Amy Ruegg spotted these Stream Violets in riotous bloom.
And delicate Calypso Orchid.
The wildflowers know spring is coming! Thanks to Amy for allowing me to share her photos with you here.
Sunny one moment, then driving rain and hail the next. It actually hailed so much in Point Arena last night, that it looked like snow, even at the Point Arena Pier. I'll be sharing some of those photos soon.
Amy Ruegg went out on a local trail last Sunday and while she found trees down because of the recent storms, she also found early wildflowers. Milkmaids, Cardamine californica, are blooming now. They are members of the Mustard family.
Amy also found Western Trilliums, Trillium ovatum. This photo shows one covered in raindrops. The white blossom tells you it is freshly bloomed. The blossom will turn pink and then darker still in the days ahead as it "ages."
And lastly, Amy found Wild Ginger, Asarum caudatum.
Wonderful to see! Thanks to Amy for allowing me to share her photos with you here.
It's a lovely day here on the Mendonoma Coast today, sunny with little breeze, and temps briefly hit 70 degrees!
Joining Slink Pod in blooming in winter, Western Trilliums are up. Frank Lalle sent in this photo of one.
The white flower will turn pink after some days, and then purple. Promise me you'll never pick this wildflower! At the very least, it would set the plant back years, and at the worst, picking it might kill it.
The first Milk Maids, aka Spring Beauty, are up too. I saw a group of them at Gualala Point Regional park, by the steps from the parking area that lead to the Visitors' Center. Here's a photo taken by Amy Ruegg.
The first Bracken Ferns have poked through the ground. And the first Douglas Iris have bloomed in a sunny meadow.
Thanks to Frank and Amy for allowing me to share their photos with you here.
It sure feels like Spring today. Temps are warm, and there is very little breeze. It's a magnificent day on the Mendonoma Coast.