Thursday, July 19, 2012

Place: Cleveland National Forest and black star canyon hiking............

We were on our way to Black star canyon on a weekend hike. As we entered the wilderness, GPS lost signal and we drove through the narrow alley flanked by old houses in Silverado and ended up in a forest. Huge oaks, pines, sycamores, wild rose bushes, a creek, cliffs densely wrapped in vegetation, bluebirds, woodpeckers and crows hopping among the trees dotted the landscape. Before long we realized, it's Cleveland National forest falling under Trabuco Division. We had no clue that a national forest exists in the vicinity of our house and the discovery was exciting. 





After a brief confusion, we reached to Black star canyon and had a refreshing hike......it is rich with its unique attractions. In the 3-4 hour hiking along the paved path edged by bluffs and canyons overgrown with countless bushes bursting with wildflowers, summer-dried golden grasses and crooked, lichen-draped oaks, I clicked several pretty pictures... 



A luxuriant patch of common green shield lichen on scrub oak bark.......

A crushed giant puffball full of powdery spores......

Drapes of dodder spreading on the native bushes...

An innocuous-looking young poison oak....

A heart-shaped cactus cladode..........

A scary-looking barbed-wire to check trespassers....

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