Two weeks ago a couple friends and I went on a hike in nearby Foothill Regional Park, hoping to see some wildflowers. It was a glorious day - sunny but not hot, perfect for a walk.
This park has a good amount of dead and crooked trees, and you know how much I love these.
It didn't take long until we saw the first tiny wildflowers - Mediterranean Stork's Bill. As the name implies, it's not a native.
The unique call of the Red-winged Blackbird was easily heard all around the pond, accompanied by the deep bass of a bullfrog.
We took a shady trail around the second pond where again I was happy to see more dead and crooked trees.
The views of the pond were beautiful.
In October and November 2019, Foothill Park badly burned in the Kincade Fire, a wildfire that caused widespread evacuations throughout Sonoma County and was the largest of the 2019 California wildfire season. There are still numerous burnt trees in the park that now offer a wonderful habitat for all kinds of birds. I've seldom seen so many Acorn Woodpeckers in one place. It is amazing how nature comes back after a natural disaster if we don't mingle and clean everything up.
The Western Fence Lizard certainly felt at home here.
Can you find the turtle?
Hairy Vetch was almost everywhere - it's not a native plant either. It is used as a cover crop and I guess at one time it "escaped" and did its own happy thing, spreading all over the county and beyond. Even though it can be quite invasive, I really like it.
Finally we came upon this meadow of Sky Lupines, a California native. These are my favorite lupines.
Pairing them with our California Poppy is simply fabulous. It was still a bit early for the poppies.
We found a lovely bench under a tree where we stopped and had a little snack while listening to the Red-winged Blackbirds and the bullfrog.
A last view before we returned to the car - it won't stay that green for very much longer.
Here is an AI watercolor rendering of my two friends, so perfectly framed by a tree branch. This is for Nicole's Friday Face Off.
Some of you asked about this app. I have a Google Pixel 6a smartphone that I bought because of its excellent camera. When Google introduced its own AI, Gemini, it became available for the photo app as well, and that is what I use.
Well this is an absolutely beautiful post. The photos are like being there. The AI painting is excellent too. I have thoroughly enjoyed this post. Thank you so much and for sharing with FFO and have a lovely weekend.
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed with your knowledge of wildflowers!
ReplyDelete...Carola, I LOVE the knurled trees!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! Everything looks so peaceful, just like nature should be. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteI really like trees, the older they are, the more damaged they are by the passage of time, the more I like them. You showed me pictures of such trees. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI also like wild flowers, the smaller they are, the more I like them. Thank you for the pictures of those flowers too.
And finally: I found the turtle!:)
Éva
A beautiful hike!
ReplyDeleteA lovely walk
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing these beautiful photos!
ReplyDeleteWhat a glorious walk, Carola. This is the essence of life, it seems to me. Good human friends and good other-than-human friends. Keep on doing it and sharing with us. Muchos abrazos - David
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous walk Carola. Those wildflowers and really gorgeous.And I saw the turtle. :) I like how those dead branches around the turtle make an interesting view even without a turtle. It sounds like you had a lovely day. Enjoy your weekend and I hope you have more beautiful weather. hugs-Erika
ReplyDelete