We made a few stabs at a normal summer (see previous post), one of the most satisfying was a visit to Brady's Camp. The flower display up there around 6,000 feet peaked later than usual. Bib and Loki perched on a rock overlooking the creek bed that was loaded with blooming Leopard Lilies, Monkshood (below) and many other species.
In the marshy expanse on the other side of the campground was a nice crop of Checker Mallow, cousin of Checker Bloom which I've often photographed at lower altitudes.
I made a few visits to the FRC campus in July and August, mostly to assess whether I'd be able to walk up the hill again after my surgery. It seems that the combined effects of years of drought and "landscaping" have diminished the wildflower displays along the path to the upper campus. However, there still survived a small patch of Lemon's Wild Ginger.
On a more recent hike up Sierra Buttes (see previous post), we saw patches of a beautiful red flower blooming at nearly 7,000 feet. My first impulse was to say it was a Penstemon common at high altitudes, but that didn't seem quite right. The stamens and pistil projected quite far out pa st the corolla, and the red color wasn't quite right. When I got home and looked closer at the image on my screen, I realized it was California Fuschia. Without getting out a hand lens and inspecting the flower parts more closely, I would never have guessed it is an
Epilobium, the same genus as Fireweed (bottom photo) which I photographed near Oakland Camp at around 3,500 feet elevation.
These photos represent around a day and a half of exploring with my camera, a very small part of summer rescued from a summer spent mostly recovering from surgery. As winter seem to be approaching quickly, I plan to refresh my winter photography skills and continue to blog more regularly.
Beautiful, thanks!
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