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 […]
Tag Archives: phenology
The Week in Bloom
Rhododendron are at their peak We beat the heat with a day at the beach on Sunday, very much in need of a rest after a grueling final push to complete our murals in Oakland. My limbs were soothed by a long walk in the surf, a quick dip in the chilly brine and a […]
The Week in Bloom
 Rhododendron at their loveliest stage This Week in Bloom is tempered by my recent, prolonged absence from our natural environs over the past two weeks as I focus on the installation of our public art project in Oakland, where I have been living and working from Sunday nights through Saturday afternoons. It’s been about […]
The Week in Bloom
This week I asked my old friend the ‘sometimes painter’, Ben Llaneta, to report on the Week in Bloom from his home in Crystal Lake, Illinois, near Chicago (if you would like to report on ‘The Week in Bloom’ from your neck of the woods, please fill out the PARTICIPATE form and send a note):Â […]
The Week in Bloom
This week I asked my friend Colby Eierman (above) to report on the Week in Bloom from Benziger Family Winery in Glen Ellen CA, giving us a glimpse of a micro climate just 20 miles to the East; all text and images that follow are by Colby (if you would like to report on ‘The […]
The Week in Bloom
Wild plum tree cluster (Prunus americana) in a grazing meadow We’re taking the week off, spring cleaning and preparing for family to arrive from the East Coast. I’ve been cycling along low lying ranches in the fog belt of the Estero Americano watershed, scouting roadside willow, which thrives in the perpetually moist culverts. The grazing […]
The Week in Bloom
Wild Cherry (Prunus avium) Since I was a teenager I’ve always ridden nimble, road racing bikes and my attention has been on speed and navigating the road to avoid flats. Inspired by our rural environs and the Rivendell ethos, I’ve recently swapped out my racing machines in favor of a sturdier, Surly Long Haul Trucker, […]