http://www.nps.gov/yose/blogs/ Ranger-naturalists have been interpreting the natural and cultural resources of Yosemite for park visitors for nearly a century. In this blog, some of Yosemite's park rangers share recent observations from around Yosemite. <p> All posts are shown below, or you can view posts by <a href="http://www.nps.gov/yose/blogs/Welcome-to-Yosemite-Ranger-Notes.htm">topic</a>. Sun, 19 May 2013 19:55:01 GMT http://www.nps.gov/yose/blogs/Busy-Beaver-at-Mirror-Lake.htm Observant visitors to Mirror Lake over the past month may have noticed evidence of beaver (Castor canadensis) activity. Several cottonwood trees around the main reflection pool are showing the toothmarks of gnawing by beavers. 7EBA9F70-155D-4519-3E49834ADF86A507 7EB6BA6A-155D-4519-3E905E178988FF98 7EB77D65-155D-4519-3E2843843882D5E8 Tue, 09 Apr 2013 06:00:00 GMT http://www.nps.gov/yose/blogs/Busy-Beaver-at-Mirror-Lake.htm http://www.nps.gov/yose/blogs/California-Black-Oak-Grove-Study-Begins-in-the-Valley.htm It is hard to overstate the importance of the California black oak (Quercus kelloggii) to Yosemite National Park. With so many other icons, it may be easy to overlook the black oak, but it is one of the most important cultural, biological, and scenic resources in the park. 7EBBCDF4-155D-4519-3EA83C04A574EACD 7EB6BA6A-155D-4519-3E905E178988FF98 7EB77D65-155D-4519-3E2843843882D5E8 Fri, 05 Apr 2013 06:00:00 GMT http://www.nps.gov/yose/blogs/California-Black-Oak-Grove-Study-Begins-in-the-Valley.htm http://www.nps.gov/yose/blogs/Western-Redbud-from-your-Window.htm Visitors over the past two weeks may have been struck by the brilliant pinky-purple flowers of the western redbud (Cercis occidentalis) tree on their drive to the park. 7EBB5398-155D-4519-3EC44EC32DD1262A 7EB77D65-155D-4519-3E2843843882D5E8 Fri, 05 Apr 2013 06:00:00 GMT http://www.nps.gov/yose/blogs/Western-Redbud-from-your-Window.htm http://www.nps.gov/yose/blogs/Spring-has-Sprung-Somewhere.htm Spring in the mountains is a funny thing. Like a wave slowly washing over the Sierra Nevada, spring will crash first onto the foothills and then, following the warmer temperatures, work its way up to the highest peaks in a spray of late summer wildflowers. 7EBA9F70-155D-4519-3E49834ADF86A507 7EB6BA6A-155D-4519-3E905E178988FF98 7EB77D65-155D-4519-3E2843843882D5E8 Fri, 15 Mar 2013 06:00:00 GMT http://www.nps.gov/yose/blogs/Spring-has-Sprung-Somewhere.htm http://www.nps.gov/yose/blogs/Rollercoaster-Rivers.htm This week has been very warm in Yosemite. Yosemite Valley&#8217;s average high temperature for March is 58&#176;F but this week, we have seen highs nearly 15 degrees warmer. 7EB6BA6A-155D-4519-3E905E178988FF98 7EB77D65-155D-4519-3E2843843882D5E8 Fri, 15 Mar 2013 06:00:00 GMT http://www.nps.gov/yose/blogs/Rollercoaster-Rivers.htm http://www.nps.gov/yose/blogs/Hunting-for-the-Hutchings-House.htm James Mason Hutchings was one of the earliest and most important pioneer figures of Yosemite Valley. It was Hutchings that published the first illustrations of Yosemite Valley, his daughter was the first non-Indian to be born in the Valley, and he owned one of the first hotels in the Valley. 7EB6BA6A-155D-4519-3E905E178988FF98 7EB77D65-155D-4519-3E2843843882D5E8 Sat, 09 Mar 2013 07:00:00 GMT http://www.nps.gov/yose/blogs/Hunting-for-the-Hutchings-House.htm http://www.nps.gov/yose/blogs/Our-inner-6-year-old.htm We were all young once. You may not remember it well now, but we often possess an innocence and honesty in our youth that is uncommon as adults. Such is the case of Evie, a young junior ranger, who recently returned a couple of sticks she took from the park saying in an adorable letter, &#8220;I know I&#8217;m not supposed to take things from the park&#8230;..Please put them back in nature.&#8221; 7EB6BA6A-155D-4519-3E905E178988FF98 7EB77D65-155D-4519-3E2843843882D5E8 7EBAF1EC-155D-4519-3E6FBDDF6F2C6A7B Sat, 09 Mar 2013 07:00:00 GMT http://www.nps.gov/yose/blogs/Our-inner-6-year-old.htm http://www.nps.gov/yose/blogs/Horsetail-Fall.htm Photographers flock to Yosemite year round, but there is a special reason they were here this week. There is a small, ephemeral water fall that puts on quite a show in mid- to late-February. Horse Tail Fall, on the east shoulder of El Capitan, is a great example of the amazing natural phenomena that exist in Yosemite. 7EB6BA6A-155D-4519-3E905E178988FF98 7EB77D65-155D-4519-3E2843843882D5E8 Fri, 22 Feb 2013 07:00:00 GMT http://www.nps.gov/yose/blogs/Horsetail-Fall.htm