Santa Rosa Plateau

On Tuesday, my mom, my aunt, Ethan and I went to The Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve. It's off the 15 freeway off Clinton Keith Pkwy. This is the only area left in California that still has natural growing prairie grass. So we went to have a little nature time. Ethan loved it! We spent somewhere between 2-3 hours there. He was exhausted when we were done, but it was worth it. The pictures I have are kinda scrambled up. I still haven't gotten used to figuring out how to post pictures in order. Oh well! Enjoy!

Ethan chillin' on a rock. He was climbing down, but it looks so cute.

Ethan running to my mom and aunt. I don't know what was up with the "drunken stupor" run.

Ethan was helping me hold open a Chocolate Lily. They are very rare flowers....We had to hike a really rough trail to get to them. I know it's blurry, but I thought our hands were cute. Some info on the Chocolate Lily.

http://calflora.net/bloomingplants/chocolatelily.html

Holding open the lily.

Showing off my sunburn. We were there longer than I thought we would be.

Looking at a water snake in the Vernal Pool. These pools don't form very often. We were lucky this year because we have had some really good rain. Here is some information on Vernal Pools.

http://www.riversidecountyparks.org/park-directory/all-parks/santa-rosa-plateau/reserve-features/vernal-pools/

http://www.umaine.edu/wetlands/vernal.htm

Looking at the Fairy Shrimp.

http://www.vernalpool.org/inf_fs.htm

Walking toward the pool.

Looking at this water snake that was there. He could have stared at it all day.

Sitting on a rock.

Cute picture on a log.

He heard a plane flying in the sky.

Grandma and Ethan

Looking at the snake with another little boy.

Closeup of the snake.