Easter 2009 in the Highlands

our eggs

brightest flowers (roses) that caught my eye

Bird Island of Point Lobos

hidden egg

my favorite spring garden view

The blue yarn you see in the second and third pics above marks the boundary for egg hiding and hunting.

checker lily / mission bells
Fritillaria affinis
Liliaceae

Fun! Easy to miss while hiking, especially in very green areas.

ps 03/31/11 - For a really great post on checker lilies, check out Curbstone Valley Farm.

oak ~ 04/08/09 ~ Garland Ranch

oak
Fagaceae

I'm starting to really appreciate the beauty of CA's oaks with their craggly branches and "old" character. Unfortunately, as much as I've tried, I'm only able to identify white and black oaks. I know there are more and I want to look this up. I have this peculiar mental block around most trees and I always have a hard time remembering them.

sky lupine ~ 04/08/09 ~ Garland Ranch

sky lupine
Lupinus nanus
Fabaceae

In 2006, we had hoped to see these blooming in time for our wedding, but there was too much rain that year and the season may have been delayed.