April in the Arboretum

University of California Santa Cruz Arboretum

A chilly overcast April day suits photography just as Santa Cruz climate befits the Southern Hemisphere plants thriving at the Arboretum. This Rose Coneflower will bloom for weeks.

Early Springtime at Filoli

Woodside, CA

A beautiful warm, sunny day in late March brought me to Filoli Garden, a place that I never found time to visit pre-pandemic. Such variety and abundance!

Shelter in Place April

Santa Cruz Mountains

More sheltering in place. This day lily has been with me for over 30 years. I rescued it from a hillside being bulldozed at Cabrillo College to add a new building.

Rocky Mountain June High

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

 

Late May snow in Denver hint that  we’d find snowy slopes in the mountains in June. As we begin our hike, Longs Peak is displays snow as we’d anticipated.

Superbloom! The Close-up View

Carrizo Plain National Monument, CA

In my last post, California Goldfields blankets huge swaths of land with yellow. And yet they are tiny flowers. Some say the Golden State was named for great springtime blooms of Goldfields throughout California.

Superbloom! The Big Picture

Carrizo Plain National Monument, CA

In certain rainy years like 2019, the remote Carrizo Plain National Monument bursts into a wildflower “superbloom” for just a few short weeks in March or April.

The Waters of March

Uvas Canyon County Park, CA

 

California winter rains cause creeks to swell and sing, their waters rushing down all possible paths through the stream bed.

Dogwood Days

Santa Cruz Mountains

It’s an exceptional year for dogwood in the Santa Cruz mountains. Our tree, gracing us with April blossoms, is more prolific than ever this year.

Love-in-a-Mist Magic

Santa Cruz Mountains

Magic, Miracle, or simply Mother Nature brings Nigella, or Love-in-a-Mist, back to the garden every spring. Very lucky years bring surprising hybrids.

May Roses

Santa Cruz Mountains

May in a rose garden is magical. Though I longed to visit UC Botanical Gardens' heirloom rose bed, my work schedule kept me at home in my own rather unkempt garden.

Spring Snow = Summer Water

Lake Tahoe and Surrounds

After six years of drought and sadly deficient Sierra snow pack, who would have dreamed we’d see fresh snow in the mountains in April?

Daffodils, Icons of Spring

Santa Cruz Mountains

 

During the last weeks of winter, the daffodil seems to pop up from nowhere. A sunny spot in the bleak and chilly landscape, it foretells of spring.