California

California La Jolla San Diego

Photos of Birch Aquarium, La Jolla

The Birch Aquarium is located at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Completed in 1992, the aquarium was named for benefactors Stephen and Mary Birch. The Birch Aquarium contains over 60 tanks, including a 70,000 gallon kelp forest exhibit and 13,000 gallon shark tank. It is located on a bluff overlooking…

Phil CollaNovember 7, 2005

Beautiful Views of San Diego California San Diego

Photo of Star of India, the World’s Oldest Seafaring Ship

The Star of India is the world's oldest seafaring ship. Originally built in 1863, the Star of India is now a maritime museum docked in San Diego Harbor, and occasionally puts to sea for special sailing events. The Star of India is tied to her dock along the waterfront of…

Phil CollaNovember 4, 2005

Beautiful Views of San Diego California San Diego

San Diego Skyline Photo

Photos of the San Diego downtown city skyline. San Diego likes to boast that it is America's Finest City. Perhaps -- at least the notion is debatable. However, San Diego does have a beautiful downtown waterfront and city skyline. A few places to admire the lineup of hotels and buildings…

Phil CollaNovember 3, 2005

Beautiful Views of San Diego California San Diego

Photo of the Point Loma Lighthouse, Cabrillo National Monument

The original Point Loma lighthouse was built in 1855 and operated until 1891. It was one of the original 8 lighthouses built on the West Coast and was designed in the Cape Cod style common to all of them at the time. East Coast lighthouses were then built on promontories…

Phil CollaNovember 2, 2005

California Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photo of Tenaya Lake, Yosemite National Park

Tenaya Lake lies in the high country of Yosemite National Park, surrounded by enormous granite domes and coniferous forests. Tenaya Lake is surrounded by epic granite domes, with Polly Dome on the left. Late afternoon, viewed from Olmsted Point. Image ID: 09955 Location: Tenaya Lake, Yosemite National Park, California, USA…

Phil CollaSeptember 19, 2005

California Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photo of Mammoth Peak, Yosemite National Park

Mammoth Peak rises above Tioga Lake and Tuolumne Meadows in the high country of Yosemite National Park. Mammoth Peak and alpine meadows in the High Sierra are reflected in Tioga Lake at sunrise. This spectacular location is just a short walk from the Tioga Pass road. Near Tuolumne Meadows and…

Phil CollaSeptember 18, 2005

California Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photo of Lembert Dome, Yosemite National Park

Lembert Dome rises above Tuolumne Meadows in the high country of Yosemite National Park. The hike to the summit of Lembert Dome is easy and leads through a forest of trees before emerging on the backside of the dome, and offers expansive view of the entire Tuolumne Meadows from the…

Phil CollaSeptember 17, 2005

California Natural World San Clemente Island Stories Underwater Life

The Kelp Forest :: Part V

When the goal is simply to swim in and admire a kelp forest, nothing beats the (relatively) warm clear waters of Southern California's San Clemente Island in late summer. On a good day the panorama at San Clemente is stunning: kelp in all directions reaching from seafloor to surface, summer…

Phil CollaJune 12, 2005

California Natural World Ocean Sunfish Stories Underwater Life Wildlife

The Kelp Forest :: Part IV

Further to the south, Santa Barbara and Catalina Island kelp forests offer somewhat less profuse animal life but warmer and clearer waters. While I don't dive these two islands often anymore, I do dive kelp originating from these islands throughout the summer: drift kelp. I was introduced to the notion…

Phil CollaJune 11, 2005

California Natural World San Clemente Island Stories Underwater Life

The Kelp Forest :: Part III

Central and Northern California kelp forests are bathed by cold, nutrient-laden currents. The waters here are generally not clear but are rich with animal life. Invertebrate displays on the rocks below the kelp forest are some of the most profuse and interesting in the world and it is common to…

Phil CollaJune 10, 2005

California Natural World San Clemente Island Stories Underwater Life

The Kelp Forest :: Part II

It is my spirited opinion, one that I enjoy defending over a beer after a long day on the water, that diving amidst giant kelp is the most magnificent diving in the world. I am fortunate enough to have had some amazing experiences underwater -- watching swarms of hammerheads soar…

Phil CollaJune 9, 2005

California Natural World San Clemente Island Stories Underwater Life

The Kelp Forest :: Part I

My first experience with seaweed was as a kid combing the shores of Newport Beach where I grew up. After storms my brother and I would find clumps of the brown stuff pushed up the beach. We would pick through them to pop the small bubbles attached to the leaves.…

