Last Sunday, between madly rushing from one gardening task to another, I took some time and went for a walk around the property. By slowing down and taking the time to really look closely, I once again found a large, diverse group of plants putting on their annual show. As the Pacific Coast Wild Iris reach their peak bloom, the Cat's Ears have just begun. I do love their uniquely shaped bloom and fuzzy interior. We have 4 separate areas on the property where they grow.
I was thrilled to find this native columbine "aquilegia formosa" blooming. Columbine are short-lived plants, and normally by the time I have located one blooming, it has reached the end of its life cycle and disappears the next year. This one is growing in filtered shade on the bank of the creek.
We are lucky to have 3 native dogwoods (Cornus Nuttallii) on the property.
The camas has also just begun to bloom.
These sweet little Stream Violets ( Viola Glabella) are blooming in very dense shade along the secret path to the garden. If their yellow bloom wasn't so eye-catching, you would never know that they are there.
Everywhere you look right now you see these funny white blossoms. It's Western Serviceberry ( Amelanchier Alinifolia), a very common shrub/small tree in these parts. Most of the year you can't really differentiate it from all the other miscellaneous hedges and brush that grow wild here. But once a year, Serviceberry covers itself in these white, showy blooms and suddenly you are reminded it's everywhere.
All of our green meadows are full of hot pink "dots" right now. Upon closer inspection you can see that the wild vetch is blooming now, with these pretty little pink trumpets.
Deep in the shade, the paths are lined with the tiny, pink blossoms of a common weed.
And I can't leave out the buttercups and daisies. Although they are common and mostly overlooked, I love the Spring color combination of the white daisy heads and the bright yellow buttercups. They bring the dark, moss-covered floor of the forest alive.
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