here and looks eager to leaf out (not expecting flowers this year, but pleasant surprises particularly welcomed these days) #Ribes #Nativeplants

Red-flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum), planted on Oct 13, 2024, with swelling buds; overwinterering volunteers of Calendula officinalis 'Resina' in the background (taken 2/11/25)

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

A chocolate-colored path beckons the thirsty adventurer into Canyonlands National Park's Maze, where beneath juniper-strewn benches awaits no Minotaur but rather the potential of water. Like much of life, pay attention to where you are, as it's easy to get lost & calling for help is unreliable.

View from the Maze Overlook, with the pillars of the Chocolate Drops & Land of Standing Rocks on the near & far horizons, respectively, in the Maze District of Canyonlands National Park after a several-hour drive followed by a day's hike from the nearest paved road (taken 5/11/2007)

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

Reminiscing about the absolute calmness of a quiet morning at Thousand Island Lake, with Banner Peak providing a majestic backdrop #Anseladamswilderness #Inyonationalforest #Sierra #Sierranevada

Banner Peak (12,945') above Thousand Island Lake (9,833') from a secluded campsite on the lake's northeastern shore, Garnet Pass (10,080+'Class 1) the saddle love the lake to the lower left of Banner and North Glacier Pass (11,158+', Class 2) & Mt Davis (12,311') to the right of Banner (taken at ~6 AM on 6/10/12);

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

Admiring the resilience of these whitebark pines high on the route up the west slope of Mt Thielsen; these trees, vital to the timberline ecosystem in this region & critically endangered by diseases & pests due in part to climate change, produce nuts prized by black bears & Clark's nutcrackers

A pair of whitebark pines (Pinus albicaulis) braving the harsh environment at ~8500' on the west slope of Mt Thielsen, with Diamond Lake & Mt Bailey (8368') in the background

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

Happy start of Solar Spring (the end of the 3-month period of the year with the least amount of daylight) in the northern hemisphere!

Forsythia forced into bloom (blooming cuttings were made a week ago, with fresh cuttings added today to prolong display)

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

Some Oregon sunshine (Eriophyllum lanatum) gracing the volcanic landscape in Washington on an early mid-summer evening #mtsthelens #mtadams

Eriophyllum lanatum, with its yellow flowers, is a PNW native plant having the common name Oregon Sunshine and here is growing among the rocks on a hill above the Loowit Loop near the Plains of Abraham in Mt St Helens Volcanic National Monument, with Mt Adams in the distance (taken 7/23/17)

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

This pair of marmots have more important things to do than trying to deceive humans into thinking that rodents have predictive powers (but if for some bizarre chance they do, did they warn us years ago about the winter of '25 and we weren't paying attention?)

Part of a family of marmots at the edge of a melting snowfield high in the Tetons of Wyoming (taken 7/23/06)

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

Contemplating what was, what is, & what may come (but mostly what is) on a beautiful Saturday this past September on the fractured summit of Devils Peak in the Sky Lakes Wilderness of southern Oregon

View from summit of Devils Pk looking north towards Crater Lake NP (taken 9/21/24); visible (among others) are (l-r) Union Pk (pyramidal in shape), Mt Bailey, Diamond Pk (far background), peaks along rim of Crater Lake, Mt Thielsen (eroded pyramidal in shape), & Mt Scott as well as the fire scar from the 2008 Middle Fork Complex wildfire

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Paul DiMilla @pauldimilla.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

The best hikes always find a spot for contemplation & appreciation!

View from Broken Hand in OR Cascades looking NW towards (l-r) Middle Sister, North Sister, Mt Washington, Three Fingered Jack, Black Crater, & Mt Jefferson (taken 8/12/19)

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