Turning the corner

  

A Coast Larkspur (Delphinium decorum) to help usher in spring!

The Vernal Equinox occurs on 19 March 2024 at 8:06 p.m. PDT.

Tower of flower

  

A beautiful larkspur in a coastal grassland near Jenner on 19 May 2022.  I'm not sure which species this is yet (if you have an idea, let me know!), but thought it was still worth sharing.  Another view:

 

 

Delphinium

 

Coast Larkspur (Delphinium decorum)

flowering in the coastal prairie on Bodega Head on 28 March 2013

Here's a close-up of this beautiful early spring wildflower.  Unfortunately, they're rare on Bodega Head.  This species is a California endemic (it's not found outside of the state).

 

Tonight I read in The Jepson Manual account that the genus, Delphinium, comes from the Latin for dolphin, and is named after the shape of the bud.  I was a little puzzled by this, so I checked a few photos to look at the buds.

Here's one from today (see below).  I'm not quite seeing "dolphin" here.  (Maybe tadpole.)  Are you?

 

But if the buds are dolphin-like, and a group of dolphins is called a pod, is the next image a pod of Delphinium buds?

 

Okay, seriously, if someone out there does know how to see a dolphin in a Delphinium bud, I'd love to hear more about it.

P.S.  If you were intrigued by the worm last night, after receiving a little more information I included an addendum to that post.