A Feast for the Eyes

On our way down to the Santa Rosa Plateau on Sunday, we passed hills in the distance covered with poppies. So on Monday we decided to go on a poppy hunt to try to get up close to a beautiful patch somewhere. After a bit of searching, we were rewarded when we finally found a dirt road that followed the bottom of a hill covered with poppies, bluebells, and other wildflowers. It was a royal feast for our eyes and was overwhelmingly beautiful. Alyssa and Jonathan enjoyed climbing around in the sea of flowers.

God is an incredible Gardner! He must enjoy creating such beauty.

Gorgeous Santa Rosa Plateau

On Sunday we visited one of my favorite springtime spots here in Southern California - the Santa Rosa Plateau. It is now an ecological preserve, but the history of the place goes back a hundred years or more. The beauty is unbelievable! It reminds me of the few times I have had the priveledge of walking in the Alps - the high grassy meadows with scattered trees and rolling hills with snow-covered mountains in the distance. It's hard to believe there is actually a spot like it in Southern California, but here it is, green and unbelievably gorgeous this time of year with a wide array of wildflowers not seen too many other places. Here is a sampling of the beauty we encountered.

Pinks

Chocolate Lilies

Shooting Stars

Another fascinating thing about the plateau is the springtime vernal pools that dry completely by summer. But now the waters are teaming with small creatures including fairy shrimp, copepods, and planeria.

Spring Has Sprung!

Spring has sprung into full swing down here in Southern California. This post is in honor of Week 8 at Wildflower Morning's wildflower challenge.

Because we have had rain there are new wildflowers appearing every week. This past week, my two favorites started blooming - the California poppies, and the bluebells. Above us on the hills, large patches of purple appeared and I couldn't wait to go see them up close. This past weekend I had opportunity to do that. Here is what they looked like:Once up in the hills, we found lots of other wildflowers blooming, too. Below are forget-me-nots with chia. Second picture below is brodea I believe.

Here is a view of our house from a hill above us. We are so blessed to have space around us to roam while living in the midst of city. And it is especially nice right now because the hills are green and the temperatures are still too cool for rattle snakes to be out.

Wildflowers in Winter - Kid's Art Entry

Wildflower Morning is hosting her seventh week of her Wildflowers in Winter project. Week 7 is a children's wildflower art contest. Here is her website for more information. So, my daughter went out and found some California poppies blooming on our property and decided she wanted to paint them. Here they are:

California Poppies - painted by Alyssa (age 4) with finger paints

Here is where she picked them. They are so bright and cheery! I always love it when they cover the hills in cheery orange. God is a wonderful Gardener!