Phil CollaJune 8, 2005

San Clemente Island Underwater Life

Seagrass in Motion

One morning while diving at San Clemente Island I was struck by the lackluster light. It was cloudy and dark and I had yet to find any exciting subjects to shoot. I was spacing out in the shallows watching the kelp fishes meander among the weeds when I started fiddling…

Phil CollaJune 2, 2005

California Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photos of Yosemite Falls in Spring

Falling 2425 feet (730m) in three sections, Yosemite Falls is the tallest waterfall in North America and the fifth tallest in the world. During winter, a cone of frozen mist forms at the base of Lower Yosemite Falls. A strenuous hike takes visitors from the valley floor to the precipice…

Phil CollaMay 26, 2005

Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photo of Vernal Falls, Yosemite National Park

Spring is the time to visit Vernal Falls and the famous Mist Trail in Yosemite National Park. Vernal Falls is at peak flow in late May and June, the weather is usually pleasant and the dogwoods are in bloom on the valley floor. We try to make a springtime visit…

Phil CollaMay 23, 2005

Cactus California Desert The American Southwest Wildflowers

Red Barrel Cactus Photos, Anza Borrego Desert State Park

Thanks to John Dougherty for kindly helping us to correctly identify a number of flowering plants from recent visits to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. One of our favorite subjects was the Red Barrel Cactus (Ferocactus cylindraceus) which were just beginning to show their blooms. Barrel cactus, brittlebush and wildflowers color…

Phil CollaMarch 18, 2005

California Desert The American Southwest Wildflowers

Canyon Sunrise, Anza Borrego Desert State Park

Anza Borrego Desert State Park is currently experiencing an epic, once-in-a-lifetime bloom of desert wildflowers, bushes and cacti. The sand verbena and desert primrose flowers that had covered the valley floor so spectacularly in places in February seem to be receding or largely gone, replaced with poppies and lupine. However,…

Phil CollaMarch 16, 2005

California Carlsbad Wildflowers

Photos of Batiquitos Lagoon in Spring

Batiquitos Lagoon, bordering Carlsbad and La Costa in northern San Diego County, is experiencing a fantastic display of spring flowers and plants. The hills bordering the lagoon are as verdant as we can ever recall seeing them, covered with lots of yellow flowers and deep green foliage. Now is a…

Phil CollaMarch 7, 2005

California Invertebrate Monterey Underwater Life

Photo of Hermissenda Crassicornis Nudibranch

This photo of a Hermissenda crassicornis, also known as an "Opalescent nudibranch", was shot in the early 90's near Carmel on the Monterey Peninsula. We rented a house in the town of Carmel for a week. Anticipating foggy skies and cold murky water, we did not expect to do much…

Phil CollaMarch 3, 2005

California San Clemente Island Underwater Life

Kelp Fronds and Pneumatocysts

Giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) is the fastest growing plant in the world. It clings to the ocean floor and grows upward toward the surface, buoyed up by gas-filled pneumatocysts. Growth occurs at the tips of the plant -- the fronds -- which resemble leaves of a terrestrial plant. Kelp frond…

Phil CollaFebruary 28, 2005

California Harbor Seal La Jolla

Humane Society Sues to Protect Seals

From the San Diego Union Tribune: U.S. Humane Society sues S.D., demands rope barrier for seals By Ray Huard UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER February 26, 2005 The Humane Society of the United States filed suit yesterday against the city of San Diego, demanding that officials restore a rope barrier at La…

Phil CollaFebruary 26, 2005

California Landscape Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photos of Glacial Erratic Boulders in Yosemite National Park

Above the granite walls surrounding Yosemite Valley are found many examples of glacial erratic boulders. These glacial erratics are so named because they are erratic (i.e., differ materially from the naturally occuring stone nearby) and they were deposited by slow-moving glaciers, sometimes after having been moved a considerable distance (e.g.,…

Phil CollaFebruary 26, 2005

California Landscape Panoramas Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Panoramic Photo of Half Dome and Washington Column from Stoneman Meadow, Yosemite Valley

Yosemite Valley offers panoramic views that, in many cases, cannot be effectively captured with a single photograph (a frame of film or a single digital image capture). Stitching photographs together digitally offers a way to produce panoramic images using non-panoramic cameras. Below is an example of this technique, considering Half…

Phil CollaFebruary 25, 2005

California San Diego Sharks Underwater Life

Photo of Blue Shark and Yellowtail

Some years ago I was freediving around an open ocean kelp paddy with Mike Johnson. We were photographing a few blue sharks that we had attracted to the paddy with a small bucket of chum. Two small yellowtail jacks were flanking one of the blue sharks, swimming closely beside it…

