Phantom Fall with rainbow, North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve, California

 

Phantom Fall gets its name because it's seasonal and might not appear at all in dry years. We hiked out to see it the first week of April in 2023. We arrived just at the right time to see this rainbow form in its mist. The North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve, where the fall is located, is north of Oroville, California. The reserve protects a volcanic tableland that is level for the most part, but streams cut deep gorges in some parts. The water drops along the rock wall, then free falls in front of an alcove. There's a steep trail down to the base of the fall and we saw people walking behind the water.

Canon 70d, ISO 100, f13, 1/30 sec, 49 mm,

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Indian Lettuce (Miner's Lettuce) at North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve, Spring 2023

 

This unusual plant has white flowers emerging from the center of a circular leaf. It was used as food by the native California people and the gold miners of the 19th century. So it can be called Indian lettuce or miner's lettuce. Its scientific name is Claytonia perfoliata. These plants are found all over California. I even have it growing in my yard, even though I made no attempt to cultivate it.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Ravine Falls, North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve, near Oroville, California

 A followup to our previous posting.  We went back to the North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve on April 5th, 2023 to take in the wildflowers as well as visiting Ravine and Phantom Falls again.

In January 2023 California was hit with a series of storms and it has been in the media that the seasonal waterfalls at the North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve in northern California were flush with water. This reserve is northeast of Oroville, California.

 This is Ravine Falls is about a mile and a half hike from the trailhead.  This is a difficult waterfall to get a good photo of.  The lower portion is always shaded, while the upper portion, at least when we visited, seemed to have strong backlighting that made for a very contrasty situation.  On this followup visit, Bob used a graduated neutral density filter to reduce the contrast and got this image.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Ravine Falls, North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve, near Oroville, California

In January 2023 California was hit with a series of storms and it has been in the media that the seasonal waterfalls at the North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve in northern California were flush with water. This reserve is northeast of Oroville, California.

 This is Ravine Falls. It's about a mile and a half hike from the trailhead. We knew we were heading toward this waterfall when the trail took us from open rolling plain and started switchbacking down into a ravine, hence the name of the fall.

We had been wanting to visit this reserve for many years now, because of our interest in vernal pools.  They occur in the rolling plains that visitors can see right at the trailhead.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.