Conservation matters (In Explore July 29, 2025)
The wildflowers were in full voice on this trip. Seashore Lupine (Lupinus littoralis) trailed across the cliffs in muted purples, resilient as ever. But it was the paintbrush—Castilleja latifolia ssp. mendocinensis—that stopped me cold. I've seen my share of Indian Paintbrush over the years, but nothing with this kind of intensity. The color was alive—an unreal, searing red that seemed to hum against the soft light rolling in from the Pacific.
This subspecies is native and endemic to the California coast, from Mendocino County northward to a single documented site in Curry County, Oregon. It's hemiparasitic, pulling nutrients from the roots of nearby plants, surviving on windblown, salty ground where few things persist. And it's rare—ranked 1B.2 in California, meaning it's threatened or endangered here and elsewhere. Most of its remaining habitat is clinging on in the face of development, erosion, and invasive pressure.
Still, in this little patch, it was flourishing. Vibrant. Fierce. It's like it knew just how rare it is.
I made this image with the Sony PZ 16–35 f/4 on the a7RIV, shot at 16mm without distortion correction. The final frame clocked in at nearly 72 megapixels—sharp across the board, with an expansive sense of space that feels true to the coast itself. It's the kind of moment I know I'll want to revisit.
Conservation matters (In Explore July 29, 2025)
The wildflowers were in full voice on this trip. Seashore Lupine (Lupinus littoralis) trailed across the cliffs in muted purples, resilient as ever. But it was the paintbrush—Castilleja latifolia ssp. mendocinensis—that stopped me cold. I've seen my share of Indian Paintbrush over the years, but nothing with this kind of intensity. The color was alive—an unreal, searing red that seemed to hum against the soft light rolling in from the Pacific.
This subspecies is native and endemic to the California coast, from Mendocino County northward to a single documented site in Curry County, Oregon. It's hemiparasitic, pulling nutrients from the roots of nearby plants, surviving on windblown, salty ground where few things persist. And it's rare—ranked 1B.2 in California, meaning it's threatened or endangered here and elsewhere. Most of its remaining habitat is clinging on in the face of development, erosion, and invasive pressure.
Still, in this little patch, it was flourishing. Vibrant. Fierce. It's like it knew just how rare it is.
I made this image with the Sony PZ 16–35 f/4 on the a7RIV, shot at 16mm without distortion correction. The final frame clocked in at nearly 72 megapixels—sharp across the board, with an expansive sense of space that feels true to the coast itself. It's the kind of moment I know I'll want to revisit.