It was a stroke of luck finding this beauty while I was waiting for Golden Hairstreaks to pose (which they sadly never did to my satisfaction). Pretty far from water. There's a stream at the bottom of the canyon but I sincerely doubt it's running right now.
While trying to catch invasive crawfish, two of these swam into the trap. The speckles and stripes are visible but harder to see the maroon colored shimmer on the skin. Released them both and they swam off.
I see sculpins all the time in the ocean. I was very surprised to see this little skulpin-looking fish in lake Tahoe and again surprised to learn that there are indeed fresh-water sculpins. So glad to have seen it. About 35 feet deep.
Skittish when approached, immediately tried to hide in a crack between a building and the sidewalk.
Appears to be in the mustard family. Flower clusters on tall stalks growing all over the Cliffside at the coast.