Tag Archives: bud

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Fairy Lantern (Calochortus albus) Flower and Buds

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Fairy Lantern (Calochortus albus) Flower and Buds

Fairy Lantern (Calochortus albus) Flower and Buds. Almaden Quicksilver Park, California. April 18, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A fairy lantern flower in bloom with several buds on the plant yet to bloom.

I photographed this flower over the weekend along a trail at Almaden Quicksilver Park that I visit about this time every year… to photograph this flower. While I occasionally see the Fairy Lantern flower in other locations – if I look carefully – a small valley along the New Almaden Trail near the Mockingbird Hill entrance to the park often contains hundreds of these flowers. I thought that this weekend (April 18 and 19) would mark the peak of the bloom, but my hike their yesterday left me thinking that it may be another week – while some of the flowers had bloomed, many more were still only buds, as are the majority of this specimen.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: fairy, lantern, chinese, flower, bud, bloom, wildflower, pale, pink, round, green, leaf, pointed, stem, plant, bokeh, nature, foliage, forest, floor, almaden, quicksilver, mines, county, park, santa clara, san jose, nature, stock, Calochortus albus

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

New Tree Shoots and Moss

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New Tree Shoots and Moss

New Tree Shoots and Moss. Castle Rock State Park, California. April 19, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

New spring shoots grow against a bed of moss on the side of an oak tree.

As I walked a trail across a grassy hillside studded with oaks, I was not looking for this photograph – I was actually heading to a spot a bit further on where I’ve photographed lupine flowers in previous springs. But these small branches (very red in a non-black and white version) caught my eye, especially as they grew against a background carpet of moss. (I posted a black and white version of this photograph yesterday.)

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: new, spring, growth, shoots, branch, leaf, red, white, twig, bud, oak, tree, moss, green, pattern, vein, nature, castle rock, state, park, california, usa, foliage, plant, stock

Photographs: Nature

New Tree Shoots and Moss

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New Tree Shoots and Moss

New Tree Shoots and Moss. Castle Rock State Park, California. April 19, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

New spring shoots grow against a bed of moss on the side of an oak tree.

As I walked a trail across a grassy hillside studded with oaks, I was not looking for this photograph – I was actually heading to a spot a bit further on where I’ve photographed lupine flowers in previous springs. But these small branches (very red in a non-black and white version) caught my eye, especially as they grew against a background carpet of moss.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.

G Dan Mitchell: Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email


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

Photographs: Coastal Redwoods, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Fairy Bell Wildflowers (Disporum hookeri)

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Fairy Bell Wildflowers (Prosartes smithii)

Fairy Bell Wildflowers (Disporum hookeri). Muir Woods National Monument, California. April 11, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Spring Fairy Bells flowers among the plants on the forest floor at Muir Woods National Monument, California.

This plant grows on the forest floor beneath the Redwoods at Muir Woods National Monument and, no doubt, in many other similar places on the west coast. This is a rather subtle flower – its color is not that different from the color of its leaves, it grows in areas where the light tends to be somewhat dim, and the flowers hide beneath the spreading leaves. It isn’t a flower that I spot right away – unlike, say, trillium – and it is a bit tricky to photograph.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: Prosartes smithii, Disporum smithii, Fairy, Bells, flower, wild, wildflower, leaf, green, yellow, wihite, plant, foliage, nature, forest, floor, insect, bug, muir woods, national, monument, golden gate, recreation, area, park, marin, county, california, usa, stem, bud, bokeh, stock, Disporum hookeri