Springs in California were spent driving around to various parts of the golden state to seek the colorful blooms of wildflowers. Hills, brown and dry during the summer and fall, transform in February to a verdant English landscape, and play host some of the largest varieties of wildflowers. Resplendent blooms of the california poppy, pygmy lupines, fiddlenecks, asters, daisies and many others carpet the sunlit slopes of the Sierra foothills. I am yet to witness such a transformation in any other part of the country.
Table Mountain Ecological Reserve
CA USA
The Season of Love
While passionate lovers and marketing experts for large retail firms will claim that February is the month of love, for the vast majority of species on the planet, March and April, in the heart of the spring, truly represents the season of love. Millions of flowers from hundreds of plant species bloom in an extravaganza of colors hoping to attract pollinators, and pass on their gene to the future generations.
This visual spectacle, under the right weather conditions, can transform a dry and dusty landscape into drapery of contrasting colors; vast fields of yellow, pink, orange, purple and blue stretch on and onto the endless horizon of the vast desert landscape. While such displays were much more common in the past, changing weather conditions and human impact have definitely reduced the scale of such a tableau. Witnessing such a bloom can definitely make one marvel at nature's creation, and instill a sense of conservation.
Table Mountain State Ecological Reserve
CA USA
Spring Greens
The golden hills of California stay golden for a reason - the lack of rains through summer and fall. So when the rains do appear, the golden hills of California turn green, the barren oak trees sport new leaves, and colorful wildflowers sprout across the state. And as a nature photographer, hunting around for such idyllic Californian landscapes was an endeavor I looked forward to every spring.
I found this beautiful scene while on one such trip out to the Table Mountain Ecological Reserve near the town of Oroville. Here is to hoping that this year is just as colorful.
North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve
CA USA