Hello I-Naturalists!
When I retired, I re-wired to become a full-time I-Naturalist. I'm passionate about adding what I see in nature and what I learn to I-Nat because it brings me Joy! I'm an avid hiker-traveler, bird-watcher, plant-finder, which takes me to many interesting natural places where I enjoy taking way too many photos of everything that grows, creeps, crawls, and flies. I love nature and find all living things fascinating and worth studying. I appreciate all comments, corrections, and confirmations to my observations, and I look forward to seeing your sightings in nature too.

"May your trails be crooked, winding,
Lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.
May your mountains rise into and above the clouds." --Edward Abbey

I-Nat tip: The more Projects you join that match your interests--the more expert eyes will see and confirm your observations.

As a former research/reference librarian, I'm always thrilled to discover new learning tools. Some of my favorite helpful resources:

PLANTS
Native American Ethnobotany: A database of plants used as drugs, foods, dyes, fibers, and more by native Peoples of North America. http://naeb.brit.org/
Jepson eFlora: Plants of California https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/
Jepson eFlora: Filtered Keys--lists plants by California Provinces, Regions and Subregions https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/filter_keys.html?
Plants of Monterey County: an Illustrated Field Key, 2nd edition, Matthews and Mitchell, 2015,
Flora of Fort Ord: Monterey County, California, David Styer, 2019,
Monterey County Wildflowers: a Field Guide, Yeager and Mitchell, 2016,
Monterey County Wildflowers– a photographic guide https://montereywildflowers.com/index/
(The) Monterey Pine Forest: Coastal California's Living Legacy, 2nd. ed, The Monterey Pine Forest Watch, 2018. (Excellent book).
Oregon Flora https://oregonflora.org/checklists/dynamicmap.php?interface=key
Field Guide to Manzanitas: California, North America, and Mexico, 2nd edition. M.E. Kauffmann, T. Parker, and M. Vasey, Photographs by Jeff Bisbee. 2021.
Plants: http://calflora.org/ (search by county for species presence/absence)
Central CA coast Endangered Species Fact Sheets website http://www.elkhornsloughctp.org/factsheet/
California Native Plant Society https://rareplants.cnps.org/Search/Advanced
Geranium i.d. assist w photos https://www.inaturalist.org/posts/69454-geranium-observations-without-flowers-or-fruits
Thistles (non-native) https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/cwarneke/61995-thistles-with-white-in-their-leaves
Lupine (Lupinus) anatomy, etc. Pictorial Guide to Characteristics Needed for Lupine Identification, by Tom Chester http://tchester.org/plants/analysis/lupinus/identification.html
Conifers of Western North America https://www.conifers.org/topics/W_NA_trees.php by Christopher J. Earle
Tale of Big Tree Hunting In California by Christopher J. Earle https://www.conifers.org/topics/biggest.php
Pines/Pinecone comparisons of California https://www2.palomar.edu/users/warmstrong/arbimg4a.htm
Oak Tree Species I.D. and Ecology: https://oaks.cnr.berkeley.edu/oak-tree-species-id-ecology/
Oaks of California, B. Pavlik, P. Muick, S. Johnson, M. Popper, 1991
Field guide for CA Tree Oaks written, designed, and illustrated by Joshua Zupan and free to download here:
https://joshuazupan.com/portfolio/tree-oaks-of-california-a-field-guide
Anza-Borrego Desert Wildflowers (and more) https://borregowildflowers.org/
Baja California Plant Field Guide, Jon P. Rebman, Norman C. Roberts, 3rd. ed, 2012
Shrubs and Trees of the Southern California Deserts. Jim W. Dole and Betty B. Rose, Foot-loose Press, 1996
California Desert Wildflowers, Philip A. Munz, 1975
Temalpakh: Cahuilla Indian Knowledge and Usage of Plants, Lowell John Bean and K. Saubel, Malki Museum Press, 1972
Southern California Plant Communities: http://www.calflora.net/botanicalnames/plantcommunities.html
Plants of Southern California: Regional Floras http://tchester.org/plants/floras/#abdsp (comprehensive website)
Native and Introduced Plants of Southern California by Tom Chester http://tchester.org/plants/index.html
Cacti, Agaves, and Yuccas of California and Nevada. Text and photos by Stephen Ingram. Cachuma Press, 2008
Cacti of California, E. Yale Dawson, 1966, 3rd printing 1975
San Diego Natural History Museum https://www.sdplantatlas.org/
Jepson Flora: Abbreviations and Symbols Used in The Jepson Manual, Second Edition https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/TJM2_abbrev_symbols.html

