Happy Spring!

[summer_jackel]

Blessed Equinox! We went for a walk this morning.



Coba in the morning.


Flowers! This one is an invasive that lives in a couple of landscaped patches, and as feral landscaping, in town. I snagged a cutting last year, and it's happily blooming now. I shall contain it, but I love the yellow.



My new pet tree, a weeping cherry. I love these things, and I hope it thrives:






This one is a native; a wild bleeding heart, Dicentra formosa. I've only found one small patch of this in walking distance from home.




Also a native; but for some reason I can't find it on Califlora right now.


This delightful little thing is Cynoglossum grande, the western houndstongue.




This is a different western houndstongue. Or, since they're originally from Russia, would she be an eastern houndstounge?


Pack doing stays and obedience routines.


Blissy Bliss


Frisking in the woods on Equinox:


A California slender salamander, found under a bit of wood that I replaced immediately after taking this picture.


A beautiful fungus


Wood trillium, Trillium ovatum, one of my favorites. They never last long, but the dry winter seems to have resulted in fewer of them and a shorter season this year.



A pretty little native community with yellow violets and trillium.


The same community, about a week ago:


When the blooms open, they are white; over the course of a week, they turn to burgundy before dying off.










Viola sempervirens, the beautiful redwood violet"





Coba showing off his adorable little paws.


And his tongue.




Another pretty fungus!


More hound.




A rare find, the beautiful calypso orchid, Calypso bulbosa. These are tiny, lovely fragile little beauties that bloom briefly










I made a garland of broom flowers with which to bring in the spring, and made the doggies wear it. This is the bonny broom of the Cowdenknowes, a nasty invasive in California, so I have no objections to making flower crowns out of it.







Because this is my flower post, I am throwing in some that were more fully in bloom last week. I love this one, Scoliopus bigelovii, a tiny, gorgeous lily called, no kidding, fetid adderstongue or slinkpod. It's called this because it's a bit smelly to attract its pollinators, ants. I think it's amazing.






A banana slug!


Coba says, happy spring!

Comments

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[walks-far.livejournal.com]

My trilliums bloom white and stay that way. That little stinkpod flower attracts carrion flies and beetles.

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

I love that it's fly pollinated, and that its other name is "fetid adderstongue." Everything is good about that flower. Although I've gotten close to them and tried to sniff them, and though they are a little bit stinky I wouldn't call them fetid.

[raveness-d.livejournal.com]

Have I mentioned lately that I love your habitat?

Well, I do.

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

Me, too! It's fun to share it.

[dhlawrence.livejournal.com]

I'm not used to seeing orchids growing in the wild XD

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

They're rather rare, and a special treat! There are actually two species native around here, this calypso orchid and a parasitic orchid that is entirely red with white flowers, and takes its nourishment from the roots of trees.