May flowers

 

Hesperomecon linearis photographed in the Bodega Dunes on 13 May 2023.  Many thanks to Eric for the great photo!

Cup of gold

  

I've been working on some indoor projects recently, so here's a photo from the archives.  Since the spring flowers are starting to bloom, enjoy this golden California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica).  (This one was photographed in May 2011.)

Happy Earth Day

 

Happy Earth Day on 22 April 2020!

Here's a nice Narrow-leaved Meconella (Hesperomecon linearis) to help celebrate.  (Other names you might encounter for this species include Carnival Poppy and Popcorn Poppy.)

May Day

I'll always have childhood memories of flowers on May Day, so here are some for you:

 

Primarily Coastal Goldfields (Lasthenia minor) and California Poppies (Eschscholzia californica)

 

The colors of seed set

 

The beautiful colors of one of our local poppies, Hesperomecon linearis (formerly Meconella linearis), as it finishes flowering and produces fruit.

P.S.  To see what the flowers look like before they go to seed, review the post called "Yellow to red" on 6 April 2013.

So many choices

If you were a bee, which one would you choose?

 

Many coastal prairie wildflowers are having a great year.  On 16 April 2016, some native bees joined the "party":

 

Silver Bee (Habropodus miserabilis) landing on Cream Cups (Platystemon californicus)

 

Yellow-faced Bumblebee (Bombus vosnesenskii) visiting Sky Lupine (Lupinus nanus)

P.S.  Bee there, or be square!

Pot of gold?

 

Evening Poppy (Hesperomecon linearis)

Maybe I should have shown this picture yesterday for St. Patrick's Day?

From the post about poppies on Bodega Head on 22 March 2012: Formerly known as Meconella linearis.  The common name has not been standardized.  Sometimes referred to as Popcorn Poppy or Carnival Poppy.  Hespero = evening or west, and mecon = poppy, hence the name above.  Of the six petals, the inner three are mostly white and the outer three are mostly yellow.  This is the rarest of the poppies on Bodega Head and is only found at a few sites in older, remnant stabilized dunes.  It's also rare in Sonoma County, with perhaps just one or two other known locations.

Yellow to red

 

Carnival Poppy (Hesperomecon linearis), photographed on 6 April 2013.  Sometimes the petals turn reddish with age — see left-hand flower above.  In that flower, you can also see the tip of the developing fruit (greenish point in center).

For a comparison of all three poppies found on Bodega Head, review the post from 22 March 2012.

Poppies!

Three species of poppies are found on Bodega Head.  All three have started to flower.

California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica)

On the coast, this species is a perennial, and its flowers are bicolored.  The four petals generally have orange bases and yellow tips.  You'll find them in both grassland and dune habitats, as well as along roadsides.  It's the most common of the poppies on Bodega Head (and is the California state flower).  Interestingly, it was first collected and described during Russian expeditions to this area in the early 1800s (Eschscholtz was a surgeon/botanist on one of the voyages.)

Cream Cups (Platystemon californicus)

An annual, primarily found in coastal grasslands, especially along the outer bluffs.  Six petals, with variable amounts of yellow and white (or cream).  All of the petals on one flower are generally similar in color (contrast with next species).

Evening Poppy (Hesperomecon linearis)

Formerly known as Meconella linearis.  The common name has not been standardized.  Sometimes referred to as Popcorn Poppy or Carnival Poppy.  Hespero = evening or west, and mecon = poppy, hence the name above.  Of the six petals, the inner three are mostly white and the outer three are mostly yellow.  This is the rarest of the poppies on Bodega Head and is only found at a few sites in older, remnant stabilized dunes.  It's also rare in Sonoma County, with perhaps just one or two other known locations.