Spring in California, water falls, mountains and aquatic plants!

**Plantbrain** · 30th May 2008, 03:42

I spend more time in natural systems than I do in aquariums.
But it's my job as well.

I live about 2 hours from Yosemite Valley and 90 minutes from most alpine ecosystems in CA, USA. I travel quite a bit back and forth.

I like to see these places as much as I can and observe the changes over the seasons and year to year.

This is a year round water fall, about 700 ft.

Fontinalis moss, yes, it's that red/burgundy!

Turned green at home.

This water is truly massive and about 1700ft tall, you cannot see the upper part and if you get close, you get soaked like a hurricane with 80-100mph spray winds.

Horse tail falls in a nice place, lots of natural bonasi here.

Regards,
Tom Barr

**Panut** · 30th May 2008, 03:46

what a beauty! Will make this one of the places to visit!

**Plantbrain** · 30th May 2008, 03:48

Here's Callitrichyes macrophylla, a very nice seasonal aquatic plant, very delicate, some thing like D diandra,

Some natural bonasi, about 30-50 years old I'd say, some of the older trees are often 2000-3000 years old here. Bristlecone pines are related to some of the trees, the firs are really pretty as well. In the drier sections farther south, some of the Junipers reach very old ages as well.

A nice little Red fir tree, about 1 ft tall and maybe 50 years old.

A very very old Red fir on the edge of the rock here.

Regards,
Tom Barr

**Plantbrain** · 30th May 2008, 03:58

This is giant pondweed from Manzanita lake in Lassen National Park, an active volcano.

One of the amazing things here is that the coast is wet, and the central valley is hot(40-45C) and somewhat dry, mountains are snow covered, or wet, and you can find flowers, various species blooming, growing well by traveling just a little distance.

Deserts and lush rain forest to alpine mountain peaks and below sea level valleys. You can surf in the morning and ski in the after noon if you wanted to. If it's hot in the valley, you can go up high to the mountains, or out to the coast.

Death Valley, the mountain is 11,000ft in front of you and the elevation is 282 ft below sea level here, temp is 48C! Record is about 54C here. Very hot.
The temp at 8000ft was 8C on the other side of this mountain! It's about 15 miles to the top as the crow flies.