Today I ended my fantastic four day holiday weekend with some quality Naturing time. Headed down the peninsula to check out one of the few places left on my list on the Skyline Ridge. It’s a spot I’ve driven by a couple times now, which has a long gravel road along Skyline. Now I know what’s there!

But, as usual, I don’t have time to really write about it. Ahem. Highlights!

I took the Horseshoe Lake Trail Loop on AllTrails and added a small loop (Tree Farm Trail and Fir Knoll Trail) to it. Next time, counter clockwise for that added loop. It’s a sweet lake oasis out there. And I was dumbfounded why more birds weren’t making use of that lush lake!

On my way there, I saw SO MUCH CLARKIA alongside the road. And I was THRILLED to get up close and personal with it throughout my time there. Clarkia Heaven, yep.

But the other stars were easily ALL THE FLYING THINGS. So many dang Dragonflies! At least one newtome Eight-spotted Skimmer (?) and maybe a newtome Blue Dasher (?) and Blue Darners and Flame Skimmers and maybe a Pacific Forktail and who knows what else!

In addition to THAT, there were BUTTERFLIES FOR DAYS. Mostly Rural Skippers from what I could tell. At one point I was just standing across from a ginormous Coast Live Oak (?) tree, watching the flutterings happen everywhere in front of me on that tree. MAGIC.

Plus, a couple Merriam’s Chipmunks and one baby Brush Rabbit (!!) and one smallish mammalish creature that I saw for a brief second in the distance (was it a Deer??) and TWO Wild Turkey families to end my time there.

Kind of a gem, really. The lake comes out of nowhere. And there’s SO MUCH living all around it. Lots of indicated by scat on the trail in many spots. The loop has a couple different habitats to walk through, too. I am definitely returning next Spring!