Bluedicks Flower. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
Springtime bluedicks flower in the Central California oak-grasslands.
This is a surprisingly common wildflower in my part of California, and in the springtime I frequently run into them all around the Bay Area on hikes, typically in warmer and sunnier areas. The flowers are striking — the cluster sits on the end of a long, slender step, and the colors can stand out against the other foliage. Technically, I suppose that I should tie “flowers” rather than “flower” here, since it is a cluster of smaller individual flowers. The unusual name apparently comes from a shorthand for the Latin name of the plant, though I have recently been told that the plant has been reclassified and that it should now be “blue dips.”
Although I like to travel to do my outdoor photography, I also spend a lot of time in the field not far from where I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, often hiking some of the nearby trails. (In fact, I’ve been doing more of that recently as I try to work myself into condition for an upcoming backcountry trip by hiking hilly routes. It gets harder every year!) Although I had hiked the trails where I photographed this specimen, I had not really paid enough attention to the wildflowers there until recently… when I discovered several large populations of this flower.
G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.
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