One of the things that just soothes my soul on the Northern California coast is the lush foliage. We've gone in August the last couple years and that means things have really dried out. However, with this year's extra rain and us visiting in June, things were showing off for us!
There are plants that are recognizable, like this sweet pea on the side of the road...
...the berry plants, which are still flowering at Glass Beach in Fort Bragg...
...and the bramble of roses that tumble along the bluffs of Mendocino.
Even grass found a home on this funky little window frame in Fort Bragg.
Some are more exotic, like this vine that was growing both at the Fire Glass Gallery and in the campsite. The flowers are just stunning, with purple centers.
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These fuchsias always take my breath away.
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And, I love all the little random wildflower gardens you find tucked on the side of buildings and driveways.
This was a potted plant in a barrel at the campground. It was about as big as my hand and beautiful rose color.
But it's big cousin, the Tower of Jewels, grew like it was on steroids, higher than most of the buildings.
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This was a tiny blueish flower that was volunteering it's beauty under the water spigot. I used the super macro setting on my little Olympus point-and-shoot. The whole bunch of these little blossoms were only about as big as my thumbnail. I really wish I'd followed Sandy's example and made a little botany book of pressed flowers from the area. But, I've got to have a reason to go back next year, don't I?!
...the berry plants, which are still flowering at Glass Beach in Fort Bragg...
...and the bramble of roses that tumble along the bluffs of Mendocino.
Even grass found a home on this funky little window frame in Fort Bragg.
Some are more exotic, like this vine that was growing both at the Fire Glass Gallery and in the campsite. The flowers are just stunning, with purple centers.
.JPG)
These fuchsias always take my breath away.
.JPG)
And, I love all the little random wildflower gardens you find tucked on the side of buildings and driveways.
This was a potted plant in a barrel at the campground. It was about as big as my hand and beautiful rose color.
But it's big cousin, the Tower of Jewels, grew like it was on steroids, higher than most of the buildings.
.JPG)
This was a tiny blueish flower that was volunteering it's beauty under the water spigot. I used the super macro setting on my little Olympus point-and-shoot. The whole bunch of these little blossoms were only about as big as my thumbnail. I really wish I'd followed Sandy's example and made a little botany book of pressed flowers from the area. But, I've got to have a reason to go back next year, don't I?!
6 comments:
What beautiful pictures! I am from Central California and I get so very homesick. Thank you for this taste of home.
Plant identification on demand! (Don't you love having an aspie sister? My obsession is taxonomy...)
Photo 1: Actually not a sweat pea as we think of them, but very closely related. And obviously gorgeous. They have thicker stems and the flowers are a little different. We have them here, too, and the plant one of the Ornamental Hort profs couldn't remember the name but said they're horrible invasive. I say, let them invade in these kind of settings, they're gorgeous and obviously take care of themselves!
Photo#5: Clematis. Their 3-lobed leaf gives them away. Plus their stunning, other-wordly look to them.
Photo#6: Not fuchsias but just as gorgeous! Fuchsias are pendulous (meaning they "weep" like willows) and have some sort of cone like thing in the middle of the flower. These are missing the cone. Here's a good link to the photos for real fuchsia (which is up in Mendo all over the place...yours are just good immitators!) http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ldplants/2plants.htm#fuchsia
Photo#8 is a Lupin, also known as the Blue Bonnet (the state flower of Texas). They're one of my favorite flowers. We have a smaller version of them around here and they just make my soul happy.
Photo#9 is Echium wildprettie (I just love taxonomic names!) It's actually in the Boraginaceae family and the Lupin is the in the pea family. So actually the sweet pea and the lupin are more closely related. Plants are so fickle, aren't they?
And your final little blue flower? Forget-me-not, which is in the boraginaceae family. So the huge tower of jewels is related to the little blue flower that is the state flower of Alaska.
But very pretty pictures! Thanks for sharing! And for listening to my Aspie "I don't care if anyone else doesn't care, I do so I'm saying it!"
Love it! Thanks, Mae. Your identification is going in my book.
WAY cool flowers! Great pictures!
Sigh. Mendocino. Just looking at the pictures I can smell it and feel the mist on my face. Sigh again. Thanks!
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