Elegant Mariposa Lily

I'm using the common name on the USDA plant profiles here, because it sounds so nice, but it's got many names: elegant mariposa lily, elegant star tulip, cat's ears, pussy's ears...let's just call it Calochortus elegans. After all, that is the reason we bother with the hefty latin and greek names, right?  To reduce confusion?  Or should I say, to eschew obfuscation?  But I digress.  What can I say?  It's a lovely flower, as lilies pretty much universally are. And this one, the size of a quarter and accented with those little hairs (from which it gets the latter of the common names) is downright cute.  Keep your eyes peeled.

Yellow Bush Lupine - the yellow version

As promised in the last entry, here are some photos of yellow bush lupine that is actually yellow.  I cheated a bit though; these are from Sonoma county.  Not that there's any shortage of specimens in Mendo Co., I just happened to be working on the Sonoma coast and these were not only convenient but also bathed in that gorgeous evening summer sunlight.  We've been enjoying our ration of sunlight here on the coast this first week of summer, and I thought these lupines showed off theat summery glowing feeling pretty well.  

Fuzzy seed pods are developing even while the shrubs are full of fresh flowers.

And the obligatory shot of the flowers with the ocean backdrop...

Now it's time to play catch up.  I've got a bit of a back log to post, as I've been more busy with photographing than blogging, which I think is a positive thing all in all...stay tuned for adorable furry lilies, subjectively cute furry bumblebees, and more...

Yellow Bush Lupine

Huh? Yeah, that's what it's called, and what it is; except it's also purple, in fact mostly purple, here in Nor Cal.  Lupines are nice adornment to any sunny habitat, and this particular species of lupine shrub is abundant enough to paint a whole hillside purple.   I do see yellow individuals here and there, so I'll add a photo of those later...

Like most legumes, the lupines are colonizers that like to find disturbed areas and reproduce aggressively.  Yellow bush lupine (Lupinus arboreous) is especially good at what it does, so much so, it's considered a native invasive plant in certain sensitive areas, like dunes (Cal-IPC only rates it as moderate).  

Lupines are toxic to humans and cattle.  So, enjoy them for their looks.  Lupines make a good landscaping plant thanks to this toxicity, as the deer avoid them.

These are growing on the bluffs by the Noyo harbor in Fort Bragg.  Some of the "bluffs"around Noyo harbor are actually somewhat manmade, after years of piling up material dredged from the river mouth to keep the channel deep enough for boats.  It's the perfect place for a weed garden.  I like to think these lupines are pretty tough - standing their ground against the insidious pampas grass that dominates the area.

Lupines characteristically have palmate leaves (as shown above.)  The leaves of some lupines are adorned with tiny fuzzy hairs that lend a silvery quality to the leaves in the right light.  Another species of lupine - Lupinus albifrons, or silver lupine, is named for this quality.  L. albifrons, by the way, is host to an endangered butterfly called the Mission Blue.