Red Hot Poker (Kniphofia uvaria) brightens roadside culverts
Clusters of California poppy, red hot poker and wild pea brightened roadside culverts and hay barns as we cycled the Bodega Highway to the coast through a light morning fog. The lupin grow yellow around the contours of Bodega Head, a rocky bluff that juts out into the Pacific to the West of Bodega Bay.
The lupin grow purple further up the coast
Further up the coast, the lupin grow purple, where they thrive along deer trails by the mouth of the Russian River, where we hiked through a steep cypress grove to a high coastal meadow overlooking the River to the East and the fogged-in Pacific to the West.
looking East towards the lower Russian River
Of the dozens of wildflowers in bloom here this time of year, here are several that caught my eye, most of which I have not yet identified:
Wild Iris
Indian Paint Brush
Back on our land, the last of the blackberries are now flowering, while some are in the early stages of fruit. Most of our apple and pear trees are fruiting, as are the wild plum and loquat:
Our apple and pear trees are fruiting
Black Walnut
Wild Plum
At dusk I spied a coyote peering above high grasses and a bobcat on the road. It was a Good Day, and our first exploratory bike trip up the Pacific Coast Highway, in anticipation of a late summer, family bike trip to celebrate Ene and my 20th anniversary.