holly_h's Identifications

Found in a 5.5 foot diameter pool. Filled with leaves and debris. About 5 newts (possibly California Newts) of same kind and 1 or 2 of another newt species in the same pool. The pool was about a half foot deep. Some newts are 4-5 inches long head to tail while others of possibly different species of newt were around 8 inches long. The pool had many water striders on it's surface. The newt is dark on the top with a bright orange belly. Comes up for air occasionally. There was yellow in or around the eyes.

This flower is a purple or lavender color. There are long stalks with flower pods that consist of 50+ little flowers. They were in the grassland but were creating a ring around a mostly dried up pond. The ring was oval shaped that was 50 yards in length and 30 yards in width. The ring was about 2-3 feet thick. The leaves are long, thin, fuzzy, and green. The flowers are stinky.