Wildflowers are a feast to our eyes and I appreciate that if we leave them in their natural place that others will be able to enjoy them as well. Most wildflowers do not last very long as picked flowers anyway. Last year I saw a young family picking oodles of poppies along the trail. I don't think they realized that poppies once picked don't last very long, especially if you are picking them and dumping them into little buckets for your kids to carry. We occasionally pick a single wildflower to press and preserve in our nature journals. We pick only if there is an abundance and we do not take the whole plant. Rarely do I pick any wildflowers unless they are on our own property or my dad's property, never at a National Park.
"Some flowers are so abundant that they can be picked in moderation if the roots are not disturbed, if plenty of flowers are left for seed, and if the plant itself is not taken with the flower."I think this is still good advice today.
Handbook of Nature Study, page 460
We are just beginning to see the fennel blooming along the edges in the sunny patches.
Same with the Fiddlenecks...they are just popping open with their bright orange-yellow in the sunny spots.
I think this was the Miner's Lettuce blooming...I have to go back and check.
I never did identify this one last year. I am going to take my field guide with me on my next hike and see if I can figure it out this season. It is very small and it blankets the edges of the trail in the shady sections. I seem to remember that we thought it might be Spring Beauty.
Today we were going to hike in another county, but it had to be postponed. My hubby wants to work in the garden anyway and plant a few of the early spring veggies.
One last photo from the other day when the clouds and sky were so very beautiful.
Enjoy your day!
Barb-Harmony Art Mom
