Thursday, April 2, 2009

In search of wild flowers

Skywatch Friday





On March 22 Hubby and I headed out to go camping and to find some wildflowers. The tail end of a storm was just passing through and it made for some great photos.



In those areas not under cultivation and irrigation, California's central valley and foothills are dry and brown most of the year but in spring it can be green velvet. This shot was taken at an overlook on I-5. Much of the valley did not get enough rain this year to turn green but here it was lovely.

Our first stop was the campground at Pinnacles National Monument where the clouds still lingered. On this trip we visited Morro Bay and Carrizo Plain National Monument as well. We saw lots of wild flowers, bird life and examples of California's seismic activity and volcanoes. I took lots of pictures and will share the best over the next few weeks.

For more skywatch photos click here or on the logo in the sidebar.


34 comments:

Guy D said...

Brilliant photos Martha!!!

Have a great weekend!
Guy
Regina In Pictures

SandyCarlson said...

That's a wide open space. I hope the rain comes!

EG CameraGirl said...

Lovely area to visit with your camera. I hope the area gets rain soon though.

Photo Cache said...

beautiful shot. i always want to see pinnacles too. did you enjoy your stay in morro bay? that's another place i want to revisit soon.

Ebie said...

Love the dramatic effect of the clouds behind the trees. I have not driven that far yet. The wild flowers, I am really looking forward to see them.

Anonymous said...

beautiful shots...makes me miss my beloved california.

Janie said...

Beautiful shots. I love the open valley turning green, and the clouds behind the trees is gorgeous, too. Hope you see many wildflowers this summer.

Mojo said...

Now that? Is what you call a "Big Sky"! Fabulous!

Diane AZ said...

Wow, marvelous sky pictures! In the second one, I like the trees and hills, and in the first image after the clouds, the big fields and split rail fence caught my eye.

Owlfarmer said...

Yum! I miss my visits to Porterville and the subsequent trips over the mountains to the Owens Valley when the wildflowers were out. But even when things are brown, the contrast with that blue blue sky is almost unmatchable anywhere. Your pictures always make me homesick!

imac said...

Beautiful dramatic photos Martha. keep an eye up for the answer soon.

April said...

Beautiful vista and silhouetted trees! It looks very nice there.

ms426d said...

In the first shot the sky goes on forever. Something we don't see in this area of central PA. Just beautiful.

Jane Hards Photography said...

The sky is crystal clear with lovely cotton ball cluds.

Light and Voices said...

Wowza with the sky going on forever and ever. Great Sky Watch shot!
Joyce

alicesg said...

Wow very beautiful sky. Very nice weather. Thanks for the visit in my blog and have a nice weekend.

Sally in WA said...

Great photos. I've been to that overlook on I-5. To some, that area is not very scenic, but I sure enjoy it. Thanks for visiting.

Arija said...

I really like the second withthe tree against the strong light.

Firefly the Travel Guy said...

I love the paterns in the sky in the second photo. We are off camping ourselves next weekend.

Elisabeth's bright side said...

Great sky in those pictures with the lofty clouds sailing along the horizon. It looks promising green that first picture.
Have anice week!

floreta said...

lovely country road! looks relaxing.

Carver said...

Those are both beautiful shots. What a gorgeous place.

Eric Z said...

You sure are a good photographer. BTW, I've been using your blog to fill my screensaver.

Unknown said...

Those are both wonderful shots!
Have a nice weekend.

Tammie Lee said...

Both are beautiful images! Stunning days you had.

Barbara said...

Beautiful captures. Have a great weekend.
Smiles B

Pearl Maple said...

Thanks for sharing this photo of a big patch of bright sky with us all in Sky Watch Friday and thanks for your kind comments on my blog earlier.

kRiZcPEc said...

long to see sky like this here!

indicaspecies said...

Lovely shots, I particularly like the second one of the branches against the sky.

sunnymama said...

Great pictures. Those clouds are just perfect!

eLIZabeth Floyd said...

Lovely photos of sky and scenery.

Girl Tornado said...

Both beautiful photos, but I especially like the landscape and sky in the first one. So stunning.

Melissa said...

I love your sky photos! My kids are older (well except for the baby) so taking photos is a favorite past time of mine. Especially during storm season!

Corner Gardener Sue said...

I enjoyed all your photos on the page, so thought I'd comment here. Thanks for your comment on my post. It always makes me feel good when I see great photographers like you leaving comments on my posts.

We both live in Lincoln, but my Lincoln is in Nebraska.

Happy Easter