March 29, 2017

Near

Carrizo Plains

Because of all the rain this winter, the next few months in California and the surrounding deserts aren't going to be dismal. Hurray! We've had five years of dry and dismal... 

My son and I met up with a family to explore the Carrizo Plains last Friday and though it took hours of driving to get there (I kind of went the long way round in the morning,) and it took hours to get home (drove my handy Subaru on a real dirt road!) it was worth it. Parts of the drive were so fragrant with blooms it smelled like honey was being harvested. Because there were so few people out in this part of California (which is the strangest thing!), and because the landscape was flat-ish, and rocky, it definitely felt moon-like. Except with wildflowers. It reminded me of parts of Wyoming.  Anyway, right now the yellow blooms are prominant; there will be fields and fields of blue and orange, as well as yellow as we move toward summer.

I wish I'd had a guide when I was there--to help identify the names of the flowers. I love the botanical names of things. We definitely found yarrow (achillea), fiddleneck (amsinckia), and baby blue bells (nemophila menziesii). I would love to know the name of that little yellow fairy flower above? Anyone know?

I may take some time this spring to go through two blogs that I found that are learning tools for folks like me who are weird about knowing the names of things. Are you like that too?

Camissonia's CA Native Plant Life List​

The California Natural Plant Society Blog

Hope spring has come to you as well!