Last Nature Walk of 2019

My sister and I managed to fit in a nice little hike at Foothills Park before she had to catch her flight. It’s possible that I’ll get a little more hiking done before the end of the year, but this was definitely a very nice walk to cap off the decade with. We met a surprising number of cute critters, and even saw a bobcat, although he was too far away to photograph.

Arboreal salamander. These guys have quite a set of jaws on them for salamanders, although I’ve never personally been bitten by one. They’re usually pretty chill, in my experience.
California slender salamander
California slender salamander
Little white mushrooms in grass
A baby california slender salamander in their classic defensive/resting pose
California newt hanging out on a log
Feather millipede refusing to pose for the camera
Camel cricket
Oak branches against a blue sky
Trees being majestic and stuff

Inktober Sketches

For those who don’t know, inktober is an event where people try to finish at least one pen and ink sketch every day in October. I didn’t get a sketch done every single day, but I aimed for most days and didn’t stress about it. Here are the ones I deem decent and complete enough for sharing.

Since I knew I was gonna miss days anyway, I focused more on picking a variety of subjects, including some things I hadn’t really done before, like the ferns and the leaf insect. It was fun, and I’m glad I stuck with it!

Corydoras hastatus (a type of mini catfish) sketch
A baby California slender salamander in pen and ink
Fuchsia flower and bud
Some different types of fern. Maidenhair on top, bracken fern, and then sword fern on the bottom
A cute squid I saw at the Monterey Bay Aquarium
A sketch of my sister’s bunny from when we were kids. Her name was Cloudy, because children do stuff like that.
A little rooster I met a while ago at the heirloom festival
A juvenile male black widow that I found last time I was in California.
A cool leaf insect that I had for a while. Halloween seemed as good a time as any for some cute creepy crawlies.