California buttercup
Ranunculus californicus
Ranunculaceae

The first buttercups I've seen this year. It's a cheery little flower. There is a tiny Diptera in the second picture, and you've got me if you can ID it.

blue-eyed grass & California buttercup
Sisyrinchium bellum & Ranunculus californicus
Iridaceae & Ranunculaceae

I've never before seen so much blue-eyed grass on any of my hikes. It's too bad we didn't capture a photo that shows the proliferation at Garland Ranch. It may have actually outnumbered the vetch on the mesa. On the trail up past the waterfall, we found a small stand of blue-eyed grass which had unusual spiky petals (see second picture above); I wonder why that happens.

CA buttercup ~ 03/14/09 ~ Fort Ord

California buttercup
Ranunculus californicus
Ranunculaceae

I can't tell from this pic whether there was a sheen to the petals. I'm not absolutely positive about this ID since there seems to be so much variation among CA buttercups.