Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Early Spring Wildflowers Part 1

Last year we had a great time keeping track of all our early spring wildflowers. It became a sort of treasure hunt for our family as we hiked every week. Although none of us felt much like getting outdoors for a walk yesterday, except for perhaps our dog, we kicked ourselves out the door and were rewarded with some beautiful wildflowers to look at as we hiked.

3 1 10 Manzanita blooms
The manzanita is blooming now and technically it is a flowering bush...I still think the buds are very pretty and this one with the bright red bud caught my eye.

3 1 10 Miner's Lettuce
The Miner's lettuce is starting to bloom as well.

3 1 10 Popcorn flower
There is a special spot in the canyon that we can hike to that has a slope where as the seasons progress it has different wildflowers. Right now it is starting to bloom with this Popcorn flower.

3 1 10 Saxifrage
The saxifrage is starting to bloom now and it is interesting with its red stems.

3 1 10 Hounds Tongue
How about this Houndstongue? Wow! It is so very pretty. Just like it shows in the photo, some of the blooms are almost blue and some are purple.

3 1 10 Grasshopper
Okay, so this one isn't a photo of a wildflower but he was hopping all over the meadow where we were taking photos. He was a very spirited grasshopper....let's just say I took about ten photos trying to get him inside the frame. :)

We were very glad that we got out and took a hike yesterday. The sun was warm and the flowers cheered us all up. I hope they cheer you up as well.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom