These little guys are called Mountain Bluebells and the only place I have seen them is in the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada. And only in two different areas. In the course of maturing they go from a pastel lavander/rose color to a pastel blue which makes for a pretty little bouquet. They are small and can be difficult to see in the tall grass and as is true for so many wildflowers, are very short-lived. I am happy I was able to see some. Stay healthy.
Yesterday my good friends and I went on a photo shoot to some higher elevations of the western Sierra National Forest. The soul purpose of this photoshoot was to photograph wildflowers. Unfortunately we were a bit early. There were a few, but most of those were at the lower elevations of 6000-7000 ft. Above that the selection dropped way down to just a couple. But as always, what was there was beautiful. The Star Tulip is one of the first flowers to appear at the upper elevations. It is very small and close to the ground, but has an almost ethereal, translucent appearance. A very pretty little flower. Stay healthy!
Some recent day trips with my son has led us to some very remote areas of our county. Mariposa is a large county with a small population, and a large portion of it belongs to Yosemite National Park and The Sierra National Forrest. This means that most of the area is unpopulated. It also means there is a lot of back country to explore. The areas we visited were once thick with pines and cedars. Un- fortunately a lot of this area has been hit with devastating wildfires in the past few year wiping out much of the tree population. This area has been cleared of the dead wood and things are beginning to grow again (Poison Oak). Which is good to see. Stay healthy.
Another one of Mother Nature’s beautiful bouquets. Here she hosts the Popcorn Flower(one of John Muir’s favorites,) the California Poppy, Woodland Star, Blue Dick, Lace Pod, and Goldfield. This picture was taken very early in the morning so the poppy’s were just starting to open. Stay healthy.
The foothills of the Sierra Nevada are a parade of constantly changing colors in the spring. Many of them are blatantly beautiful with vibrant colors, while others are smaller and more subdued but equally beautiful. And the variety changes from year to year so it is always fun to see what is going to pop up this year. Hope you are enjoying your spring. Stay healthy.
This field encompassed a couple of acres of pure gold. There were Poppy’s and Fiddlenecks, and Popcorn and I am sure many more. And there will be more to come. Springtime….a beautifully refreshing time of year. Stay healthy!!!
Spring in this area changes from year to year, depending on our winter weather. Every year there seems to be a predominate flower in different areas. In this particular area the “popcorn” flower was predominate which I am sure will be followed by a more colorful array once these are done. The fields were white for miles and miles. It was gorgeous. Stay healthy.
Periodically the seven members of this blog are given an assignment. Todays assignment is our favorite photo of a bird that we have photographed. So I am posting my favorite bird subject-Hummingbirds! This is an Anna’s Hummingbird. A striking member of the family with it beautiful neon colors. Enjoy your day and stay healthy.
I am fortunate to live in a rural area where I can walk out my door and am greeted with beauty and and few people. Yesterday I went in search of a beautiful sunset. As so often happens up here, just before the peak sunset the clouds started to dissipate, but I was able to capture this. Please stay safe and healthy. I am praying for all of you.
This is located in the central Sierra Nevada. There are several Beaver ponds located above Lundy Lake heading up Lundy Canyon. I have never seen a Beaver in the area, but I am hoping that on one of my future trips I will see one.
