Tag Archives: bloom

Photographs: Nature

Ice Plant Flower

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Ice Plant Flower
The flower of the invasive ice plant, Monterey county

Ice Plant Flower. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The flower of the invasive ice plant, Monterey county.

Ice Plant is ubiquitous along freeways and in similar areas in many parts of California — likely because it is a hardy plant that produces some impressive flowers during part of the year. It is also a non-native that has become invasive in many areas, including some where it probably doesn’t belong.

I photographed this specimen in one of those probably-doesn’t-belong locations. It was growing on a coastal bluff in the upper section of the Big Sur coast, and burrowing its way into the natural ecology of the place. But the flowers were attractive, especially with a bit of early morning dew still on the petals.

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 and Amazon.

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Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Morning Glory, California Coast

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Morning Glory, California Coast
Spring morning glory flowers along the California coastline, Monterey County

Morning Glory, California Coast. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Spring morning glory flowers along the California coastline, Monterey County.

I hope I have the right identification of this flower! (If not, I’ll rely on the intelligence of the web to set me straight.) I think it is morning glory, though there is at least one other flower that seems to fit the appearance and location along the Pacific Coast Highway.

I had briefly stopped to photograph a landscape scene — a small cove and rocky beach, with overlapping headlands marching away to the south. As I walked to my overlook I passed through an area filled with all sorts of wildflowers, including these specimens.

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 and Amazon.

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Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Nature

Two Tidy Tips Flowers

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Two Tidy Tips Flowers
Two tidy tips flowers, San Luis Obispo County, California

Two Tidy Tips Flowers. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Two tidy tips flowers, San Luis Obispo County, California.

How could anyone not like this flower?! It is easy, I think, to take some flowers for granted, but the color pattern of this flower is wild and quite striking. I photographed this pair near the beginning April in San Luis Obispo County, where we had gone for one day of photography in its landscape of grasslands and oaks.

News reports, of course, seem to highlight a very small number of supposedly “special” wildflower locations each year. In fact, some of those places can be pretty special. But they are hardly the only great locations for finding California spring wildflowers! In truth, you can almost certainly find great displays within an easy day’s drive from wherever you live in the state, and in many places you can find them even closer.

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 and Amazon.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Desert Globemallow

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Desert Globemallow
Desert globemallow flower and buds, Death Valley National Park

Desert Globemallow. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Desert globemallow flower and buds, Death Valley National Park.

This desert globe mallow is one of my favorite desert flowers. In most cases that I’ve encountered, there may be a few scattered bushes, sometimes filled with these intensely orange flowers for a few springtime weeks, and especially abundant after wet winters.

2019 seemed like a slightly odd spring for wildflowers in Death Valley, where I made this photograph. A lack of early winter rains lead many to expect a rather poor wildflower season. However, even though it didn’t create the famous “superbloom” conditions, there were quite a few flowers in many places. They seemed to come a bit later than expected this year — perhaps a result of the drier early winter season and then very heavy rains just before the start of spring.

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 and Amazon.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.