金色的罌粟花 ( "These too are of a burning color--not orange, not gold, but if pure gold were liquid and could raise a cream, that golden cream might be like the color of the poppies.”--John Steinbeck East of Eden)
被鬆鼠吃掉的枇杷，估計這個位置它還來不及整個吃完。The sneaky and bold squirrel disguises itself well. It must have eaten more loquats than I know.
Under a leaden sky the valley looked dull but serene, with the moisture hanging in the air. As we stood at the top of the valley overlooking undulating mountaintops that were now in misty faint green, we felt like being environed in our old hometown in southern China. Except that there is a highway cutting through, on which cars were whizzing by noisily. But we are now so used to any modernization disruption.
In a rain-bountiful year, as in the spring of 2018, we came across a daisy-like flower called Gazania flower in this valley. The encounter was so impressive that he occasionally reminisces about it and craves for another rendezvous. On the same expected slope this time, we only saw sparingly five or six of them. Without sunshine, their petals were not fully spreading, but the color was just as showy and vivid.
On the downward trail, we attempted to identify the spiraling plants and shrubs on the roadsides by their names-- white sage, black sage, California buckwheat, coastal sagebrush, etc. From time to time, we pinched a tip of the leaves to sniff the bold and pungent smell. Sages are known herbal edibles, and Sagebrush, according to the introduction, was used by miners in bedding to drive away fleas or used to make a wash for wounds. Nature has offered us generously, but we are sometimes blind to their existence.
This spring, with the absence of dazzling large swaths of popular flowers, it's the show time for those who survive the drought and thrivingly bloom on the meadow. As we took pictures of them, our cameras in our hands were unfailingly doing the magic, packaging a plain-looking wild flower (like fiddleneck) with a touch of elegancy. The publicly acclaimed beauty of prickly pear cactus flowers or California state flower Golden poppies are all the more appealing under the lens.
Spring is fleeting here like most beautiful things in this world. As we relished the scenes and scents on the first Saturday of April, we felt lucky that we still have the peace and the peace of mind to be around them.
回複 '7grizzly' 的評論 : Haha, x-liveforevers:)) I just googled online, and found that there are 45 succulent species of Dudleya, a neo-Latin word for liveforever. So we can say Dudleya XYZ, and you are absolutely right to say x- liveforevers, and I do see some familiar plants being named as that.
I had one chalk liveforever, but it died this spring. So there is no such a thing as liveforever:)) Thanks, my friend.
回複 '暖冬cool夏' 的評論 : It's a good point. The ones around me take on various colors and not always chalk, but they are of a similar shape. So they must be x-liveforevers, I think. I'll find them out now that I have a lead :-)
回複 '7grizzly' 的評論 : Hi, my friend. I like your comments, as always, written better than my post, and breathe in some fresh air:))
Are you sure your neighborhood has lots of chalk liveforever? This is chalk-colored with powder-like covering on the surface. There is another similar more commonly-seen one, and that one is normally multiplied with more of itself, and could look taller and bigger. (I don't know the name yet:))
Right, we were trying to educate ourselves on different kinds of plants on the trip. The more we know, the more we feel bound with nature.
Thank you, my friend. Enjoy your spring there too!
康賽歐 發表評論於
問好暖冬！真漂亮！
BeijingGirl1 發表評論於
沒想到鬆鼠還吃枇杷啊， 到真知道撿好東西吃！ 是否應該準備一個彈弓呢？ 應該比“噓”管用。 這些花漂亮， 富有沙漠地帶的風情 -- 都沒有闊大的葉子以保持植株的水份，“survive the drought”。 Red poppy is charming。 問好暖冬。
It's great you guys can enjoy exploring nature's offerings. I'm thrilled to make
acquaintance with these wonderful plants through your lens. The outdoors must be
like a botanical garden for you two.
I feel sure that someday I will run into gazania and fiddlenecks and will keep
an eye open for black sage and sagebrush. 'Chalk liveforever' comes at last
as they are abundant in my neighborhood and I wondered about their name
every time I saw them. What an interesting name by the way. Now I can proudly
call them out:-) Thank you very much for sharing.
金色的罌粟花 ( "These too are of a burning color--not orange, not gold, but if pure gold were liquid and could raise a cream, that golden cream might be like the color of the poppies.”--John Steinbeck East of Eden)
被鬆鼠吃掉的枇杷，估計這個位置它還來不及整個吃完。The sneaky and bold squirrel disguises itself well. It must have eaten more loquats than I know.
Under a leaden sky the valley looked dull but serene, with the moisture hanging in the air. As we stood at the top of the valley overlooking undulating mountaintops that were now in misty faint green, we felt like being environed in our old hometown in southern China. Except that there is a highway cutting through, on which cars were whizzing by noisily. But we are now so used to any modernization disruption.
In a rain-bountiful year, as in the spring of 2018, we came across a daisy-like flower called Gazania flower in this valley. The encounter was so impressive that he occasionally reminisces about it and craves for another rendezvous. On the same expected slope this time, we only saw sparingly five or six of them. Without sunshine, their petals were not fully spreading, but the color was just as showy and vivid.
On the downward trail, we attempted to identify the spiraling plants and shrubs on the roadsides by their names-- white sage, black sage, California buckwheat, coastal sagebrush, etc. From time to time, we pinched a tip of the leaves to sniff the bold and pungent smell. Sages are known herbal edibles, and Sagebrush, according to the introduction, was used by miners in bedding to drive away fleas or used to make a wash for wounds. Nature has offered us generously, but we are sometimes blind to their existence.
This spring, with the absence of dazzling large swaths of popular flowers, it's the show time for those who survive the drought and thrivingly bloom on the meadow. As we took pictures of them, our cameras in our hands were unfailingly doing the magic, packaging a plain-looking wild flower (like fiddleneck) with a touch of elegancy. The publicly acclaimed beauty of prickly pear cactus flowers or California state flower Golden poppies are all the more appealing under the lens.
Spring is fleeting here like most beautiful things in this world. As we relished the scenes and scents on the first Saturday of April, we felt lucky that we still have the peace and the peace of mind to be around them.
