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“He may be just a tramp, a guy that likes to roam about this great country without any special aim, just to thank the Lord for these beautiful mountains.”
-B. Traven, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

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“. . .here, where there are still the silences and the loneliness of the earth before man, . . .”

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Recently Read
- El Saucito Ranch House, Carrizo Plain (1878)
- Eating Poison Oak
- Steelhead Fishing, Santa Ynez River (1948)
- Condor Petroglyphs, Death Valley National Park
- Mugwort: A Natural Poison Oak Preventive
- Indian Head Test Pattern (1939)
- Eccentric Artifact, San Marcos Foothills Preserve
- Mono Debris Dam Swimming Hole (1991)
- The Sisquoc Falls: A Little Known Region in California Explored (1884)
- Mono Narrows, The Old Oak Dies
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Latest Dispatches
- Raking the Forest: Anderson, Trump, Kuyper
- Initials of J.D. Reyes (1907)
- Last California Grizzlies Seen In Santa Barbara National Forest? (1926)
- Eccentric Artifact, San Marcos Foothills Preserve
- Fog Drip Morels
- Naming Santa Barbara’s Modoc Road
- Mark of Conquest; Benchmark and Mortar
- Hat Tip to the Selfless Samaritans In Service to Others
- The Intelligence of Coyote Tobacco (Nicotiana attenuata)
- The Journey of a Root (1907) and Plant Intelligence
- Santa Barbara County Morels
- Hollyleaf Cherries Golden Morph
- Barefoot Prints In Volcanic Ash, Hawaii (1790)
- Skinny-Dipper Detained, Cuffed and Cited at Montecito Hot Springs
- Red Horny Toad
Lunar Phase

Author Archives: Jack Elliott
Scent of the Sea On A Ventura County Creek
With a blustery forecast set for Sunday and Monday, I begrudgingly decided to postpone a backpacking trip. The slight chance of rain that was also expected was of little concern, but the thought of being exposed to the elements for … Continue reading
Eating Poison Oak
The Blistery Beginning I remember sitting in seventh grade math class at La Colina Jr. High one afternoon and itching the hell out of some poison oak on my upper thigh. I managed to scratch it into a puffy, red … Continue reading
Posted in Flora
Tagged Chumash, Costanoan, Ethnobotany, Jan Timbrook, Karok, Mahuna, Poison oak, San Luis Obispo, Tolowa, Toxicodendron diversilobum
60 Comments
Mugwort: A Natural Poison Oak Preventive
Plant Profile Mugwort (Artemisia douglasiana) is a perennial herb commonly found in areas of riparian habitat. It likes sunny, moist locations around creeks and rivers, but can also be found in areas of bright shade and the dappled light of … Continue reading
Posted in Flora
Tagged Artemisia douglasiana, Chumash, Ethnobotany, Jan Timbrook, John P. Harrington, Mugwort, Poison oak, Pomo Kashaya, Reference, urushiol
15 Comments
Pine Mountain Sunburst
A view from the north slope of Pine Mountain on Sunday.













