It was a family hike day down our near-by trail. We just discovered this trail over the winter and have now been hiking it for the last few months regularly. We are finding that every time we venture down it, we find something new and exciting waiting for us.
This afternoon we found lots of new wildflowers blooming, some familiar and some new to us. We also saw at least three different kinds of butterflies and heard a new bird but never discovered who it was…..shy bird with a lovely call. We need to come back with binoculars and spend some time quietly sitting and waiting with a field guide.
“Everyone should have the privilege of enjoying the natural beauty of the countryside. Such enjoyment is impossible if a relatively small number of people insist on picking and destroying native plants for their own selfish interests.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 460-461
Here are some of the beauties we saw on this particular hike.
Some kind of pea flowering on a vine.
California Indian Pink….showy color and you couldn’t miss it!
Purple Chinese Houses
These are some of my favorite wildflowers. Not only are they purple but they are really big. On this trail they line both sides as you walk the upper part.
White Globe Lily or as we call them Fairy Lanterns. They are also know as Snowdrops, Indian Bells and Satin Bells. Whatever you call them, so pretty.
This is a new flower to us. I love the little purple dot on each petal and the yellow center. The interesting stems and leaves make this unusual shape. They were all over the trail…in the center as well as the edge. I have not identified this wildflower yet….any ideas?
This was so sweet smelling as we hiked along…deer bush, California lilac, or wild lilac. The bees loved it.
This was a wonderful way to spend our Outdoor Hour this weekend. So many families have thanked me for starting the Outdoor Hour Challenges but the reality is that this whole process has blessed me more than you can imagine. I have renewed zeal for finding ways of weaving nature study into our life too. It has been a mutually beneficial experience. 🙂 So thank you to all you families who are participating.
Such a beautiful walk! I love all the colorful flowers you have there. We too have been finding lots of new wildflowers popping up around here. I’ve had so much fun identifying them.
Blessings,
Melissa
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/melissal89
Oh, to see such beauty! I love wildflowers. Thanks for sharing.
Jenn
Oh that looks like a lovely walk… I used to have a hilly hike that I took with a friend of mine, and we’d have a snack and watch the red-tailed hawks at the top of the ridge. It was a lovely walk. But then I moved and around here I have neither friend to hike with nor hilly look-out area to hike too. However, we do have a bit of a nice area along the Niagara escarpment not too far away from here.
I love your little journal here..very inspiring for this CA momma. I really want to start doing more nature study/walks with my kids.
I was looking at that one unknown to you flower and I saw something similar on the CA Wildflower site..Baby Blue Eyes I believe it was…the one they showed was white with black dots, but apparently there are other varieties. Hope that helps some:-)
Blessings,
Sommer
I love the unidentified flower. Did you figure out what it is?
Deb,
Someone suggested Baby Blue Eyes but I don’t think that is it. I am still keeping my eye out as I look through my field guide.
Barb-Harmony Art Mom
The wildflower pictures are lovely! I posted several wildflower pictures last week, it is super interesting to compare what is blooming here on the island to your locale.
What a nice hike, with so much beauty!