Sutter Buttes in a Pink Sky

Here is my SkyWatch shot. In the evening sky looking to the west is Sutter Buttes, the worlds smallest mountain range, rising from the alluvial plain of the Sacramento Valley.

This is the view from my patio on a clear evening. The buttes intrigue me, beckon me. They are private land, forbidden.

Except, the Middle MountainFoundation has permission to lead hikes on four parcels here and last Sunday I joined them on a wildflower hike.

If you have time, you can join us.

We start our hike crossing this little stream. When summer comes this land will be dry but now it is green with flowing streams.
We see signs that native Americans once used this land.
We see a well dug by the pioneers. I hope they didn't encounter that poison oak, now draped over the edge, when they were drawing out water!
Wild clematis drapes over trees and shrubs.

We walk through stands of Redbud.

There are flowers I don't recall seeing in the past. Did you notice the blue pollen on the Birdseye Gilia?

The Sutter Buttes are the remnants of an ancient volcano. Here we can see the andecite spires from that volcano.

Elsewhere we see the terraces of an ancient lake bed, raised up when the volcano erupted under it.

We end with another sky shot. A view from the buttes over towards the Snow Mountain Wilderness in the Mendocino National Forest.

More skies can be found at Skywatch Friday, hosted for us by Klaus, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy and Sylvia.