Tag Archives: county

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

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Miners Lettuce and Ferns

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Miners Lettuce and Ferns

Miners Lettuce and Ferns. Almaden Quicksilver Park, California. April 12, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A single miners lettuce plant in bloom among ferns, Almaden Quicksilver Park, California.

As a kid growing up in central California I always heard how one could “make a salad” out of miners lettuce, so this is one of the first wild plants I can remember. (By the way, I have no idea if this plant is actually edible – or deadly poison – so don’t go eating it because you saw my post – ask an expert first!) This single leaf and stem of the plant was growing in a very lush section of a trail at Almaden Quicksilver Park every spring during wildflower season.

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: green, foliage, leaves, leaf, flower, white, miners lettuce, round, fern, branch, twig, stem, almaden, quicksilver, county, park, santa clara, san jose, california, usa, spring, wet, drop, water, reflection, shade, lush, nature, foliage, stock, close up, macro, plant

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Larkspur Flowers

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Larkspur Flowers

Larkspur Flowers. Quicksilver Hills, California. March 28, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Larkspur in spring bloom along a trail at Almaden Quicksilver Park, California.

These flowers were also photographed along the little section of trail running through the valley at Almaden Quicksilver Park that I mentioned in an earlier post or two. This valley holds a wonderful collection of spring wildflowers, and I visit it each year during the several weeks of late March and early April each year when the wildflower display is at its peak. There is a bend in the trail on a downhill section where the ground is shady in the morning and open to the sun in the afternoon where a small garden of these flowers is found – the entire patch contains perhaps a dozen or two plants, and the flowers come and go quite quickly.

I find this flower to be one of the most difficult to photograph – and for a series of reasons. It is not seen that widely; you will find it if you are out and about, but it certainly is not ubiquitous. Its blooms are only visible, much less attractive, for a short time somewhat early in the wildflower season – the flowers can quickly turn dry and drab looking. Sometimes a very nice flower will share a stem with others that are way past their prime. And, finally, the flower’s color is very dark – this can make it very tricky to shoot in even the best light. Its details can easily disappear into the dark tones, and its color can be overshadowed by almost any other plant that shares the frame. In this photograph I was lucky to fine a group of flowers still in pretty good shape, that had a slightly redder tint than some might, and which was illuminated by back/side light that wasn’t too harsh, and which were in front of background plants that were not in full sun. Using a long lens with its narrow depth of field also helped to diffuse the background and set the flowers off a bit.

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: larkspur, Delphinium depauperatum, flower, wild, wildflower, purple, blue, green, plant, foliage, stem, bokeh, spring, season, california, usa, almaden, quicksilver, county, park, santa clara, san jose, trail, hike, hills, san francisco, bay area, nature, stock, bud, bloom, blossom

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Blue Dicks Flowers

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Blue Dicks Flowers

Blue Dicks Flowers. Quicksilver Hills, California. March 28, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Intertwining stems support two spring Blue Dicks wildflowers along a trail at Almaden Quicksilver Park, California.

The bare stems of these two spring wildflowers intertwine in the trailside sunshine at Almaden Quicksilver Park, California.

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: Dichelostemma capitatum, blue dicks, flowers, stem, blossom, bloom, wild, wildflower, spring, nature, foliage, plant, lily, amaryllis, season, new, quicksilver, county, park, santa clara, san jose, california, usa, stock