California Naturalist, volunteer discovery hike leader, docent. I love all things nature but particularly fond of the creepy, crawly, decaying, squishy, unusual stuff. Galls, gastropods and life under logs all make me giddy. I'm kind of obsessed with salamanders, particularly Ensatinas. My life goal is to see all of the Ensatina ring species variants, so any tips on good spots to find them would be most appreciated (and closely guarded.)

I love waking up before dawn to head to the coast in search of Nudibranchs, plus all the other "alien" things that can be found in a tide pool. It's be fun bumping into iNat users I have referenced as I study up before an adventure.

I'm unbelievably grateful for this site and all of your observations. In my quests and before I head out on a journey, I use this site to learn about what I might find. I study the picture diligently, noting the environment, substrate, time of day - all of it. iNat observers and their observations have not just made me smarter, they make me more successful whether I'm looking for something specific or just in my approach to experiencing a new ecosystem.