This little beauty was found on the Blue Ridge Loop Trail. It was all alone hiding next to a rock on the left-hand side of the trail up to the ridge.
Might be C. luteus: Seems to come in a wide array of forms and is the most widespread yellow Calochortus in California. Hoping this was something else. Have a wicked field guide for these but...no match..
Queue Etta James! I've been wanting to see this snake for years. I was hiking with a friend who hates snakes (as in phobia, not just mild dislike), so I was scrutinizing all distant sticks and elongate pieces of grass to see if they were going to cause emotional breakdown. This got categorized as "stick" right up until we almost stepped on it, at which point my friend and I both freaked out, but in different ways. I started maddly taking pictures and exulting over its vestigial claws while she hid behind her husband. Medevac was not required.