Category Archives: Flowers

Hiking Close to Home

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Dan suggested hiking today. The closest place for a hike is to go to Stebbins Cold Canyon Preserve in the Blue Ridge Mountains southeast of Lake Berryessa. There is a five-mile loop trail that has enough elevation change to make you feel as though you had a workout, especially for us flat-landers.DSC_0064Do you see those switchbacks on the map? The rest of that isn’t exactly flat. This was perfect timing to hike in this area. We finally had enough rain for grass and wildflowers to grow (although not nearly enough rain to make up the deficit).DSC_0031Dan walks. I keep stopping to take photos and then I catch up. This is the lower part of the area in Cold Canyon where there is a lot of greenery. It is a completely different ecosystem than what you find up on the ridge.Poison oakIt is good to stay on the trail because there is poison oak everywhere. Even if dogs were allowed on this part of the hike I wouldn’t bring them because they would be covered with it.Dutchman's pipe The interesting flower of CA Dutchman’s Pipe or CA Pipevine (Aristolochia californica).CA Bay California Bay Laurel (Umbellularia californica)DSC_9997Shooting Star (Dodecatheon)Wild cucumber or Manroot Wild cucumber or California Manroot or California Bigroot (Marah macrocarpa). The flower books say that the root of this deciduous vine may weigh 50-100 pounds.Indian WarriorIndian Warrior (Pedicularis densiflora) is parasitic, attaching to the roots of other plants.Digger pineAs you leave the canyon and start climbing through the chaparral the vegetation changes. This is a beautiful big digger pine.Poison oak  Did I mention the poison oak?DSC_0043 View of part of Lake Berryessa.DSC_0045More climbing to do before we start the downhill.DSC_0051 We didn’t get enough rain this year for the grass to grow up through last year’s old dead grass. Those hills are faintly green, but not enough.Dan saving my lens cap.  Dan recovered my lens cap after it rolled several feet down slope. Most of that is not poison oak, but “most” isn’t “all”. My hero.

 

Too Soon for Spring but…

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After I published the last post (a bunch of seemingly unrelated ugly photos) I thought it was pretty stupid. I do have something to tell about how they all relate, but that story will wait until I get around to it and in the meantime I have deleted it. This is a better bunch of photos that I took yesterday on the way to the barn.AloeDSC_8757EucalyptusLantanaPussywillowRedbud

Wish I Was There

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It was 107 degrees today and the weather people are predicting 6 days of 105 degrees or over. After a few days of this already I am thinking about a hike we took a few weeks ago.DSC_3093 This is a trail in the El Dorado National Forest from Wright’s Lake to Twin Lakes in Desolation Wilderness. We went with my son, Matt, my brother and nephew (who were going to continue into Desolation for a backpacking trip) and, of course, the four dogs.

With my 40 mm lens I get views both …DSC_3118… grand and …DSC_3102 …close.DSC_3115  It’s dry in the valley and foothills now, but at 6000+ feet there are still plenty of wildflowers.DSC_3124

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DSC_3175I love the granite boulders and huge views in the Sierras. That distant mountain is Big Hill, where there is a fire lookout and where Matt sometimes works.DSC_3202Dave and Jack were to continue hiking and discussed the options with Matt who knows this area well.DSC_3192 It’s not always easy to get a group photo of all four dogs. DSC_3217We are so fortunate to live in an area where we can get to the mountains in just a couple of hours and that we are able to enjoy it by hiking.

But this is what I’m thinking about today as the temperature soared.DSC_3165Silver Creek cascades over granite and forms beautiful waterfalls and refreshing pools along its length.DSC_3150 DSC_3152     That’s Matt with Sam and Kirin. I took a dip too and I would relish that now.DSC_3223 Rusty and Maggie like their water a little more shallow.DSC_3251We hiked about 8 miles I think. Toward the end Maggie didn’t want to leave the pools. I think the water felt good on her feet.IMG_6650This is one of Twin Lakes in Desolation Wilderness.

 

 

Wildflowers in the hills

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Dan and I went for a hike today not too far from here. The loop is about 4.5-5 miles with spectacular views.DSC_0093It’s been dry this spring, and the greenery won’t last long, but there are a lot of wild flowers right now.DSC_0027

Also a lot (A LOT) of poison oak.DSC_0014 I love the effect of my new lens with the shallow depth of field, but it’s sometimes hard to work with, especially when I’m trying to snap photos quickly.

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“I’ll catch up…Just taking photos.”DSC_0028 DSC_0044 DSC_0047  DSC_0065  DSC_0079 DSC_0081 DSC_0088 DSC_0092Western Redbud is one of my favorites.

 

Moon Journey

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I was surprised to see this iris flower this morning. I bought four fancy iris plants from Pleasants Valley Iris Farm last year. You choose them in the spring when they are blooming (now) and then iris farmer, Mark, sends the rhizomes to you in the fall when they should be planted. I almost killed them by forgetting about them and leaving them in the box for…let’s just say…a long time.  I finally planted the rhizomes and have made sure they don’t get stepped on, eaten, etc. Today I was surprised to see the one called Moon Journey flowering! I don’t know if the others will produce flowers this year, but at least I am watching over them now. I can’t seem to turn Pleasants Valley Iris Farm into a link right now but go to http://irisfarmer.com

 

April Showers Bring….

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Flannel bush, a native drought-tolerant CA species. I planted this behind the chicken house.

Yarrow, another drought-tolerant (read neglect-tolerant) species.

An incredibly fragrant rose. Hardy enough to have survived being dug up and replanted years ago and then suffer through seasons of aphids, little water, and pruning by someone who doesn’t know what she is doing.

I just planted this pink bottle-brush and will try to give it water during it’s first summer. After that it’s probably on it’s own, but the red variety I have near the barn has thrived with similar non-care. (Come to think of it, I think there is a leaky faucet near the red one.)

I love iris because they grow almost no matter what you do or don’t do to them. I have some fancy varieties that I got from my friend the iris farmer last year. I am embarrassed to say that I almost killed those by forgetting to plant them when I got them in the fall. They are in the ground and seem to be thriving but I was too late to expect them to bloom this year.

The clover is blooming now that it’s getting hot. In the foreground is one of the plants we just call foxtails. I think this one is Hare Barley but I’ll have to take my weed book to the pasture to know for sure.

I can’t remember the name of this one but it’s in the box at the end of my shop. I always think the plant is not doing well because the leaves are almost yellow, but   whatever I am not doing to it seems to be working. It has a lot of flowers every year. (This box does get some water.)

This is a Verbasum, a new plant that I just planted in a barrel near the shop. I was assured that it could live in the environment of heat and neglect. I saw that it flowered yesterday. Last night the flowers looked as though they had shriveled up, but they are open again this morning. Good plant.

I planted Walker’s Low Catmint in another barrel. I just put a leave of it under Ozzie’s nose and he doesn’t seem to care.

Annual ryegrass, a much more desirable grass, than the annuals that we call foxtails.

The locust tree is in full bloom and fills the air with its sweet fragrance.