BIRDS
Bird songs and sound recordings from around the world https://xeno-canto.org/explore?query=Meleagris%20gallopavo
Audubon Guide to North American Birds https://www.audubon.org/bird-guide
National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, ed. Jon L. Dunn, 7th ed., 2017
National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of Western North America, ed. Jon L. Dunn, 2008
E Bird https://ebird.org/explore
The Cornell Lab (Birds in U.S. and Canada) https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/ (enter common name)
Merlin Bird ID (great app available for Iphones) by The Cornell Lab (Bird ID help for 8,500+ species) https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/
Found Feathers (Worldwide): https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/idtool.php
Monterey Birds, Don Roberson, 2nd ed. 2002, sponsored by Monterey Peninsula Audubon Society
How to Tell a Raven From a Crow, ID Tips: https://www.audubon.org/news/how-tell-raven-crow

ANIMALS/INSECTS
Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of California: https://californiaherps.com
Snakes: https://californiaherps.com/snakes/snakesmaps.html
Reptile Database (worldwide) https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/
Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America, Eaton and Kaufman, 2006,
Bug photographs from the U.S/Canada for I.D: https://bugguide.net
Butterflies and Moths of North America https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species_search
Common Butterflies of California, Text and Photographs by Bob Stewart, 1997
Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America. Brock and Kaufman, 2003,
Butterflies & Their Favorite Flowering Plants: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park & Environs, Lynn and Gene Monroe, 2004
Coming soon (we hope): Wagner's Caterpillars of Western North America
Native Bees: Get to Know Native Bees of the Santa Cruz Mountains with Obi Kaufmann. May 6, 2020 https://openspacetrust.org/blog/native-bees/
Bumble Bees of the Western United States, 114 page PDF (7.6 MB), by By Jonathan Koch, James Strange, Paul Williams, a comprehensive, well written resource, with excellent diagrams and photos. https://xerces.org/sites/default/files/2018-05/12-053_01_Western_BB_guide.pdf
The Fly Guide https://sites.google.com/view/flyguide/species-guides

GALLS
Search by host plant to I.D. galls https://www.gallformers.org/id
California Galls: A Host Plant List with Links, Nancy Asquith. https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/california-plants-with-mystery-galls/journal/39523-california-galls-a-host-plant-list-with-links#summary
Galls. https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/galls-of-california/journal/44203-where-to-learn-more-about-galls

SEA LIFE
Beachcombers's Guide to Seashore Life of California, J.D. Sept, Rev. ed. 2009,
SEANET Hopkins Marine Station for "Nearshore Plants and Animals of the Monterey Bay" https://seanet.stanford.edu/
Field Guide to Seaweeds of the Pacific Northwest, Dr. Bridgette Clarkston, Harbour Publishing, 2015,
Algaebase https://www.algaebase.org/
Limpets - cap-shaped snails: https://seanet.stanford.edu/Limpets
Limpet I.D: https://seanet.stanford.edu/limpet-table
Pacific Northwest Shell Club http://www.bily.com/pnwsc/web-content/Northwest-Shells.html
Abalone Identification Guide: https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Invertebrates/Abalone/Abalone-ID
https://wildwhales.org/speciesid/dolphins-and-porpoises/
Whale barnacles https://scienceline.org/2010/03/how-do-barnacles-attach-to-whales/
Mer Society (Marine Education and Research Society), dedicated to marine conservation through scientific research, education, and marine wildlife rescue. https://www.mersociety.org

MUSHROOMS/LICHENS/SLIME MOLDS
Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast: Comprehensive Guide to the Fungi of Coastal Northern California, Siegel and Schwarz, 2016.
California Mushrooms: The Comprehensive Identification Guide, D. Desjardin, M. Wood, and F. Stevens, 2nd printing 2019.
Fungi of California: Home page https://www.mykoweb.com/index.html and https://www.mykoweb.com/CAF/ and https://mykoweb.com/CAF/skey.html and https://www.mykoweb.com/CAF/keys/index.html
A Field Guide to California Lichens, Stephen Sharnoff, 2014.
The Curious Observer's Guide to Slime Mold: of Santa Cruz and Beyond, Carrie Niblett, 2nd ed. 2021.

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