Hollis

LATEST ARTICLES ( 441 )

• 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

• It’s All Right If You Don’t Know All the Different Kinds

  

  knowing it’s an evening primrose is good enough (Tope Elementary students)The Colorado Plateau is spectacularly scenic. Every year many hundreds of thousands... Read more

  Posted on 30 April 2015 OUTDOORS

• Cracks

  

  Two months have passed since my report on the few street plants tough enough to survive in Laramie in February. But now it’s spring, and I’m sure that a strong... Read more

  Posted on 25 April 2015 OUTDOORS

• Dreaming of Pinyon Pines

  

  Tree is about six feet tall; crown is twelve feet across and loaded with cones.The small pine I dreamt about last night must have been a pinyon. Read more

  Posted on 21 April 2015 OUTDOORS

• Plants and Rocks by the Square Mile

  

  In Wyoming, we’re blessed with public lands. The Federal government holds in trust for us 3.5 million acres – 55,000 square miles – 48% of the state. This is a... Read more

  Posted on 17 April 2015 OUTDOORS

• Profligate Man-willow

  

  A single willow tree – a male – grows in a dry canyon in the rocky hills just east of Laramie. This is hardly willow country. But years ago a seed landed on a... Read more

  Posted on 07 April 2015 OUTDOORS

• Erosion in a Land of Sky and Grass

  

  Last week I was faced with a trip to Fort Collins. Laramie isn’t quite big enough to satisfy every material desire, so occasionally I brave the urban sprawl... Read more

  Posted on 03 April 2015 OUTDOORS

• Portraits of Plants and Rocks

  

  This is a story of light, specifically light inside a box, specifically light inside a light box, which I made. The project began a little over two weeks ago... Read more

  Posted on 27 March 2015 OUTDOORS

• The Crystal Unicorn

  

  Wyoming has been good to me. For 25 years I made a living traveling to its far corners and obscure non-destinations in search of plants. It rewarded me with... Read more

  Posted on 20 March 2015 OUTDOORS

• Willow Cones

  

  It was time to do something about all the cones on the willows along the river. They’re so common; some trees are covered in them! People notice, and I’ve been... Read more

  Posted on 15 March 2015 OUTDOORS

• Things You Find in the Field: a Sleeping Log

  

  What I found first. I was driving a narrow winding country road looking for small Precambrian outcrops poking through Tertiary fill. I found one and luckily... Read more

  Posted on 12 March 2015 OUTDOORS