A living field guide
Know what you're looking at out there.
The trails, native plants, and wildlife of the Santa Clarita Valley — documented in the field, one observation at a time, by a naturalist who's spent years learning this landscape up close.
Now in the field
What's blooming, flying, and moving right now
California Buckwheat
Eriogonum fasciculatumPeak bloom across every south-facing slope. Stand next to one and count the insect species — it's the busiest plant in the valley right now.
FlyingWhite-lined Sphinx
Hyles lineataHawkmoths working evening primrose at dusk. Watch Oenothera elata along the river corridor an hour after sunset.
DevelopingOak Galls
Cynipidae on QuercusCynipid wasp galls are swelling on scrub and coast live oak. Some of the SCV's least-documented insects are inside them.
Watch forTarantula Hawks
Pepsis spp.Big, blue-black, orange-winged, and unmistakable — patrolling milkweed and buckwheat through the heat of the day.
The field guide
Three ways into the valley
Everything here comes from time on the ground — not summaries of other guides. Pick a trail, learn the plants you'll pass, and meet what lives among them.
Trails
Towsley, Placerita, Whitney, East Walker Ranch — with difficulty, shade, best season, and what to look for on each.
Browse trails → 38 species YOUR PHOTONative Plants
The chaparral, sage scrub, and riparian plants you'll actually meet on the trail — and the insects and birds that depend on each one.
Browse plants → Growing YOUR PHOTOWildlife
Birds, insects, reptiles, and mammals of the SCV corridor, photographed in the field and tied to the habitats where you'll find them.
Browse wildlife →Field notes
From the trail, recently
The night shift: hawkmoths on Hooker's evening primrose
What happens after the day pollinators clock out — and why one river-corridor plant depends on it.
Read the note →What the goats are actually eating at Towsley Canyon
Fuel reduction is real — but so is what gets lost when grazing lines cross intact native habitat.
Read the note →A Bewick's Wren moves into the native yard
Three years after tearing out the lawn, the yard is choosing its own residents. A progress report.
Read the note →The person behind it
I've been paying attention to this valley for a long time.
I'm Nav — a naturalist and photographer based in the Santa Clarita Valley. By day I scout filming locations across Southern California; the rest of the time I'm on these trails with a camera, documenting the plants, insects, and birds that make this corridor between the San Gabriels and Santa Susanas one of the most underrated wild edges of Los Angeles.
Ten thousand–plus observations on iNaturalist, field work across nine countries, and a front yard converted into native habitat — this site is where all of it gets organized into something useful for anyone who wants to see this place more clearly.
Prints
Wildlife photography on aluminum
Selected images from the field, printed on aluminum for depth and durability. Recent work has shown at the City of Santa Clarita's Animal Kingdom exhibition.
See available printsField notes, delivered
Know what's happening out there this season
A few times a season: what's blooming and flying in the SCV, new species accounts, and trip reports. No noise.
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