I got my California State Naturalist certification in 2019, but I think I have unwittingly been a naturalist for most of my life. I have been a flower enthusiast as far back as I can remember. I started trying to ID wildflowers on my own before I was a teenager, but didn't learn how to properly key a plant until I was in college. I love finding tiny belly flowers and inconspicuous brown flowers just as much as I love finding the big bright obvious ones.

Recently I have gotten more interested in insects and spiders. And I'm working on my birding!
I like to hope that my enthusiasm for natural sciences rubs off on those around me. (I try at least!).

I grew up in Sonoma County, and was a naturalist hike leader for Pepperwood Preserve in Santa Rosa, and before that, at Fairfield Osborn Preserve in Rohnert Park. In 2021, I moved to Colorado. I am now a non-traditional student at Colorado State University. I also volunteer for the Butterfly Pavilion. Over the summer, I volunteer for the Colorado Butterfly Monitoring Project, and the Colorado Pika Project.