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.

wedding tree ~ 04/08/09 ~ Garland Ranch

wedding tree
Fagaceae

As per our now annual visit to this oak tree... it looks very different.