I am fascinated by the natural world and how all the pieces fit together and interact with one another; rock, soil, water, microbes, plant, animal, and air; all connected. I’ve always been interested in nature from a very young age. iNaturalist has opened a new world of discovery and learning for me. I love the community and the feedback.

I’m based in western Washington. Most of my observations are from my local area. I used travel with my job (environmental scientist/geologist) but now I'm retired. So, now I rely on road trips and vacations to extend my geographic reach. I love the opportunity to view nature in new places and make new discoveries. I’m still making new discoveries even in my own backyard. Finding local endemics makes my day.

I’m a generalist when making observations. Whatever catches my eye I'll photograph, especially anything new to me. Plants rank high on my list with a focus on weeds and invasive plants. I’m a casual birder. I like arthropods, especially insects and spiders. I love centipedes. I’m challenged by mushrooms, lichens, and mosses. My favorite things to do when iNatting are:

• Finding endemic plants
• Finding unusual and overlooked organisms
• Exploring underrepresented areas

Photography: I mostly use my Google Pixel Pro 7 for plants, fungi, and bugs because it takes great photos, good macro, adjustable settings, and geolocation. I have a Nikon Z5 mirrorless that I mainly use for birds and shooting with a Tamron 150-500 mm. I process my photos through Lightroom, sometimes Topaz AI. I have a binocular microscope (20x – 40x) that I can photograph through the ocular with my phone.

Identification and interaction within the iNaturalist community is important and it encourages those new to iNaturalist. I appreciate the identifications received and especially any explanation feedback if I made an error. Please don't dine and dash.

Some field guides I have on my shelf:

Field Guides for the Pacific Northwest

Good references at @velodrome, slanted toward California.

More good references from @csledge : https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/csledge/55746-a-list-of-online-resources

Keys to California bushmallows (Malacothamnus):
http://keiriosity.com/malacothamnus/

Feel free to reach out to me if you’re in the neighborhood.

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