Phil CollaFebruary 24, 2005

California Fish Marine Life Underwater Life

Photo of California Sheephead Wrasse

The California sheephead wrasse, Semicossyphus pulcher, is an interesting fish. It begins its life as a female and remains so until adulthood. When the region's dominant adult male dies or leaves then switcheroo! one of the remaining adult females will switch genders to assume the role of dominant male of…

Phil CollaFebruary 13, 2005

California Desert The American Southwest Wildflowers

Photos of Wildflowers at Anza Borrego Desert State Park

The spring wildflower bloom is happening right now at Anza Borrego Desert State Park, as well as many other places in California. The bloom appears to be early and thick this year due to the heavy rains we had over the past few months. Here are some examples, shot Sunday…

Phil CollaFebruary 10, 2005

California Central Coast Elephant Seal

Newborn Northern Elephant Seal, Central California

Mother and newborn pup Northern elephant seals, Mirounga angustirostris, central California coast. This newborn pup had just been born minutes before this photo was taken. Placental material, seen in the background, has attracted sea gulls who will consume it. The pup will be weaned surprisingly fast, in as little 2-3…

Phil CollaFebruary 8, 2005

California San Clemente Island Underwater Life

Kelp Forest, San Clemente Island

Seen here is the upper 20' of a giant kelp forest. The kelp grows from the ocean floor, 30-100' below, all the way to the surface where it continues growing, spreading out to form a canopy. This species of kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, is the world's fastest growing plant (if you…

Phil CollaFebruary 7, 2005

California San Diego Sharks Underwater Life

Blue Shark Eye to Eye

Blue shark showing ampullae of Lorenzini, eye and small portion of nictitating membrane.Image ID: 01076Species: Blue shark, Prionace glaucaLocation: San Diego, California, USA This is a photograph of a blue shark, Prionace glauca. We bait for them offshore of San Diego, anywhere from 5 to 20 miles offshore (however far…

Phil CollaFebruary 4, 2005

Blue Whale Natural World Underwater Life

The Blue Whale, Largest Animal On Earth

The blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus, is the largest animal ever to have lived on Earth. Depending on which expert is cited, blue whales once attained lengths of 100 to 120 feet (32 meters) and have weighed up to 160 tons (145 metric tonnes). Blue whales are found throughout the worlds…

Phil CollaFebruary 4, 2005

California Fish Ocean Sunfish San Diego

Ocean Sunfish Floating On The Ocean Surface

Here's a photograph we licensed today for a book in Australia. Can you guess what the bright white object is? Ocean sunfish.Image ID: 02030Species: Ocean sunfish, Mola molaLocation: San Diego, California, USA It is an OCEAN SUNFISH (Mola mola), laying flat on the ocean's surface, far offshore of the San…

Phil CollaFebruary 3, 2005

California Harbor Seal La Jolla

Photos of La Jolla Seals

Controversy over the La Jolla seals continues. To make a long story short: a group of Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) has taken up residence on the sand at the Children's Pool, a small pocket cove in La Jolla, California also known as Casa Cove. Their presence there has led…

Phil CollaFebruary 1, 2005

Photos of Birch Aquarium, La Jolla

Photo of Star of India, the World’s Oldest Seafaring Ship

San Diego Skyline Photo

Photo of the Point Loma Lighthouse, Cabrillo National Monument

Photo of Tenaya Lake, Yosemite National Park

Photo of Mammoth Peak, Yosemite National Park

Photo of Lembert Dome, Yosemite National Park

The Kelp Forest :: Part V

The Kelp Forest :: Part IV

The Kelp Forest :: Part III

The Kelp Forest :: Part II

The Kelp Forest :: Part I

Seagrass in Motion

Photos of Yosemite Falls in Spring

Photo of Vernal Falls, Yosemite National Park

Red Barrel Cactus Photos, Anza Borrego Desert State Park

Canyon Sunrise, Anza Borrego Desert State Park

Photos of Batiquitos Lagoon in Spring

Photo of Hermissenda Crassicornis Nudibranch

Kelp Fronds and Pneumatocysts

Humane Society Sues to Protect Seals

Photos of Glacial Erratic Boulders in Yosemite National Park

Panoramic Photo of Half Dome and Washington Column from Stoneman Meadow, Yosemite Valley

Photo of Blue Shark and Yellowtail

Photo of California Sheephead Wrasse

Photos of Wildflowers at Anza Borrego Desert State Park

Newborn Northern Elephant Seal, Central California

Kelp Forest, San Clemente Island

Blue Shark Eye to Eye

The Blue Whale, Largest Animal On Earth

Ocean Sunfish Floating On The Ocean Surface

Photos of La Jolla Seals

Recent Posts

Categories

Archives