Tag Archives: county

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: Nature

Purple Owl’s Clover Flowers

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Purple Owl's Clover Flowers
A purple owl’s clover bloom, San Luis Obispo County, California

Purple Owl’s Clover Flowers. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A purple owl’s clover bloom, San Luis Obispo County, California.

I continue to work my way through the California spring wildflower photography — and this isn’t the end of it! This was a better-than-average year for wildflowers in the state. Winter rains were above normal, and a good portion of the rain fell later in the season, including some big storms that swept though in early March.

I photographed this flower in San Luis Obispo County, in one of the many oak and grassland areas that are so common in the state’s lowlands and foothills. We found a spot with uncounted flowers spread across large meadows, stopped, and spent a few hours wandering around with macro lenses on the cameras.

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: 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.

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: 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.