Hollis
MY BLOGS
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In the Company of Plants and Rocks
http://plantsandrocks.blogspot.com/
Natural history blog focusing on botany, ecology and geology ... from the field as much as possible!
LATEST ARTICLES ( 431 )
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Mr. Nuttall and His Violet, His Lily, His Larkspur, His Sunflower, His Evening...
Thomas Nuttall, the great 19th-century naturalist.“The Pilgrim’s crew christened Mr. Nuttall “Old Curious” from his zeal for curiosities, and some of them said... Read more
Posted on 28 August 2015 OUTDOORS -
Time Travel Gets Complicated
Beautiful and complex geology.But first ... the simple part.To travel back in time through the Owl Creek Mountains south of Thermopolis, start at the “Wedding o... Read more
Posted on 14 August 2015 OUTDOORS -
“The Willow Never Quits”
Crown of American pussy willow next to limestone cliff.On Wednesday I walked to the rim of the small canyon just east of town to check the willow I'm following. Read more
Posted on 07 August 2015 OUTDOORS -
Welcome, Bees! ... Please Make Yourselves at Home
I’m thrilled that my lilacs have scalloped leaves. It means leafcutter bees are building nurseries, where their eggs will overwinter (and the bees don’t hurt th... Read more
Posted on 04 August 2015 OUTDOORS -
I, Naturalist .... You, Naturalist?
They say natural history is dying. Support is in steep decline. There are fewer academic programs, staff are cut, museums and herbaria are shuttered. What a hug... Read more
Posted on 31 July 2015 OUTDOORS -
Stuck – in a Land of Flat Plants
Plant specimens waiting to be shelved for posterity.Lucy Corrander says it’s time for the next stuck-foot gathering already! I was caught by surprise, but I kne... Read more
Posted on 23 July 2015 OUTDOORS -
Beautiful Stones & Battered Relics
"what rolled pebbles are to the Geologist—Battered relics of past ages often containing within them indelible records capable of intelligible interpretation"... Read more
Posted on 16 July 2015 OUTDOORS -
Water! (tree Following in July)
We’re having a wet summer here in normally-sunny Wyoming. Field botanists sit in soggy tents, waiting. Fire lookouts sit in their towers reading book after... Read more
Posted on 07 July 2015 OUTDOORS -
Selenium & the Prince’s Plume – an Unfinished Tale
Did an errant prince from days of yore in search of El Dorado1 drop his helmet?I thought this might be the case ... I was in the right part of the country. Read more
Posted on 03 July 2015 OUTDOORS -
Valley of the Angry Fingers (& a Geo-challenge)
Angry Finger, one of many. Gods were nowhere to be seen.In April I toured the Valley of the Gods in southeast Utah, east of Utah Highway 261 below the Moki... Read more
Posted on 26 June 2015 OUTDOORS -
Sikus, Gamelan, Amadindas
Not plants, not rocks.In the Company of Plants and Rocks is taking a few weeks off to go to summer camp – specifically Summer Music Camp at the University of... Read more
Posted on 14 June 2015 OUTDOORS -
Willow Identification – Not for the Faint of Heart
“less than 10 teeth per cm on leaf margins mid-leaf”Another month has passed. I do think they go by faster and faster, as I was told they would. Read more
Posted on 08 June 2015 OUTDOORS -
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch …
Why not just one?Recently I’ve been blogging about my travels, but it’s time to take a short break because here at home, things are happening! A tree is in... Read more
Posted on 05 June 2015 OUTDOORS -
This Other Pinyon
He-push … cone eyes.I guess it was a little odd … to go to the White Mountains and not visit the famous ancient bristlecone pines. But I was looking for... Read more
Posted on 31 May 2015 OUTDOORS -
The Navajo Rug
Along Utah Highway 163 west of Bluff, I stopped where tourists stop, and took this photo. The pinnacle in the center is the Mexican Hat, one of many rock... Read more
Posted on 28 May 2015 OUTDOORS -
Trumpets in the Desert
There are many many wild buckwheats – on the order of 450 species, subspecies and varieties. They’re native to North America and reach their greatest diversity... Read more
Posted on 21 May 2015 OUTDOORS -
Geo-challenge: Two Landforms, One River
What are these landforms and where? Which river is “involved” in both? You can respond via Comments below. In a few days I’ll post answers in a Comment and... Read more
Posted on 16 May 2015 OUTDOORS -
Bold Or Striking Would at First Seem Only Grotesque
West side of Comb Ridge (answer to recent Geo-challenge). The sloping east side covered in Navajo sandstone is more familiar – see photos below. Read more
Posted on 11 May 2015 OUTDOORS -
This Month I’m Following Hésho Tsítonnê
It’s the seventh of the month already! … time for monthly reports from tree-followers around the world. But I’m 1200 miles from home and my willow. I won't... Read more
Posted on 07 May 2015 OUTDOORS -
Geo-challenge: ______ ______ from ______ ______
This is a two-part geo-challenge. Part 1: What’s the jagged red linear landform in the distance? It continues for miles, and is graphically-named. (Click on... Read more
Posted on 02 May 2015 OUTDOORS